Eric Lafforgue| North Korean girls playing video games with guns at Kaesong Youth Park in Pyongyang on Sept. 11, 2011
With the country’s reputation for nuclear weapons, eccentric dictators and anti-American bellicosity, it comes as no surprise that video games have often portrayed North Korea in much the same way.
From crude flight simulators to big-budget shooters, North Korea has been a recurring antagonist in games since the industry was in its infancy, and its depiction in various titles has evolved along with growing public consciousness of the Kim regime’s nuclear threat.
With the country’s reputation for nuclear weapons, eccentric dictators and anti-American bellicosity, it comes as no surprise that video games have often portrayed North Korea in much the same way.
From crude flight simulators to big-budget shooters, North Korea has been a recurring antagonist in games since the industry was in its infancy, and its depiction in various titles has evolved along with growing public consciousness of the Kim regime’s nuclear threat.
Oliver Jia is Social Media Editor at NK News and a Kyoto-based graduate student currently pursuing his PhD in international relations at Ritsumeikan University. His research focuses on Japan-DPRK relations and comparative foreign policy. Follow him on Twitter @OliverJia1014