Video games in North Korea

Two children, one sitting down and another one standing while aiming, are playing a light-gun shooter game in front of a large projected screen. It displays a forest area and appears to feature several animals which one must shoot to achieve points.
Children playing a light-gun shooter game in North Korea

North Korea has a burgeoning video game industry. North Koreans play video games on mobile phones, personal computers, home consoles, and in arcades. North Korea does develop its own video games, although foreign games are also popular among young people in the country as they are occasionally distributed through jangmadang, or North Korean black markets.

Video games first appeared in the country during the 1990s in amusement arcades, and foreign cabinets are available in locations such as the Pyongyang Gold Lane and Rungra People's Pleasure Ground. Mobile games gained popularity in the 2010s with the success of a puzzle game called Strength (), leading to increased investment in the North Korean video game industry. Over 250 mobile games are available in North Korea. PC games are also popular among the country's youth, with foreign games often being distributed illegally on USB flash drives. Foreign home video game consoles such as those produced by Nintendo, Sony, and Subor are also available in North Korea.


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