Gameworld:Korean online game aims for Westerns

By Kemp Powers

LOS ANGELES, March 15 (Reuters) - Massively multiplayer online video games, or MMOs, are largely considered the realm of fantasy geeks.

These are the people, who turned games like Vivendi's sword and sorcery role-playing game "World of Warcraft" into a worldwide phenomenon, with more than eight million paying subscribers.

Vivendi now hopes those same gaming enthusiasts can be convinced to lay down their fantasy swords and shields and pick up a virtual basketball in a new title that might change how people define the MMO genre.

In the PC game "Freestyle Street Basketball," players will be able to customize the look and style of their characters, tweaking details as tiny as articles of clothing.

But rather than venturing out to slay dragons, players will gather in a massive online playground where they can challenge other players to competitive street basketball matches on a virtual hardcourt.

The game hails from South Korea, where online video games are a way of life and Internet cafes are ubiquitous.

"Freestyle" was released there in late 2005, and currently has 32 million registered users in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and China.

"People have tried to bring other types of online games from the Asian marketplace," said Leo Olebe, the game's brand manager. "But not every game has that "it' factor like this."

Olebe says "Freestyle" will be the first sports MMO to tap the North American market when it is officially released in May. An open test of the game begins in April, which the public can register for at www.freestylestreetbasketball.com.

Sports games are typically the realm of console game players, who have catapulted franchises like Electronic Arts Inc."s "Madden NFL" to multimillion selling status.

With the runaway success of Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Wii console, and its motion-sensitive controller, it seems that relegating game players to using a keyboard and mouse might be a dated strategy.

However, Olebe says bland game play won't be an issue thanks to the game's simple control scheme. The computer also makes it easy for players to improvise with moves ranging from high-flying dunks to ball passing.

"The game play is easy enough for anyone to pick up, and it's extremely addictive," said Olebe.

The North American version will not be compatible with the Asian versions online. The new version of the game has also been "culturalized," adding players, music and locales to make it more palatable to its new market.

The game's biggest challenge could be penetrating the competitive North American MMO community.