Fri, Feb 06, 2009 | 16:28 GMT
South Korea’s Pres: Why can’t our companies develop products like Nintendo?
South Korea’s president, Lee Myung-bak, posed a question during his visit to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy this week asking why the nation cannot build a videogame hardware system to compete with the likes of Nintendo.
“A lot of our elementary school children have Nintendo game machines. Why can’t our companies develop products like that?” he asked.
A Korean news paper reported on the backlash the president received from game execs in the country, says GamePolitics, one of which is was Park Sang-hoon who’s company makes the Linux-based GP2X handheld:
“It would be great if the software industry here was healthy enough to produce a lot of games, which would drive up the sales of handheld consoles and introduce more products onto the market. However, as a latecomer, we have the difficulty of proving our products first and securing third parties later.”
One exec even slammed the prez stating, “You don’t have the right to be daydreaming about Nintendo, when Korean online game firms, which are actually doing well overseas, feel they could do better if the government wasn’t biting at their ankles.”
Ouch.
Full thing through the link.
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Posted in: DS, Korea, Nintendo, Politics, Wii
Tags: Lee Myung-bak, Nintendo, south korea
8 comments
#1
hitnrun
06/02/09, 5:50 pm
I don’t know enough about Korean politics to opine on whether or not the Korean government is “biting at their ankles,” but he brings up a good point. Korean MMO companies ARE doing well – sort of. At least, they’re doing well enough that a well-rounded gamer like me has played Korean MMOs and recognizes design elements as Korean (actually, I usually identify them as “hilarious” and “chaotic”).
They shouldn’t complain about not being Nintendo; they should try to exploit what they know with an eye toward the future. Everyone would like to be Nintendo today, but last gen Nintendo would liked to have been Sony, and during the 90s both Nintendo and Sony would very much have liked to have been Microsoft.
#2
Gekidami
06/02/09, 6:25 pm
“and during the 90s both Nintendo and Sony would very much have liked to have been Microsoft.”
You mean completely bent, evil and under investigation?
#3
theevilaires
06/02/09, 6:34 pm
@Gekidami Do you see what i’m talking about. Where do these kids get these stories from. The world is a dangerous place when people are of pure ignorance. Why don’t everyone just stop comparing each company.
#4
hitnrun
06/02/09, 6:41 pm
“You mean completely bent, evil and under investigation?”
Under investigation for being so powerful as to be the sole producer of entire industries and worth a literally incalculably vast sum of money? Yeah, I’m pretty sure Sony and Nintendo would have settled for that.
#5
theevilaires
06/02/09, 6:50 pm
hitnrun you do know M$ owns heaven too right. Thats why i’m going to hell when I die!
#6
Gekidami
06/02/09, 6:55 pm
Actually i had the whole Netscape affair in mind that went down in the 90′s.
#7
theevilaires
06/02/09, 6:58 pm
thats not xbox related Gek so that doesn’t even count try again sony fanboy
#8
Gekidami
06/02/09, 7:00 pm
Well yeah, Xbox didnt exist in the 90′s…