South Koreas Infatuation With Computer Gaming Culture

South Korea's Infatuation With Computer Gaming Culture South Korea is a country infatuated with video games. It is a place where professional gamers earn six-figure contracts, date supermodels, and are treated as A-list celebrities. Cyber competitions are nationally televised and they fill-up stadiums. In this country, gaming is not just a hobby; it’s a way of life. Video Game Culture in South Korea Although the per capita access to broadband internet is high, most Koreans actually conduct their gaming activities outside of the home in local gaming rooms called â€Å"PC bangs.† A bang is simply a LAN (local area network) gaming center where patrons pay an hourly fee to play multiplayer games. Most bangs are cheap, ranging from $1.00 to $1.50 USD an hour. There are currently over 20,000 active PC bangs in South Korea and they have become an integral part of the country’s social fabric and cultural landscape. In Korea, going to a bang is equivalent to going to the movies or the bar in the West. They are especially prevalent in big cities like Seoul, where heightened population density and the lack of space offers residents few options for recreational and social interaction. The video game industry makes up a large share of South Korea’s GDP. According to the Ministry of Culture, in 2008 the online-gaming industry earned $1.1 billion dollars in exports. Nexon and NCSOFT, South Korea’s two largest game development companies reported a combined net income of over $370 million in 2012. The entire game market is estimated at approximately $5 billion dollars annually, or about $100 per resident, which is more than three times what Americans spend. Games like StarCraft have sold over 4.5 million copies in South Korea, out of a worldwide total of 11 million. Video games also stimulate the country’s informal economy, as millions of dollars are traded yearly through illegal gambling and betting on game matches. In South Korea, cyber competition is considered a national sport and numerous television channels broadcast video game matches regularly. The country even has two full-time video game television networks: Ongamenet and MBC Game. According to the Federal Game Institute, 10 million South Koreans regularly follow eSports, as they are known. Depending on the matches, some video game tournaments may garner more ratings than pro baseball, soccer, and basketball combined. There are currently 10 professional gaming leagues in the country and they are all sponsored by big corporations such as SK Telecom and Samsung. The monetary rewards for winning a league tournament are colossal. Some of South Korea’s most famous players like the StarCraft legend, Yo Hwan-lim could earn more than $400,000 a year just from league matches and sponsorships. The popularity eSports has even led to the creation of the World Cyber Games. Gaming Addiction in South Korea Over the past decade, the Korean government has spent millions of dollars on clinics, campaigns, and programs to minimize this problem. There are now publicly funded treatment centers for game addicts. Hospitals and clinics have installed programs that specialize in treating the disease. Some Korean game companies such as NCsoft also finances private counseling centers and hotlines. In late 2011, the government took a stern step further by imposing a â€Å"Cinderella Law† (also called the Shutdown Law), which prevents anyone under the age of 16 from playing online games on their PCs, handheld device, or at a PC bang from midnight until 6 a.m. Minors are required to register their national identification cards online so that they can be monitored and regulated. This law has been highly controversial and is contested by the majority of the general public, video game companies, and game associations. Many people argue that this law infringes on their liberty and would yield no positive results. Minors could just register using someone else’s identification or completely circumvent the ban by connecting to Western servers instead. Although by doing so, it certainly affirms one’s addiction.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Recipe for Success

Chicken Soup for the Soul Recipe for Success Whether you consider yourself a detail-oriented plotter, or a fly- developed strategies that work for you. Some writers can toss a few words together and write a great story with  little effort, but many of us need a formula. I have been published in 23 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Each true story had universal appeal, a beginning, a  middle, and an end. My stories had unique angles whether via the message, writing style, or level of adventure. A Chicken Soup for the Soul story reads like youre speaking to a friend, but writing one is not as simple as   sitting in your best friends living room, sharing a life event. You must follow a basic recipe and then season  it your way. Imagine this scenario: Youve just discovered a recipe on line for the perfect chocolate cake. You would like to  win the blue ribbon in a baking contest. You gather necessary tools and ingredients, mix, bake, and create what  you hope will be a prize winner. You discover that half the entrants have also found the same recipe and baked  the same cake. Lined up on a countertop, they all resemble one another. Exactly what is it about your masterpiece  that makes it unique? Is it how you decorate it? The elegant presentation? What is your attention-grabber? What  leaves a delightful lingering taste for more? Chicken Soup for the Soul receives more than 1,000 submissions for each book title. Editors whittle selections  down to 200, then select 101 stories for publication. Selected submissions go through several editorial rounds  and are read   Ã‚     Choose the preparation technique that works best for you. Do you free-write and then edit, or edit as you go? Always, before hitting the SEND button, edit one last time.   Ã‚     Every cook adds her own touch, something special which distinguishes her product from the rest. Season carefully. Adding a shot of bourbon (expletives) or a dash of cayenne pepper (wisecracks) to a Chicken Soup story  wont necessarily spice it up. Use metaphor, analogy, and/or humor. Add sensory details to make your reader see  and feel. Inspire. Aim for the goose bumps.   Ã‚     Your title must have immediate appeal. Chocolate Cake or Chocolate Tingle, which recipe heading is more  creative and interesting?   Ã‚     Even if its good, your story may not be chosen. Sometimes editors receive too many of the same type of  story submissions, so not all of them can be chosen regardless how many of them are good. Rejection has little to  do with you and your product, and more to do with editorial needs. Unfortunately, Chicken Soup for the Soul does  not send rejection letters, but they do keep stories on file for consideration for other upcoming books.   Ã‚     The last morsel of your finished product should be as tasty as the first bite. Your story ending should  be as delectable as your opening. Leave the reader with a relatable memory, a powerful, inspirational, take-away  message in no more than 1,200 words. Many writers think there’s a certain magic to landing a Chicken Soup contract. Others liken selection to the  lottery. In reality, it’s common sense and a splash of whimsy.