CGV In South Korea Rents Cinemas For Gaming

JAKARTA - Eui Jeong Lee sits inside a cinema, in the middle of 200 empty seats. He plays video games on a giant screen with three of his friends. As a friend blows up the opponent with his wireless controller, the sound in the surrounding of the cinema booms, swirling loudly around the room.

"The sound quality is extraordinary," said the 25-year-old student. "The gunshot was clear, and when something flew straight at me from the screen, I even screamed."

Lee and his friends rented a studio in the largest CGV cinema chain in South Korea for two hours. With so many cinemas across the country closing due to lockdown, this industry is indeed under threat.

The authorities stipulate that cinemas can only be opened at 50 percent capacity. Even with the number of films that have aired, which is far less. The idea of renting out the cinema to play this game is said to have emerged from limitations.

"When thinking about how to make use of empty cinema space, I noticed that today's games have very good graphics and a story that is well structured like a film," said a CGV employee, Seung Woo Han, quoted by the BBC.

"Both have a storytelling aspect to them, so if someone can enjoy watching movies in theaters, I think they will also enjoy playing computer games in another one."