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LOTRO in Korea
Quingu
Member Posts: 400
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quingu
Member Posts: 400
Comments
Its called smart business. English MMORPGs pale in comparison to the usage of the asian market.
Torrential
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
Some posters on these forums seem to be a little ignorant about foreign words and customs, not to mention a bit condescending to foreign gamers (nice way to show how they respect others). So a little language and culture lesson... free of charge.
From this site:
archive.gamespy.com/gdc2003/korean/
"Although people have some disposable income, most families don’t have enough to buy their own PC, or space to comfortably fit it in their home. Instead, they purchase time at Internet centers, known as “PC Baangs” (pronounced ‘bongs.’)
Unlike in the U.S., PC Baangs are major social hubs. “It’s a mainstream part of youth culture,” Herz explains. When Korean kids and teens need to get out of their crowded homes to hang out with friends, they walk to their local PC Baang."
A little blurb from this site:
www.geocities.com/wintermoon2/Seoul_100400.htm
"Also, Seoul has exploded with the Internet. So many dot.com advertisements in this city. I can look out my window and see at least five Internet Room places down my street. Actually every block of every street has at least one or two Internet Rooms (PC-Bong in Korean). They are the equivalent of $1.00 (1,200 Won) an hour. Many of the Koreans play video games there. They are immensily popular.
Speaking of "Bong", the Korean room for "room". I will take a moment to disucss these. They are basically rooms with many computers, just like an Internet Cafe in the States. Beyond, PC-Bongs, they also have Video-Bongs, and Norae-Bongs (singing rooms)."
You would think that just a cursory knowledge of how to use an internet search engine would have enlightened those that were confused instead of coming off as an arrogant American. Oh well, glad I could help out.
And for the closed mindedQUOTE: The word bong is an adaptation of Thai baung a cylindrical wooden tube, pipe, or container cut from bamboo. The Thai word passed into the English language during the Vietnam War when five American military bases were located in Thailand. One of the earliest recorded uses of the word dates to a piece in the January 1971 issue of the Marijuana Review.
Wikipedia
A little language lesson for those who do not understand a joke...and even though they are not Korean...seem to be the only one offended...
Cheers!
I don't find racial or cultural jokes to be very funny, sorry. I'll try to be more "open-minded" in the future.
And the Insensitivity Award goes to... openedge1!!! All applaud him for being a <insert derogatory comment>!
Seriously, you need to stop. Even before I knew what the true word meant in Korean (thanks to dragonace), I found your actions not funny. It was extremely insensitive of you to use a drug-related term (bong) in reference to that article when it was clear that the context of the Korean word did not mean that.
Oh, and it was a nice touch of douchebaggery to reference the Thai definition of "bong" after dragonace referenced the Korean definitions of "baang" and "bong". Then, trying to back it up with snide comments against dragonace, trying to justify your insensitivity to the Korean culture. Thai is not the same as Korean, but any 5th grader could have told you that. It essentially cinched your Insensitivity Award.
Grow up, learn about other cultures, and stop using derogatory remarks towards other cultures just for a cheap laugh.