{Topics on 11.03} Please Make Sure to Touch Topics in Advance & Post a Comment

[ana(효정)]

<Topic> Spellbound by Anipang

 About one fifth of Koreans are going crazy trying to get as many hearts as possible every day to play mobile game Anipang. That’s because players need one heart for a round of the simple but addictive one-minute game. Anipang has become an obsession for Koreans of all ages. You can easily spot commuters who are possessed by the game.

The name _ a compound of “ani” from animal and “pang” from the Korean word meaning explosion _ has lured more than half of all smartphone users and positioned itself as a must-have app here.

According to producer, the game has been downloaded more than 20 million times in total and about 10 million people are playing it daily. It means that nearly 70 percent of smartphone users have the app on their handsets.

The developer says it restricted playing to one minute but people say that’s the key element that causes them to crave the game. “What makes the game so addictive is that I can only play it for one minute. As I can’t play it as long as I want, I want to play it more,”

A player’s score is instantly transmitted to everyone on their Kakao Talk contact list who also plays Anipang to encourage competition among friends. Every time a round ends, people can check their rankings. The accumulated scores are automatically reset every seven days.

“I have to play Anipang at least twice a day otherwise I feel something is missing,” said 28-year-old nutritionist. Things are more serious for high school students. “My friend told me he saw a person almost get hit by a car because he wasn’t aware of the traffic lights while playing Anipang on the street,” said Jeong. The 18-year-old says the game affects his daily life saying, “I just keep thinking about it. I can’t concentrate on my studies.”

Psychiatrist Sohn Seok-han said “If you become restless when you are not playing the game, it is a kind of withdrawal symptom. It is more serious if it disturbs your daily life. In this case, you have to quit, not just reduce the amount of time spent playing the game.”

It is even worse for iPhone owners. Although they cannot download Anipang as the iPhone doesn’t support KaKao Talk games, they receive the messages but have no way to block them.

Experts also warn that playing mobile phone games for too long can harm players’ eyes. It is especially harmful for children to play mobile games, including Anipang, for a long time.

Whether people are obsessed by the mobile game or not, many of them want to achieve higher scores than their friends. Of the 20 million subscribers to the game, more than 6 million are elementary school students for whom Anipang scores can represent their status in the class.

<Questions>

1. Is Anipang installed in your smart phone? If so, how often and how long do you play it? If not, why don’t you do it?

2. How much did you consider about the seriousness of smart phone game? Should be there any restrictions or regulations like shutdown systems to computer games?

3. Everything has the good side and the bad side. As technology gets more developed and society get more civilized, many items and stuffs have been newly popped up. Tell us about those goods and bad sides of those things.

4. What do you think about the situation that people are nowadays fiddling with smart phone although they are with their friends?

<TOPIC 2 > Gumi decleared as Spcial Disaster Zone

The government on Monday declared Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province a special disaster zone, 12 days after a toxic explosion caused by a leak from a chemical plant.

The decision was made in a meeting of officials from relevant ministries including the ministries of public administration and security and of environment.

The government will come up with measures to support local residents whose agricultural produce, livestock and forestry have been devastated, and secure medical and financial help, and human and equipment resources for rescue efforts.As a result of the three-day investigation over the weekend, the central government estimated W9.27 billion (US$1=W1,112) of damage. Agricultural produce on 122 ha of land has been blighted, and 3,209 domestic animals are showing unusual symptoms such as runny noses.

The leak of hydrofluoric acid on Sep. 27 has so far resulted in over 2,500 local residents and workers in the plant visiting hospital for injuries and suspicious symptoms.

< Questions >

1. Have you ever experienced or felt the difference in the air when you came back from mountain to cirty?

2. Have you ever suffered or bear down any chemical exposure before? When & how did it go?

3. What do you know & how did you learn about this chemical disaster?

4. Experts point out that it should be called 'Hydrofluoric Acid disaster' or 'Hube Global disaster' to protect neighboring villagers and the reputation of Gumi product. What do you think about it?

5. Some say it is outrageous that it took a government more than 10 days look into this disaster. What do you think? What would you like to do if you are one of the neighboring villager?

[Gina(진아)]

오오.. 빠른업뎃 땡큐^^
토욜에봐용~~~~~~~~~~

[jaguar]

애니팡도 요즘 hot issue...구미도 요즘 참 hot spot...^^ 잼나겠당..^^ 정말 친한 친구 결혼식 땜에 서울 갑니당..이번 주는 못 가요..^^

[Bill Lee]

이번 토픽, 참 흥미로운데요. 할 말 많겠어요.