There are two full-time video game television networks in Korea,and competitive gaming is one of the top televised sports.Thousands of fans attend the StarCraft tournament finals in stadiums.
But public video game ares aren't just for top players. South Korea has more than 20,000 public PC gaming rooms,or"bangs"which attract more than a million people aday.Video games are exciting and offer some real opportunities to sovle problems and use strategic and critical thinking skills.Some parents actually encourage their children to play such video games as a way to relax,as an escape from academic pressure,and as a fun way to use brainpower.