Although most of Nick Rumas' Gamasutra article on the ubiquity of R4 flashcart piracy in Korea is based on anecdotal evidence, we still found his piece to be pretty fascinating. While DS piracy may not be rampant in the U.S., Korea is renowned as a hotbed of piracy in videogaming, and Rumas claims that as many as three in five DS owners there possess a flashcart -- and we can't see all of those being used for homebrew.Rumas also tells tales of traders in Seoul's Yongsan Electronics Market openly selling customized R4 flashcarts to customers (who simply pay up their $87 and select the titles they'd like from a master list), and of Korean consumers who are far more clued-up about game piracy than their western equivalents (including middle-aged women, and young children).
He eventually chalks this widespread acceptance of piracy up to more than one factor, including Korea's low minimum wage, an increasingly high cost of living, an apathetic government, and the fact that downloading games without paying for them is simply more of a cultural norm. With the DS now selling in respectable numbers in Korea, we can't imagine Nintendo being overly happy to hear of Korea's piracy endemic, but as Rumas notes, "Regardless of what [government] measures are undertaken, no real dent ever seems to be made."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-19-2008 @ 9:23PM
Jeff said...
Why is all of dsfanboy's focus on the R4? Thats just stupid, there are like tons of different flash carts out there and your only focusing on a little cart that really doesn't matter and is way out of date(I know because I have one and its driving me crazy when a new game comes out and it wont even boot) on top of that they are really, really, REALLY slow at coming out with new firmware, in fact I bet that 1.18 is the last one that they come out with. Besides I bet the people over in Korea are not even selling R4's, they probably know that its crap like the rest of the world.
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6-19-2008 @ 9:43PM
Chris Greenhough said...
The article is exclusively about the R4 -- it's not us "focusing" on it whatsoever. Click the "source" link and see for yourself.
As for "the people over in Korea are not even selling R4's, they probably know that its crap like the rest of the world" -- Nick Rumas is based in Seoul, so I imagine he knows a little more about the Korean piracy scene than most of us.
6-19-2008 @ 10:17PM
iosqxz said...
Who cares about R4's particular shortcomings? The point of the blog is to address rampant pirating in Korea. This is a country that produced Hwang Woo-Suk and his unethical stem cell research. At the time Hwang was investigated for falsifying test data, many Korean cultural idiosyncrasies were discussed, such as a blatant attitude regarding ethics as secondary to speed and results.
But far be it from me to point the finger at Korean society. Everyone who practices this is guilty, IMO. Just like voting, the damage caused by the: "I'm just one person, what can I contribute?" attitude is painfully obvious.
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6-20-2008 @ 12:48AM
Fiefdom said...
Might I query as to who would take part in such a discussion? What does one fraudulent researcher have to do with the mentality of an entire country? The United States produced and elected George W. Bush but it is obvious that he is not an accurate model with which to define the mindset of the United States public; not that such a generalization would be anyways relevant. Should credence be given to the stereotype of the stupid fat American, the snobby Englishman, or the misogynist Chinese man? I very much hope that your point was only communicated poorly and you don't subscribe to such a ridiculous and insulting stereotype, regardless of your nationality and ethnic background.
It's a fact that piracy is noticeable prevalent in Korea, but it's a load of rubbish to suggest that this can be attributed to a corrupt ethical standard held by the country's populace.
6-20-2008 @ 3:37AM
iosqxz said...
My first paragraph was an observation about several articles I had read regarding Hwang and what societal influence may have played on his research and results; there is no inference of my opinion in the paragraph. Just because I state my observation, doesn't mean I subscribe to the opinion.
I stated my opinion about the discussion in the second paragraph. Alas, my first sentence: "FAR BE IT ME TO POINT THE FINGER AT KOREAN SOCIETY" was poorly communicated.
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6-20-2008 @ 3:49PM
Fiefdom said...
"FAR BE IT ME TO POINT THE FINGER AT KOREAN SOCIETY" completely contradicts your previous paragraph where you described Korea as the nation which "produced Hwang Woo-Suk and his unethical stem cell research." Judging from your response to my post, it is clear that your presentation of this information was merely unclear because that sentence most definitely suggests that you, the author, is blaming the culture for the aforementioned unethical behavior.
Where did you read articles discussing Korea's "blatant attitude regarding ethics as secondary to speed and results"? I cannot fathom any reputable publishers or news broadcasters which might brand such a stupidly inaccurate claim on an entire nation's culture to the degree that your first post implies.
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