The PC 방

One of the things I like about Korea is the number of PC-bangs (rooms) that have been seeded across the country.

For a country with a per capita income of around $12,000 annually, I can't imagine there's a whole lot of capital floating around out there for people to buy grand-spankin' new computers, not to mention the horribly overpriced (but legit) software to run it. For a country that's reported to be one of the most wired in the world, how do they do it?

For about a buck per hour, you can park yourself in any one of the countless seedy-looking PC방s anywhere you go. They have really comfortable seats, plenty of games loaded on each machine, and snack bars for when the need to feed strikes. As a matter of fact, I'm posting this from the Lycos PC방 nearest my house.

There are, however, a few downsides to the PC방 experience. For one, none of the keyboards here have plastic covers, so they look absolutely filthy.

Second, they're just not geared for the normal PC user -- to print something with Acrobat (a primary business software, up there with "Word"), it has to be installed, as does the cheap little inkjet printer. For a PC방 of around 100 computers, there are only two printers here, and both of them look like they came as free gifts when they opened the place. It makes sense in a way: most PC방 denizens come here to play games, not do homework.

Last, and most surprisingly, is the atmosphere. OK, IT professionals, what's the #1 thing you don't do in your server room? If you said, "Smoke cigarettes," good. Now, imagine a room of 100 top-notch gaming computers, each costing well over a grand a piece. As the business owner, what would be the first rule you'd make?

That's right! Ban smoking! However, this is Korea. If you ban smoking, you won't get any customers. So, people can smoke in the PC방s, contrary to all my refined American sensibilities, and there's a layer of grease on the floor here from all the accumulated cigarette tar. Nasty ....

Aside from those three inconveniences, though, PC방s are pretty cool. You get quality games at better-than-arcade hourly prices, with little or no investment. Want to try a game before you buy it? No problem. Want to mass the guys together for a gaming tournament (LAN party), but don't want to have to clean up afterward? PC방s are the way to do it....

Though I usually do my computing at home on my 1999 Dell Inspiron 3500 with 64 MB of RAM and 366 MHz processor (and busted right Touchpoint mouse button), it's nice to go out and use a fast computer once in a while to play a real game. Even if I rarely use them, I'm glad the PC방s are there.