Of course, the will of the nation to relish such creations as Lineage would not be possible were it not for the technology which forms the backbone of Korea's gaming, and allows for such mass entertainment to be possible. Fortunate, then, that Korea has the highest broadband penetration in the world, a network of fibre optic cables binding the country, and linking it to the world at speeds and North America can only dream of (connections up to 40Mbps are the norm, versus a typical 512Kbps in the - with prices still in the region of $20 per month). Of course, the logistics of such cutting-edge networks would be a much tougher proposition in larger countries like North America, or countries with an aging phone network - laboured with ancient and defunct legacy technology hindering progress - like the UK.

Anyway, the point is that not only are connections very fast and very reliable (if not at home, then in the myriad of cybercafes), but the production of such technology en masse also means that prices are also very low. Not only is gaming popular, it's also very cheap too. South Korea, one of Asia-Pacific's 'tiger' economies in the 1990s were developing at just the right moment to create top-notch communication networks; assisted by a nation who's populous lives in compact urban towns and cities, meaning that networks need not cross vast expanses of space at great expense - like such an undertaking in North America might mean (though what excuse the UK authorities might offer, I'm unsure).

So, South Korea is a prime-example of readily available internet access actually driving the popularity of games; not just email and web use. Indeed, as JC Herz put it in 'The Bandwidth Capital of the World' (Wired, 10/8/2002): "In Seoul, the broadband age is in full swing - online games have become a national sport, and cybercafes are the new singles bars." Lest we forget it is the technology driving this and the cultural revolution founded upon it. Surely this should prove some incentive for technologically under-developed countries to wise-up, and get in on the act?

Perhaps the widespread adoption of games in South Korea is also aided somewhat by the position of gaming at the heart of the family; in the West, gaming is something of an orthodoxy, a sub-culture - and is still regarded as something dangerous (frequently being blamed for real-life violent acts) and potentially corrupting, especially where younger players are concerned. The attitude in Korea is vastly different, with games accepted as a legitimate and normal hobby alongside and the cinema. Indeed, part of the appeal might be the disassociation of and gaming in Korea, where visions of blood are banned in videogames (indeed, by contrast, compulsory internet lessons commence at primary school here).

Videogames in Korea are big business too (a fact which also legitimises their key role in youth culture), with MMOG creators especially earning vast sums from huge subscriber numbers that rival and frequently beat those of western online titles, despite South Korea's vastly smaller population. One of the reasons that Korean videogame is such big business is that titles are predominantly developed with the Korean market in mind, with the tastes and trends of the nation represented - as well as the Korean language.

Of course, the national obsession with gaming as the favourite hobby does have its drawbacks. Namely those related to health and addiction. One such anecdotal exemplar of this growing concern (in South Korea) is the story of 'Lim', a 12 year-old whose addiction to the nation's most popular MMOG Lineage, led him to steal money equalling $16,000 from his and run-away to the Korean sea-port of Pusan, to continue his obsession with the game.

Indeed, the powers that be in Korea are so concerned with the increasing frequency of events such as this, that they are drafting laws addressing the issue, and also the growing 'black market' on which game items are bought and sold for real cash (items acquired by hard work in-game, such as powerful potions and spells - the purchase of which could save hours of game time). "One 25-year-old unemployed man confessed he had once sat up three straight nights to win game items in order to sell them back to other players for real money," Hwang Jang-min, a researcher at Yonsei University said in a research report covered on Yahoo!. This story is not untypical in a country where extremes of gaming are viewed as a burden on society, much like hooliganism in the UK.