Today, I’m going to introduce you to Korean PC bangs(피시방) and show you how to use them just like a local.
If you’ve ever been to Korea or seen a Korean drama or movie, you probably know what a PC bang is. All those monitors packed into a dark room, and all those people getting into the small screens.
Based on my own personal experience, let’s learn all about it together.
This is what the outside of the PC bang looks like. As you can see, almost all Korean PC bangs are on the second floor or higher, or in the basement, due to legal regulations. If a similar shop is on the first floor, it’s very likely an illegal gambling den, so be careful. You’ll know it’s a PC bang right away just by spotting the ‘PC’ on the sign.
The PC bang I visited was on the third floor.
Check out the entrance to the PC bang. Looks super spacious and clean, right? Right next to the entrance, you can also see the SKT T1 League of Legends team, a true source of Korean pride. Like most Korean gamers, I’m a massive Faker fan.
As soon as you walk in, you’ll see the open kitchen. I’ll get into this more later, but Korean PC bangs aren’t just for gaming. This tiny kitchen cooks up a huge variety of around 100 different dishes.
Right by the entrance are two automatic payment machines called kiosks. You use these to pay for your PC time. I’ll explain how to use them in more detail later on.
Next to the entrance, they’re even selling gaming gear. Honestly, it’s not super common for a PC bang to sell equipment, so I was pretty lucky to find this place.
Take a look at the inside. It’s so big and flashy, right? To be fair, this PC bang has some of the best facilities in all of Korea. There are rows of computers down both sides of the hallway. Feel free to walk around and find a seat you like.
There’s a smoking room for smokers down each hallway. You can smoke both regular and e-cigarettes here.
Most Korean PC bangs offer special events for first-time visitors, like friend-add events or review events. The one I went to was giving away a free one-hour and two-hour coupon. I totally recommend giving it a shot with a translator if you’re interested!
I picked a seat and settled in. This was actually a couple’s seat with two computers side-by-side, but since I went late at night, I guess a spot was open. Lucky me! It was so much more comfortable to game. PC bangs have single seats, couple seats, and even gaming rooms for groups, so that’s good to know.
Every seat has a headset and a wireless charger. You can use the charger for your phone.
There are heating and cooling units on the ceiling in each section, so you can stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter while you game.
The computer turns on when you hit the power button under the monitor. Once you do, a screen like the one on the right will pop up. You’ll need to sign up for an account to log in first.
It’s super easy, with options like Google, Apple, and KakaoTalk. Unfortunately, most Korean PC bangs don’t have English support, so using a real-time translator might make things a little easier.
After you sign up, head to the kiosk we saw by the entrance. We’re going to use this machine to add time to our PC bang account. It’s not too complicated, so don’t sweat it!
The first screen lets you choose your payment method. I chose to pay with a credit card, which is in the middle of the top row.
After that, an ID search screen will pop up, just like the one in the photo on the left.
Just enter the ID you created, hit the red ‘search’ button at the very bottom, and select your account.
After you enter your ID, a screen will show you the payment options. Most PC bangs start with a minimum of 2,000 won, which is about 1,500 won per hour. Just pay for the time you want, whether it’s 2,000, 3,000, or 5,000 won.
I chose the 2.5-hour option and paid 3,000 won with my card. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve pretty much completed 70% of the whole PC bang experience.
Once you’re back at your seat and log in with your new ID, you’ll see your time has been properly added. I had 5 minutes left over from before, so my total time now shows 2 hours and 32 minutes.
Here are the computer’s specs. If you know anything about computers, you can tell from this picture alone that it’s a high-spec machine. To put it simply, you can be sure there isn’t a single game out there that it can’t run. The specs are absolutely fantastic.
You can find all the games easily at the bottom of the desktop. I decided to try League of Legends. It had been a while, so I was just playing against AI bots… lol, a bit embarrassing. The games run so smoothly!
And now… it’s time to reveal the secret of that open kitchen we saw at the entrance.
Just click the ‘Order Food’ button on the top right of the main desktop screen.
A food lover’s paradise will pop up. There are so many dishes to choose from—ramen, fried rice, rice bowls, bibimbap, chicken skewers, and all sorts of fried stuff. Everything is made in that open kitchen by the entrance.
not just food! there’s a massive variety of drinks too. Smoothies, coffee, shakes, sodas, you name it… it’s wild, right?
the gaming gear we saw by the entrance can be ordered from here, too. How cool is that? Lol.
I put butter garlic fries, ramen, and a coke-zero in my cart. All you have to do is pick your payment method and hit the ‘Order’ button.
If you’re still confused even with a real-time translator, just ask staff members in the open kitchen by the entrance. They’ll be more than happy to help you out!
My total came out to 10,000 won. For two dishes and a drink, that’s incredibly cheap, don’t you think?
While I was deep in my game, the food came out! The staff member brings it right to your seat, super convenient!
I got ‘Nongshim Neoguri,’ one of Korea’s most famous ramen brands. and along with fries topped with butter garlic seasoning.
The coke I ordered came out perfectly too. The side dish on the right is called ‘danmuji,’ a kind of pickle that Koreans usually eat with noodle dishes.
You know food made by someone else always tastes the best, right? It was a totally awesome experience to just relax and game while enjoying some delicious food. I highly recommend ordering food if you ever go to a PC bang.
It was so good I finished it in no time. Once you’re done, you don’t have to return your tray to the counter—you can just put it on the shelf above the monitor.
If you’ve made read of till end of article, you’ve probably figured out that a Korean PC bang is more than just a place to game. I think it’s best defined as a ‘multi-entertainment complex’ where you can game, check out the unique interior, and try awesome menus. That’s all for today’s article. Thanks for reading!