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'I Thought It Was the End of My Life' A cautionary tale from a 16-year-old Korean gamer By MICHELLE LEVANDER Noh Hyun-oh knows the difference between his real life and his virtual life -- most of the time. But sometimes, the 16-year-old Korean admits, things can get a little blurry. Especially after hours of sitting in front of the computer screen playing the wildly popular online game of Lineage. When Noh steps into the sunlight from one of Seoul's dimly lit PC cafes, the real world reminds him eerily of the medieval fantasy game. A glass of tomato juice reminds him of a magical potion, and whenever he loses something, he feels momentary alarm, knowing that once a character in the game loses his "items," it means he has died and lost his power. Noh isn't alone. Because almost everyone at his high school plays Lineage, the slang of the game has taken over the schoolyard. Fast runners have "taken a green potion," kids say, and when someone wants to leave the scene, he talks about 'teleporting' elsewhere. Then there's the fact that the most popular kids usually are rich in the game's virtual weapons. As a result other students curry favor with them in the hope of adding to their own arsenal. "The game is a game," Noh says, in the tone of someone working hard to convince himself. "But if it happens in real life it's really important. If I don't succeed in real life, it's bad for the future. But if I try hard in the game, I can get back something I lost." Still, one of Noh's most painful and confusing experiences occurred online, when he was betrayed during battle by a classmate that he considered his closest friend. And he's still coming to terms with it. Noh, a shy, brilliant student, enjoys the bloodthirsty game for its sociable side -- because it's easier to meet people online. He likes to chat with his school friends in the instant messages that whiz between battles. And so, one day, Noh told his best friend where he would be fighting in the Lineage world that afternoon -- and the character he would be playing. Noh, his voice shaking with emotion, recalls that traumatic day: "My close friend went to that spot and just killed me and took my weapons. I died by his hand." Noh hasn't fully recovered from the breach of trust. "It's not the same," he says. "I cried. I thought it was the end of my life." Since that day, Noh has developed his own credo for playing the game. While many friends revel in the anonymity that allows gamers to take on another personality online, he treats others the same in the game as he would offline. It helps him in both worlds, he says. "I don't have my real life online. I don't like hiding my real life." He adds: "The world of Lineage is just so simple. You kill monsters and chat with friends. In the real world, it's not so simple. People should stop and think about other people." |