Month: June 2014

Korea’s Top PC Games

Posted on by Kyle

I recently stumbled across a list of the most popular PC games in South Korea. While I am not an analytical expert in any sort of way, I can say that this list does indeed sound accurate.  What surprises me the most is that a game like Sudden Attack is so popular when there are many other, and in my opinion better alternatives available to gamers in Korea.

What doesn’t surprise me is the inclusion of Blizzard titles such as Starcraft, Warcraft III and Diablo III. Blizzard has been ruling the Korean gaming world since I was in high school and only recently with the massive popularity of League of Legends did Starcraft slip from the number one spot.

That being said, I am not a huge fan of any of these titles. Most of the enjoyment of playing these games comes from being competitive or playing with a dedicated group of friends. Perhaps its due the the gaming environment I was brought up in, but competitive PC games were never really my thing, with the most competitive I ever got was playing Counter Strike 1.6 and Team Fortress Classic back in my middle school days.

Oh well, we can’t all be champions right? I’ll never be part of the competitive scene, nor do I really want to. I’ll leave the hardcore training and hours in front of a screen practicing to the pros. I’ll just be right here, playing obscure and retro games from consoles no one remembers.

 

The List of the Top Ten PC Games in South Korea

10. Dungeon & Fighter

9. Warcraft III

8. Starcraft

7. Blade & Soul

6. Aion

5. Lineage II

4. Diablo III

3. Sudden Attack

2. FIFA Online 3

1. League of Legends

You can see the original list here

And the English version here courtesy of Games in Asia.

 

Gaming+level+Korean+_d7d23c85748011c84a5810c4cc1be212

The After Work Beer and the Buyout of Capcom

Posted on by Kyle

As I have matured into a fully functioning adult, the allure of the infamous after work drink has become a welcome treat into my life. It’s something that I do not sample often, similar to a child whose good behavior is occasionally rewarded with a sweet treat, working an 8 hour day occasionally yields its own rewards: in this case an icy cold beer fresh from the tap.

I don’t drink as often as I used to, making the times I do drink with friends and colleagues a nice treat and a little reminder of the little incentives and small prizes that give us that little boost in life. For without the little moments, we would have only the big events in our lives. And since those big events happen sparingly, it would make for one boring and mundane existence. So enjoy the little things be it sweet treats or cold beer.

In other not so sweet news, Capcom has announced that it has not renewed its takeover defense, or the act of balancing stock in order to prevent third parties from taking control of their stock and their company. In other words, this means that the company is now open to buyout, meaning that another third party could in theory, purchase Capcom. While a small part of me would love hear that Nintendo would be purchasing Capcom, greatly expanding their IP catalog (ala Bayonetta 2 and Devil’s Third) and giving them a desperately needed edge against the competition, nothing has been said beyond the official company statement.

While Capcom has released a statement regarding the situation saying that they are trying to take appropriate actions in order to best represent the company. It’s not a confirmed doom and gloom situation for Capcom as of yet, but it comes eerily close to the announcement of Street Fighter executive producer Yoshinori Ono’s departure. Some strange going ons are happening behind Capcom’s door. it will be interesting to see the fate of the company, as I’m sure more announcements will be released over the next couple of days.

I hope things work out well for them. If not, Capcom, the next beer is on me.

ice beer

 

You can read Capcom’s statement: Here

 

I don’t hate lazy days.

Posted on by Kyle

By all rights and purposes, I should hate lazy days. I should despise them. It’s not like I have a shortage of things that need to be accomplished nor do I lack a sufficient of extracurricular activities that I could be working on. And yet, here is a Sunday hat has passed by and all I have to say for it is… ehh I did a little bit of work.

I studied my Korea. I cleaned housed. I shopped for groceries. I prepared for my week of work,  and while that does sound like a lot, and somewhat productive, its but a fraction of the things that needed to be accomplished.

It’s so easy to be lazy on the weekend, especially after being in Korea for nearly three years. That spark of adventure and wanting to always do something new has been slowly dying out, replaced by a desire to recharge my mental batteries and get ready for another long week of work.

When I was young, I never imagined that I would be one of those people just sitting around, watching the clock slowly tick away and let my body and mind veg out. I never saw myself as one of those guys who laid on the couch and watched TV all Sunday afternoon.

Yet here I am, beer in one hand with lethargic look on my face. My stiff bed has become my couch and youtube has become the TV that I mindlessly surf as I attempt to waste more time than I should.

It wasn’t a total waste though. I did get to talk to my family and wish my father a Happy Father’s Day. I also spent a chunk of time learning and playing around with the PS4’s Share Factory. I’m finally doing what I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I now can upload gameplay and commentary. It’s nothing fancy and missing the wit and editing that the most famous youtubers have in their videos but for now, its just something fun to play around with and experiment with. I’m not looking to become famous. I’m not looking to have 100,000 subscribers, I’m living out one of my dreams in the same way I escape to another place when playing a game. It’s a little escapism that I can enjoy (and if I do get 100,000 subscribers in the process, well that’s cool too.)

TL:DL: Lazy days are never truly lazy for me, but I always want to do more. Also, I learned to upload gameplay footage. Go me. Image

I’m this guy. I’m totally this guy.