The Rise of Gamer-Consumers: Anger, Protests, and Divisions in South Korean Gamer Activism
Solip Park
This paper explores the phenomenon of gamer activism, focusing on the motivations behind online and offline protests against game corporations (e.g., review bombing, boycotting, crowdfunding, truck protesting), which are reshaping game industry practices and regulations in South Korea. Based on semi-structured interviews with those actively involved in Korean gamer protests from 2021 to 2023, the research identified anger towards game corporations over the fluctuating value of virtual capital as