Gaming Addiction In The Media Again

RexDart writes "'Gamers camped out at Internet cafes typically live on instant cup noodles and cigarettes, barely sleeping and seldom washing,' declares a CNN.com article on gaming addiction in Korea. The story reports on aberrant behavior sometimes fatility linked to obsessive gaming, and is sure to add fuel to the various videogame legislation fights going on." From the article: "Many of South Korea's 17 million gamers -- some 35 percent of the population, principally males in their teens and twenties -- are obsessive. At the 1,000 won-per-hour ($1) Internet cafes popular among young South Koreans, they'll sit eyes glued to monitors for hours on end. Sometimes play will extend for days."

Change the rates

[Night Goat]

They're only charging 1,000 won ($1) per hour? Well, I have a way to cut down on game addiction. Raise the rates! I'd have been addicted to arcade games if they were that cheap back in the day, too! It worked out to $5/$10 per hour the way I used to play. That just doesn't lend itself to compulsive play when you're a kid with a paper route.

Re:Change the rates

[Ayaress]

This is the same thing I discovered a few years ago. I went to Washington DC with a group of seven or eight other students at my school. We just had to visit the ESPN zone's immense basement arcade. They sell you a card rather than just putting money into the machines. It's great until your card comes up "Insufficient credit" and you realize you just blew $25 on 15 minutes of fun.