6. Lineage

Genre: MMORPG

Developer: NC Soft

Publisher: NC Soft

Item sales ranking: 3

Like StarCraft, Lineage is another online title that’s been going strong for nearly ten years. While it may not have seen much success in the West, the game was at one time subscribed to by over three million gamers, mostly Korean.

7. WarCraft 3

Genre: RTS

Developer: Blizzard

Publisher: Hanbit Soft

Item sales ranking: N/A

The same goes for WarCraft 3 as for StarCraft and WoW – no amount of Blizzard action is enough for Koreans. Kudos to the company for repaying its most loyal fans with the Worldwide Invitational it threw in May at Seoul’s Olympic Park.

8. Dungeon & Fighter

Genre: RPG

Developer: Neople

Publisher: Samsung Electronics

Item sales ranking: 2

This awkwardly named RPG, very popular among mid-teens, features 2D sprite graphics and real-time action combat. Like most popular online Korean games, pay-to-customize options and product cross-promotions abound.

9. Audition

Genre: Arcade/MMO

Developer: T3 Entertainment

Publisher: Yedang Online

Item sales ranking: 31

Based on a massively popular Korean comic book series, Audition has become quite a gaming phenomenon as well, with editions now available for the PSP and cell phone.

It’s basically a dancing game with MMO features and microtransactions for the purchase of clothing, accessories, etc. Recently, there have been news reports of this game being used by middle-aged men to try and lure in female middle and high school students.

10. FIFA Online

Genre: Sports

Developer: EA / Neowiz

Publisher: Neowiz Games

Item sales ranking: 14

Koreans love soccer, and while Konami’s Winning Eleven holds more popularity on the console scene, EA’s FIFA Online -- made in Korea in collaboration with Neowiz/Pmang – continues to be quite popular for online play.

Elaborating on a few points from the above list, the prevalence of microtransactions – selectable and payable through diverse means, with a large emphasis on cell phone transactions – and product cross-promotions cannot be overstated. Go to any of the above games’ official sites, and you’ll be met with a dizzying array of flashy links and logos begging for your attention, money, and/or personal information.

This style is very much in the same vein as that of the average busy nighttime street in Seoul – thousands of flashing neon lights and bright signs against a black background, all fighting to be seen and trying desperately lure in the passerby. Visitors find excitement and charm in such scenes, but when it comes to online gaming, this kind of attack on the senses is really quite a turn-off for the average Western gamer.

That, in a nutshell, is where the PC gaming industry in Korea currently finds itself. Physical retail is dead, and while that isn’t going to change any time soon, it’s a rather insignificant issue, because the online market is the only one that really matters here.

Piracy is obviously here to stay, but the industry wise have gotten around that issue and found phenomenal success through subscriptions and microtransactions, the former of which has been massively aided by PC rooms, and the latter of which has found a convenient host in the cell phone.

The world of PC gaming in Korea may massively dwarf that of consoles, but Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are engaged in their own little war on the peninsula, as well. Stay tuned for an upcoming report on the details of that war, as we analyze the state of the console industry in Korea.