Korea¡¯s PC bang scene began around 1998, a time when Blizzard¡¯s StarCraft gained much popularity. Internet cafes, the predecessors of PC bangs, were just cafes with PCs. When StarCraft came along, the game revolutionized the modern PC bang, which is a ¡°specialized gaming space¡± for people who just want to play games. At around the same time, high-speed internet was introduced nationwide. This development also led to the exponential growth of PC bangs.

The main consumers of PC bangs have been students who love to play games. Given that high-end computers have been available at affordable prices, PC bangs have become places where you could visit in groups and enjoy the same games with your friends. Of course, the industry hasn¡¯t always been a bright spot, but even the way the industry copes with it has become a sort of ¡°culture.¡± When smoking was banned and visitation rates plummeted, the industry introduced food services to overcome the problem, and it eventually became part of the PC bang culture.

PC bangs have had a massive impact on the Korean gaming industry because they are an effective marketing tool to promote new games and services. In addition, PC games are ranked by popularity based on the number of users and the amount of time they spend online rather than sales. Since you can know exactly what kind of game you are playing and how long you are playing it, the popularity ranking of PC games in PC bangs has been used as a measure of the popularity of games in Korea¡¯s PC game market.

For this reason, both international and Korean gaming companies provide benefits exclusive to Korea¡¯s PC bangs. They offer special items, skills, and other perks just for visiting a PC bang.

If you have a favorite game, check out the Korean website of the game and see if they have any ¡°PC bang events.¡± Most of the time, there will be an ongoing offer or a monthly offer for PC bang users. It¡¯s also worth noting that there will be special events during school vacations and holidays. If you¡¯re visiting Korea, you can enjoy the gaming culture and get some great deals on your favorite games.

(Left) © NEXON Korea    (Right) © Riot Games

There¡¯s a lot of food available at PC bangs. If you¡¯re thinking of simple snacks or canned drinks, you¡¯re wrong. The basics, of course, are drinks like coffee nd bubble tea to homemade ramyeon, fried rice and rice bowls with various toppings. Some specialty PC bangs grill samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) and serve it with various vegetables and rice, while others serve light meals such as hamburger steak or spaghetti. It¡¯s easy to use these food services. You can make your food selections using a window that pops up on your PC and pay when a worker brings the food to you, or you can pay before you leave.