NARRATION: I'm Drew Scanlon.
I'm exploring the world through the lens of games, and I'm doing it with the support of
people like you on Patreon.
Help us out at Patreon.com/ClothMap.
Much of our focus in the Mongolia series so far been on traditional games.
As in, not video games.
There are a few reasons for that.
In this Ulaanbaatar department store, a PlayStation 4 was on sale for 900,000 tugriks, or about
350 US dollars.
Steep when 30% of the country is below the poverty line.
Also, for the record...
DREW: Where do you find batteries for your Game Boy in rural Mongolia?
NARRATION: This store sells those too.
Wealthier folks in Mongolia tend to concentrate within the capital.
On the outskirts lies the Ger District, an informal collection of housing with sparse
utilities.
Many of these kids come from the Ger District to attend School 41, which doesn’t look
like it’s changed much since Mongolia was a satellite state of the USSR.
Balt is a 75-year-old former soldier who now coaches soccer at the school.
As he explains, the kids don’t have much else to focus on, so soccer becomes a refuge.
COACH: Ninety percent of the kids are from the Ger District.
They don't live in flats, they live in houses with no heat or water supply.
NARRATION: In rural areas, soccer is a relative newcomer.
COACH: People tend to ride horses or play archery or ankle bone shooting or wrestling,
which are very traditional sports.
However, playing football is a very new thing.
The Internet and social media have influenced this a lot because kids can watch it on TV,
they can go on the Internet and have a look at it.
Because this sport is very popular throughout the world, Mongolian kids have started to
have an interest in it too.
NARRATION: Sure enough, the kids are well aware of the big stars, citing favorite players
that even I knew.
BOY 1: Ronaldo.
GIRL: Ronaldo.
BOY 2: Messi.
COACH: Mongolia likes to celebrate the development of their own country.
That's why sport is very important to them.
Whether it's the Three Games of Men or football, it definitely shows that Mongolia is developing
very well.
There's this Mongolian saying, that "if you're healthy, you're smart."
NARRATION: One man who would agree with the coach is the curator of the International
Intellectual Museum, which is basically a giant collection of puzzles.
CURATOR: It's not about games, it's about what you can do using your brain.
That's why it's called the International Intellectual Museum, not a games museum, for example.
GUIDE: In our museum we have 10,000 items from all around the world, and we have 15
categories of games that Mongolians have played since ancient times.
The biggest and first category of games is puzzle games.
This is the most simple puzzle in our museum.
You need to spin, guys.
Yes.
You have to fit all these kind of "T" letters in this box.
No, that's not right, maybe I'll show you.
DREW: No? [LAUGHING]
Ah ha!
NARRATION: Upstairs was a room with over 130 board games, including chessboard for giants.
GUIDE: This side shows the Mongolian traditional festival, Naadam, and these people are real
people.
For example, the king is Mongolia's second president...
famous wrestlers there...
and the pawns are showing Mongolian traditions.
CURATOR: Mongolians are nomads.
They have been nomads for years.
Mongolia has four tough seasons, so the games help them to support each other, to make friendship,
and to assist the way that they live.
It's their way of life.
NARRATION: It’s clear our man is big on some games, but what about video games?
CURATOR: The video games don't help people to be creative.
It takes you away from the real world and real stuff.
Learning a video game is very easy, that's why people are getting addicted to it.
However, playing a physical puzzle like this is very difficult, that's why people are running
away from it.
This is human nature, to get addicted to easy things and to run away from difficult things.
That's why he [the curator] is against people playing video games.
NARRATION: Many, I think, would disagree with the curator, especially those who frequent
Ulaanbaatar’s many PC cafes.
This is one of nine branches of Lof Gaming Centers.
Cafes provide cheaper access to games, but are coming under increased scrutiny of the
Mongolian government.
We talked with the owner of this cafe about why this might be.
OWNER: Most politicians are kind of old people, so they don't know much about the gaming industry.
In their eyes, they see a lot of children playing very violent games.
Two months ago, they wanted to close all the places in Mongolia.
There were a lot of protests, and I went to the parliament.
DREW: How did that go?
OWNER: Well, it was okay, but when I went to the policy members, they were like "no."
So it didn't go well.
Until 2013, the working hours for a gaming center was, we should be closed around 8 o'clock,
which is really not suitable for a gaming center at all, right?
Office workers come after work to play here.
In Mongolia, clubs close at 4 A.M.
We should be similar to them because we are similar to them, an entertainment center.
After the protests they did change some laws and the working hours now is that we should
close around 11 P.M.
But I'm still trying to do my best to change their minds.
I'm still trying.
Now it's changing, I would say, because when I was in here yesterday there was a mom, she
brought her three sons, and she paid them and she said "okay, I'll check in around 6
P.M., I'll go around."
They were so happy.
So I said "oh, there are a lot of moms like that," you know?
I'm really glad.
DREW: What are the most common games that people play?
OWNER: The most favorite one, I would say, is Counter-Strike 1.6.
DREW: Okay. Really?
Still?
OWNER: Yeah, they do still play it.
NARRATION: Well, when in Rome!
Perhaps the eSports should be left to the professionals, some of whom were there that
day.
We spoke with members of two teams that compete in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, an international
team called 5Power and a Mongolian team called...
Mongolz.
DREW: We heard that the Mongolian parliament was upset with PC cafes.
Is that an opinion that's common with Mongolian people or is that only politicians?
DOBU: Actually it's a common opinion, because they think we're wasting time, we're playing
PC games and make no money.
But now we're making money and I think people's perspective is now different.
NCL: TV stations have shown their [Mongolz's] competitions, they've streamed videos of them
playing in the competitions.
That's definitely helped, and it helped parents to understand that this is actually a sport.
It definitely helped, in a way.
KABAL: It's so hard to be a professional player for Mongolian people.
Mongolia's Internet is not that good.
When we play in online qualifiers, our lowest ping is, like, 60, but Asian teams' highest
ping is 50.
This is our country's first time showing in eSports.
We just want to be proud of our country.
OWNER: I'm really glad for the Mongolz team.
Because of them, people are trying to understand the gaming industry.
They think "oh, they are not just playing and wasting their time, they're doing something."
And they're going worldwide, you know?
We are really proud of them.
NARRATION: Part of the changing of the times involves a growing interest in YouTube.
Gremix is one of Mongolia’s most popular YouTube creators, who specializes in video
games.
GREMIX: Even though a lot of people are making videos on YouTube, it's difficult to watch
each other because of the language barrier.
Mongolia needs people who does what he [Gremix] does, in Mongolian.
But he's thinking of doing subtitles eventually.
He is one of the YouTubers from a small country who is doing video in a different language,
so he'd just like to send his greetings.
DREW: Do you know of any games that were made in Mongolia?
GREMIX: There are video games that people have developed during their courses at university.
However, they're not sold.
You cannot buy a Mongolian-made game.
However, there are many video games developed by foreign developers about Mongolia.
There's a game called Age of Empires, it's quite an old game.
[CHARACTERS SPEAKING MONGOLIAN]
GREMIX: And there's a new game called Ghost of Tsushima.
It's about a battle between Mongolians and Japanese.
DREW: Have you heard of a game called "Cradle?"
GREMIX: He [Gremix] has heard of it.
He watched a blogger playing, but he hasn't played it yet.
NARRATION: I asked what he thought about the comments made by the Intellectual Museum's
curator.
GREMIX: It's probably because he hasn't played video games, maybe in his entire life.
That's why he doesn't know anything about it.
I don't think you should comment on things that you haven't tried.
If you play video games here in Mongolia, you will at least improve your English.
You'll learn things.
It's similar to watching movies.
The holidays are meant to make people happy.
Sports also make people happy as well.
I think that's why during the holidays people like to play sports.
DREW: Because games make people happy.
GREMIX: Exactly.
Games make people happy.
NARRATION: Mongolia doesn’t have a lot, but they make it work.
Games, it seems, are a priority no matter who you are, what you do, or where you live.
Cloth Map is possible only because of our supporters on Patreon.
If you liked this video, and want to keep seeing more like it, we'd love to have
you with us.