I recently came across a number of games on Korea's official tourist website - er, one of them, at least. Start by going to the Korea Tourism Organization's page of games:
Bear in mind the target audience of this website: tourists looking for information about Korea. Now, go to the KTO's main page and see if you can find the link to the aforementioned page of games.
What, you say? You can't find it? (If you do, comment with the path of links you clicked on!) OK, search for 'games' - the first thing you'd expect to find on a tourist website - and you'll eventually come across it.
Click on any of the 6 flash games playable within your browser. Try not to laugh too hard at any of them:
Swing Swing: As a tourist, you should know your job on your bus is to give your seat up to older people. Your job is to try and stand on the bus. Move your mouse left or right to keep your person standing up. Good luck getting past a second.
Helpful to tourists: F - it implies that Korea's buses will toss you about if you're standing up... which isn't too far from the truth.
Game's grade: F - with little time to comprehend what to do, the game is over, and you're left to retry with no more knowledge on how to play.
Jumble Library Book Pile: For centuries, Koreans have been stacking books. Why? Who knows? Just click on the moving book to make the tallest stack in the allotted time.
Helpful to tourists: F - what does stacking books have to do with tourism?
Game's grade: C - the game itself is too easy once you've figured out how to click on the moving book. It also ends after you've stacked 10 books, whether there's time remaining or not.
Dance Dance Rhythm King: similar to any rhythm game you've ever played, hit the arrow keys and the space bar to the arrows. The song? An inoffensive K-pop song that isn't identified.
Helpful to tourists: D - The first game with an Actual Connection to Korea! If I wanted to listen to K-pop, however, Youtube has a much larger selection.
Game's grade: C - not bad. With exactly one level, it's either too easy or too difficult. At about 70 seconds long, the one song ends before the arrows are finished raining down.
Mole Pow Pow Pow! - similar to any 'hit the animal when it pops out of the hole' game you've played before. Use your mouse to click on any of the offending animals before they throw some ink at you.
Helpful to tourists: F - what does whacking moles have to do with visiting Korea?
Game's grade: D - functional. That's about it.
Today School Nurse Sugar! - losing points for its nonsensical name, your objective is to catch the objects, but to avoid the bombs - and the edges. Apparently, running into the sides makes you lose a heart as well.
Helpful to tourists: F - what does catching toilet paper and other unknown things have to do with visiting Korea?
Game's grade: F - between losing hearts for running into the side of the screen and being blown up way too easily, it's hard to win and not very fun.
Auto tour in Korea - because as we all know, tourists will attempt to drive in Korea. Move left and right to visit Korea, but avoid visiting Other Countries! Korea is apparently the only place worth touring.
Helpful to tourists: F - because telling prospective tourists that you're insecure about them visiting other countries is helpful somehow? You'll choose a place to start from, but that doesn't change the view of the game at all.
Game's grade: D - there's a connection to Korea, but it's over too quick and you haven't really done anything except swerving left and right. You've also been taught that visiting other countries is Bad For You.
While it's unclear what the KTO hopes to gain from these new features, these games are better hidden underneath layers of the website's better materials. Hopefully those materials are worth the tax won we all paid to develop them.
© Chris Backe - 2010
This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.
Bear in mind the target audience of this website: tourists looking for information about Korea. Now, go to the KTO's main page and see if you can find the link to the aforementioned page of games.
What, you say? You can't find it? (If you do, comment with the path of links you clicked on!) OK, search for 'games' - the first thing you'd expect to find on a tourist website - and you'll eventually come across it.
Click on any of the 6 flash games playable within your browser. Try not to laugh too hard at any of them:
Swing Swing: As a tourist, you should know your job on your bus is to give your seat up to older people. Your job is to try and stand on the bus. Move your mouse left or right to keep your person standing up. Good luck getting past a second.
Helpful to tourists: F - it implies that Korea's buses will toss you about if you're standing up... which isn't too far from the truth.
Game's grade: F - with little time to comprehend what to do, the game is over, and you're left to retry with no more knowledge on how to play.
Jumble Library Book Pile: For centuries, Koreans have been stacking books. Why? Who knows? Just click on the moving book to make the tallest stack in the allotted time.
Helpful to tourists: F - what does stacking books have to do with tourism?
Game's grade: C - the game itself is too easy once you've figured out how to click on the moving book. It also ends after you've stacked 10 books, whether there's time remaining or not.
Dance Dance Rhythm King: similar to any rhythm game you've ever played, hit the arrow keys and the space bar to the arrows. The song? An inoffensive K-pop song that isn't identified.
Helpful to tourists: D - The first game with an Actual Connection to Korea! If I wanted to listen to K-pop, however, Youtube has a much larger selection.
Game's grade: C - not bad. With exactly one level, it's either too easy or too difficult. At about 70 seconds long, the one song ends before the arrows are finished raining down.
Mole Pow Pow Pow! - similar to any 'hit the animal when it pops out of the hole' game you've played before. Use your mouse to click on any of the offending animals before they throw some ink at you.
Helpful to tourists: F - what does whacking moles have to do with visiting Korea?
Game's grade: D - functional. That's about it.
Today School Nurse Sugar! - losing points for its nonsensical name, your objective is to catch the objects, but to avoid the bombs - and the edges. Apparently, running into the sides makes you lose a heart as well.
Helpful to tourists: F - what does catching toilet paper and other unknown things have to do with visiting Korea?
Game's grade: F - between losing hearts for running into the side of the screen and being blown up way too easily, it's hard to win and not very fun.
Auto tour in Korea - because as we all know, tourists will attempt to drive in Korea. Move left and right to visit Korea, but avoid visiting Other Countries! Korea is apparently the only place worth touring.
Helpful to tourists: F - because telling prospective tourists that you're insecure about them visiting other countries is helpful somehow? You'll choose a place to start from, but that doesn't change the view of the game at all.
Game's grade: D - there's a connection to Korea, but it's over too quick and you haven't really done anything except swerving left and right. You've also been taught that visiting other countries is Bad For You.
While it's unclear what the KTO hopes to gain from these new features, these games are better hidden underneath layers of the website's better materials. Hopefully those materials are worth the tax won we all paid to develop them.
© Chris Backe - 2010This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.
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