New Delhi: South Korea is one of the world's most wired countries with over 90 per cent of the country hooked up to high-speed broadband.

With such cheap and plentiful net access, it's easy to spend more than a few hours online. Many go to extremes and just can't stop. Here' a glimpse into the dark side of gaming. If you are in Seoul, check out the place called Night Mania.

It's a "PC Bang" or Internet cafe, Korean style. It's a dimly lit room packed with gamers, all bathed in blue light from the neon and the glow of the computer screens. They are completely immersed in another, virtual world.

Their titles of choice: "lineage," a medieval fantasy role-playing game. And "sudden attack," - a first person shooter. Nearby, shelves are stocked with junk food - ready fuel for these marathon players.

PC Bang owner Sung-Hee Hong says, “Sometimes they play more than 10 hours. Sometimes more than 20 hours. It's like drugs.”

Regular customer jung-wook lee stops for a late night snack. He says he's been playing for five hours. The dark side of gaming came to the fore in 2005, when a Korean man died of heart failure following a 50-hour session playing world of war craft.

Since then, the government has launched campaigns to warn school children of the dangers of Internet use. Yonsei University Professor Sang-Min Whang says, “Instead of trying to get them outside the cyber world we have to utilize the online game environment for them to make new activities and create new self-identities.”

Because it may not look like it but the gamers have forged legitimate and deeply meaningful friendships online. They just need a better reason to return to reality.