The Games We Play Online and Offline : Making Wang-tta in Korea is an article written by Florence Chee. It is a scientific paper published in Popular Communication in 2006. Ichose this research for our literature review in order to explain the particularities of video games practices in Asia. Indeed, a lot of research are produced in eastern countries with cultural specificities and I wanted to acknowledge this aspect to prevent bias in my own research. It is an ethnographic analysis of cases which explain the various ways Korean gamers establish community, online and offline. The author shows how media use can differ from one culture to another and she analyses the importance of socio-cultural factors.
First, South Korea is a country with a huge community of online game players which represent 54 percent of the population. There was a lot media publicity around this phenomenon, especially in terms of addictions, desocialization and morbid stories. However, the representations spread by the press don’t take the specific and historical context in account. External factors such as the “PC Bang” have an active role in the widespread of gaming.
For this paper, a field research was conducted during four months in fall 2014 in Seoul mainly. Chee wanted to show personal narratives, observe and analyze behaviour go understand the attraction toward games-communities. She used the “multiple modes of data collection” to compare various field data including participant observation, twenty-one formal in-depth interviews, seventeen formal online interviews and two focus groups.
PC bangs are a Korean type of cybercafe specialized in video games, especially online ones. According to the concept developed by Oldenburg in 1997, they are third places that are neither work nor home, but they provide comfort and support. Often, they also give the possibility to meet with people who share same interests. In Korea, it is important because it’s not habitual to meet friends at home. PC bangs allow people to play video game, especially online and to surf on the internet. Moreover, they are cheap and always accessible (24/24). They are areas were numerous significant social interactions take place. So, gaming isn’t often the prime motivator for going there, people are more attracted by the possibility to create an online community and partake in a physical one. PC bangs are ubiquitous, they are regularly hidden in buildings. Rooms are often tiny, dirty and smell cigarette. The size can vary from five to fifty computer stations. Sometimes, there is a snack bar, containing various food items available. Access to computer is provided by a card which activates a billing time, with a rate of one dollar per hour. It is affordable for young people with limited income, but more expensive Bangs exist such as karaoke room, board game bangs, etc. Every neighbourhood have a PC bang per block, they are open 24/24 and ones with newer computer are often full at all hours.
PC Bangs allow youth to use media outside their home, away from their parents’ rules and with their friends, which is rare in Korean society. Participating in online games is a facet of their community. The author emphasizes her understanding of people who are afraid for the youth, but she points the relative ignorance around PC Bangs and the lack of interest toward these practices. During an interview, a young man explain that he can smoke in PC bangs. He thinks that they are more comfortable than his home and they are a way to escape from constraints of his domestic environment. One other one says that he can be with his friend, despite not liking video games that much. Another social motive was the game atmosphere in PC bangs which engage in courtship practices. These places became the locus of varied community-nurturing activities for youngster.
Another Korean specificity is the concept of Wang-tta that describe the way the worst player in a group is isolated and bullied. It’s difficult to translate that term into English, but paradigmatically, it’s like the Japanese term for bullying, Ijime. It describes the “loser” or the bullying situation. The major motivation to play games in Korea is social acceptance among peers and PC bangs are considered an arena where people exhibit their talents. The fear of becoming a Wang-tta would lead young people to practice heavily to acquire skills and to avoid being ridiculous.
This term leads to an effect, call the Wang-tta effect that describes a retreat from one player from the community due to a circumstance beyond the would-be player’s control. In Korea, such circumstances are frequent such as military service. There is an implicit concern over the loss of ability after an absence.
To conclude the author suggests the importance of an in-depth look at culture, social structure to offer a different light on Korea’s reputation for excessive online gaming. Furthermore, the phenomenon of Wang-tta provides insight on motivations driving young people in excelling in video game. This case study indicates that the factors for excessive gaming are most likely specific to each culture and dependant of the social context of the gamer.
Useful words:
- widespread : étendue
- ubiquitous : omniprésent
- billing : facturation
- income: revenu
- courtship practices : pratiques de séduction