Little known fact: Starcraft is mildly popular in South Korea
Does the South Korean government know something we don’t? It sure seems that way, considering Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-Chon’s announcement last week that the South Korean government plans to commit $200bn for investment into the nation’s gaming industry. Financial crisis? What financial crisis?
It sounds strange when you consider the fact that in the United States — whose game industry is the strongest in the world — many companies are being forced to abandon risky titles in favor of more assuredly profitable games. But when you consider the culture of gaming in South Korea, it makes a lot of sense; after all, this is a country in which skilled Starcraft players can become celebrities.
It’ll be very interesting to see what genres will benefit from that $200bn. Western gamers have already gotten an extensive taste of South Korean-made MMOs, so it’d be exciting to see what other types of games that country’s gaming industry is producing.