North Koreans have access to dozens of genres of multi-player games, with some people even paying for features that are downloaded separately from the main games, Daily NK has learned.<\/p>\n
A source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Friday that there were about 30 kinds of multiplayer games available in the country, including horse racing, driving, Tetris, fishing, shooting, space exploration and school trips.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople can play together using Bluetooth in a single classroom or a single room [within 10 to 15 meters of each other],\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDriving games are most popular with teens, space exploration games with those in their 20s, horse racing games with those in their 30s, and fishing games with people in their 40s,” the source added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As more and more North Koreans have smartphones, the country has intensified its efforts to develop a range of applications, too. North Korean developers continue to create game apps, which are reportedly quite popular among smartphone users.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The source said people cannot simply download and install good game apps on their phones. Instead, he said it is \u201cfaster and better\u201d to install the apps at \u201cplaces where you can purchase them, such as mobile phone service centers or e-game service centers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, some North Koreans are paying for downloable content (DLC) to increase the fun they can have with their games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n DLC refers to items, clothing, episodes and other content you can download in addition to the original game. Game companies sell DLC to earn additional profits over those from the original game. North Korean authorities, too, appear to be generating profits through the DLC model.<\/span><\/p>\n The source said in the case of fishing games, the base game costs USD 7, but to add more kinds of fish, users pay an extra USD 1 for each additional kind, or USD 2 for bass weighing 10 kilograms or more, not to mention other types of “high-end fish.”<\/span><\/p>\n