PC rooms, once a hugely popular hangout spot for teenagers and young adults, are now experiencing a rapid decline. At their peak, there were over 10,000 locations nationwide, but in the past five years, more than 3,000 have closed, with the total now falling below 7,000. Analysts attribute this sharp drop in usage among teens and people in their twenties largely to the continued rise of mobile and console games.
Spread of Mobile and Console Games... 'No Reason to Visit PC Rooms Anymore'
With the spread of high-performance mobile, console, and home PCs, PC bangs are declining... 3,000 locations closed in 5 years Usage rate down due to the spread of mobile, console, and high-performance PCs Seeking breakthroughs such as AI integration... Customized support measures are essential
According to the National Tax Statistics Portal (TASIS), there were 9,459 PC rooms in August 2018, but as of July this year, that number had dropped to 6,990 in just five years. Even the 7,000-location threshold, which had barely been maintained, has now been broken. The expansion of high-performance home PCs since the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the explosive growth of the mobile game market, has led to a widespread perception that "there's no real need to go to a PC room anymore." Industry insiders even pessimistically estimate that, when including PC rooms that have not officially reported closure, the actual number of operating locations may be fewer than 6,500.
According to the Korea Creative Content Agency's "Game User Survey," the proportion of people visiting PC rooms at least once a week plummeted from 12.1% in 2023 to 7.4% last year. Conversely, those who said they never use PC rooms increased from 43.2% to 52.8% over the same period. This demonstrates that PC rooms have shifted from being "essential spaces for gaming" to places that people "no longer feel the need to visit."
Industry Seeks Survival Strategies with AI and Food Integration
Big Picture Interactive's World Class AI Recommendation Menu Feature. Big Picture Interactive
As user numbers rapidly decline, operating costs such as rent, electricity, and maintenance are actually rising, increasing the financial burden on business owners. Some locations are attempting to survive by transforming from "gaming spaces" into "multi-service spaces." More PC rooms are strengthening their food and beverage offerings or integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalized services for users.
For example, Big Picture Interactive's management program "World Class" increases return visits through mission and tournament features, and generates additional revenue by using its AI recommendation menu to suggest energy drinks to long-term users or watermelon juice in the summer. Industry insiders describe these efforts as "survival strategies to evolve beyond simple gaming spaces into comprehensive entertainment platforms."
Experts: "Urgent Need for Customized Support Measures"
Experts point out that, since COVID-19, the culture of visiting PC rooms with friends has diminished, while gaming has become more individual and focused on mobile and consoles, making the decline of the PC room industry inevitable. They emphasize that "the decrease in PC rooms is not just the decline of a single business sector, but evidence of a fundamental shift in leisure consumption patterns among teenagers and young adults." They stress the need to "develop new environments where young people can gather and implement customized support measures to help small business owners adapt to these changes."
