VeeshanVault

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 11:45 am**

This is from an article about Lineage, a popular online game that is huge in Korea and just opened beta in North America. Some of the comments are too biased for my taste but other sections in the article are interesting:

Based on its success in garnering online subscribers in Korea alone, Lineage is the most popular single interactive online game in the world right now, ahead of Sony's Everquest, Electronic Arts' Ultima Online or even Microsoft's Asheron's Call, according to Samsung Securities.

Two million people, out of a population of 46 million, have active Lineage accounts.

Not surprisingly, NCsoft's Seoul headquarters is fortified with double steel doors and fingerprint scanners for the server room. "In Korea," Kim says dryly about Lineage's diehard fans, "hate is a kind of love."

Korean newspapers report that some gangsters recently turned up at the company demanding personal information on online rivals to extract off-line retribution.

Five rough-looking men stepped out of a black sedan and burst into the Seoul PC café where Paek Jung Yul hangs out with Strong People Blood Pledge, his clan of online gamers. "Is the wizard here?" demanded one of the toughs, asking for the player who killed his character in an online game called Lineage. The "wizard" was there, alright, and he was feeling bold. He boasted that he had offed the gangman's virtual character just for the fun of it. Bad idea. The roughnecks dragged the 21-year-old into the urinal and pummeled him until he was covered with real-world bruises.

http://www.time.com/time/interactive/en ... gs_np.html

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 11:54 am**

Then they skinned and ate a cat and did some difficult arithmetic in record time.

'I saw them, and I think they were Asian ... Then they were saying something .. and I I I think it was Asian"

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 12:03 pm**

"The game doesn't affect reality," says a red-eyed addict after spending two nights playing virtually nonstop. "Reality affects the game."

Good god, I must find this man and recruit him. WTB 65cleric for him to play.

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 12:12 pm**

dang lol these people are crazy

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 12:46 pm**

If I ever hear "Is the wizard here?" in a net cafe, I'm getting the fuck out of there!

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 12:50 pm**

yeah if i ever hear the word "yoro" spoken, i'm hitting the deck

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 1:10 pm**

I was going to start playing that when it came out..wow

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 1:59 pm**

I'm totally starting a guild called Strong People Blood Pledge.

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 6:03 pm**

Actually the last report is wrong. They atually beat "the wizard" for being in a guild named Strong People Blood Pledge.

Well deserved imo. Sylvus is next, apparently.

Posted: **January 30, 2004, 6:05 pm**

TIME MAGAZINE, JUNE 4, 2001, VOL.157 NO.22

Posted: **February 2, 2004, 7:55 am**

Sueven noticed a date. Gratz.

Posted: **February 2, 2004, 8:49 am**

everquest, blah blah blah, AND EVEN ASHERONS CALL!
Godamn, more popular then asherons call!, thats fucking crazy!

Posted: **February 2, 2004, 2:56 pm**

Sueven noticed a date. Gratz.

Thank you!

VeeshanVault

You thought EQers were addicted! (Article)

You thought EQers were addicted! (Article)

Uh oh..