Gambling Laws Could Halt Diablo 3's South Korean Release

[Logan Westbrook]

Gambling Laws Could Halt Diablo 3's South Korean Release

Random loot drops means Diablo 3's [http://www.amazon.com/Diablo-III-Pc/dp/B00178630A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317641796&sr=8-1] real money auction house is a game of chance, says South Korean critics.

As controversial as Blizzard's plan to include a real money auction house in Diablo 3 has been in the West, in South Korea it may be even worse. There are questions over whether or not the cash auction house breaks South Korean gambling regulations; questions serious enough that the game could be refused classification in the country.

The reasoning goes like this: As the loot drops in Diablo 3 are random, being able to sell them for real money is essentially a form of gambling. Naturally, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime has denied these claims, saying that while the two were superficially similar, Diablo 3's real money auction house lacked one of the key parts of gambling: risk. "[In Diablo 3] you're not risking anything," he said. "You're just investing your time. It is an important distinction."

Despite Morhaime's protests, according to a report presented to the South Korean National Assembly, Diablo 3 breaks Article 1 of the Gaming Industry Promotion Law. There is a precedent for equating cash auction houses to gambling: Emperor Online, a game made by the South Korean developer IMI, was denied classification for having a similar feature. Sources say that Blizzard employees in South Korea were aware that the auction house would be a hard sell with the rating board, but had to proceed anyway.

If the game is refused classification, it will be quite the blow for Blizzard. The simple solution would seem to be to release the game with that particular feature disabled, but as it generates revenue for Blizzard - the studio takes a percentage of each transaction - losing a potentially lucrative market like South Korea is going to hurt.

Diablo 3 comes out for PC in early 2012.

Source: Voodoo Exteme [http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/62381/South Korea-Considers-Diablo-III-Auction-House-Tantamount-To-Gambling] and Korea Times [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2011/09/123_95415.html]



Permalink

 

[Baresark]

I have to say, I'm not South Korean, but I wouldn't mind seeing this feature removed either. Stuff like this is annoying. I hate the game balance being ruined by being able to buy significantly better items with real money. This is going to ruin the competitive MP because no one is going to want to play against anyone else who may have just bought better items, making it that much easier for them to win.

On the other hand, I agree with Blizzard that there is no risk and therefore shouldn't be considered gambling. But, as a few people around here are familiar with, South Korea did open the first ever clinic to treat video game addiction. I'm not surprised they would take this stance at all.

 

[PingoBlack]

Erm ... Escapist?

Did you actual go and research Emperor Online?

That game includes a fully fledged Casino, not only an item auction house. So ... Did you research weather they lost classification due to actual game of chance?

Having an actual online casino built into game might be slightly different than Diablo 3. Of course, you just posted this in a way that implies exactly opposite.

 

[Thyunda]

On one side, it's good to have that feature removed. I've always hated microtransactions. I paid for a roleplaying game, I don't want to be using my real life to fund it. Subscription models, I'm fine with. Essentially I'm paying for a persistent world to chill in. It's almost rent. Paying real money for the best items is offensive at best, only justifiable if the rest of the game is free to play. I assume Diablo 3 will be a full-priced retail release, and so has no excuse for relying on a microtransaction model to generate any extra revenue.

On the other...the South Korean classification board has no reason to classify this as gambling. Gambling requires an intrinsic amount of risk, and you don't have to pay anything to get something back, so if you hit some dungeon and come out of it with nothing, you haven't lost anything except some of your precious time, and unfortunately, time is not covered by gambling laws.

So, essentially, the feature should never have been present in the first place, but since it has already been implemented, South Korea should really just accept it like the rest of us. My only question...who are these 'critics' determined to refuse a game classification? Something doesn't sit right there.

 

[Torrasque]

I have to say, I'm not South Korean, but I wouldn't mind seeing this feature removed either. Stuff like this is annoying. I hate the game balance being ruined by being able to buy significantly better items with real money. This is going to ruin the competitive MP because no one is going to want to play against anyone else who may have just bought better items, making it that much easier for them to win.

On the other hand, I agree with Blizzard that there is no risk and therefore shouldn't be considered gambling. But, as a few people around here are familiar with, South Korea did open the first ever clinic to treat video game addiction. I'm not surprised they would take this stance at all.

I personally really enjoy playing with/against people who buy pixels, so when I beat them with my inferior gear, I can push it into their faces
Just like when I play MW2 against the tryhards who paid for max prestige, spend 40 hours a week practicing and refining their skills, who know every grenade throw, every sniping spot, and are generally more prepared than I am... and I still kick their asses.

The real-money auction house seems stupid to me, but I won't be using it based on principle, so I don't really care that much.
The only part of this article that I care about is the fact that the poor Koreans may not be able to play D3.

LAWL! Maybe I'll be able to play a Blizzard game without seeing someone who puts 100 hours into it every week, someone who is so disgustingly good at it because it is all they do, and actually be able to feel good about how I am doing in said Blizzard game
Fucking Koreans and their ruining every goddamn Blizz game I play >=/

 

[The Lunatic]

I really would not mind seeing the removal of this feature.

 

[Levethian]

Not sure that's truly gambling. You could equally ban walking in case you found some change on the street.

If you paid each time you walked for the chance to find some change, then it would be gambling.

+General thumbs-up for the cash auction-house feature.

I really would not mind seeing the removal of this feature.

Only for it to be added by dubious & numerous 3rd parties. Meh.

 

[PingoBlack]

I really would not mind seeing the removal of this feature.

Yeah, article here and in Korean times is written for exactly people who hold this opinion. But it's not even a question.

They could perhaps remove the AH feature in Korea only tho, that's as far as the Korean Ratings Board reach goes. Nothing about this story affects EU or US.

 

[ASnogarD]

There is a risk , unless I missed something here but I understood there was a fee to post your item onto the AH and I would assume if you are posting to the real money AH you would spend real money to post said items ?
You would be risking the fee in hope that the sale is a success, if not you lose your money.

The system is more devious because it also charges you 3 times, to set up a sale, if the sale is successfull and when you try cash in your money...plus the 3rd party system that deal with transfering your in game cash to your real life account takes a cut.

Blizzard are hoping to start a money making machine here... and by the look of things, things are going all thier way ( except in S.Korea ). It would seem that merely making games is just not the way things work anymore, need other revenue streams to expliot an IP for its full profit potential and provide for shareholders.

 

[Rack]

Time is money, risking time to for a chance to get money absolutely is gambling.

 

[Eric the Orange]

I really would not mind seeing the removal of this feature.

Only for it to be added by dubious & numerous 3rd parties. Meh.

Some of us feel that joining the gold farmers and taking a cut of their profit is not the best way to beat them.

I like to think of it as more of a gold farmer tax. You don't have to use it but I'm happy knowing that Blizzard is making money off of them.

 

[Ghengis John]

Not sure that's truly gambling. You could equally ban walking in case you found some change on the street.

If you paid each time you walked for the chance to find some change, then it would be gambling.

Not even the same thing by a long shot. You're downing a boss who you know will drop something. The value of that something is a random chance but you are engaged in an active, profit seeking activity. Where as in the act of walking any and and all benefits not pertaining to your health are purely incidental. It's like pulling the lever on a slot machine. Their objection makes a ton of sense actually.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Time is money, risking time to for a chance to get money absolutely is gambling.

You won't be 'risking' your time. You will be using it. What have you got to lose besides your otherwise free time by playing the game.

And that's likes saying doing a job in real life is gambling.

 

[Ghengis John]

[And that's likes saying doing a job in real life is gambling.

I'm sure the problem they have with it, besides encouraging an activity at PC Bangs that they already have a problem with, is the random element. And if I were to nitpick I'd say most people's salaries are not determined by a random number generator. Even if it may feel that way at times.

 

[LTK_70]

...losing a potentially lucrative market like South Korea is going to hurt.

Seriously? This is Blizzard we're talking about here. I hardly think losing the income from the in-game auction house from one country is going to make a difference for their bank accounts.

 

[John Funk]

I have to say, I'm not South Korean, but I wouldn't mind seeing this feature removed either. Stuff like this is annoying. I hate the game balance being ruined by being able to buy significantly better items with real money. This is going to ruin the competitive MP because no one is going to want to play against anyone else who may have just bought better items, making it that much easier for them to win.

On the other hand, I agree with Blizzard that there is no risk and therefore shouldn't be considered gambling. But, as a few people around here are familiar with, South Korea did open the first ever clinic to treat video game addiction. I'm not surprised they would take this stance at all.

It happened all the time in Diablo 2, too. It just wasn't official.

Nothing has changed other than Blizzard actually making money off of it and it being less shady.

 

[Rack]

It happened all the time in Diablo 2, too. It just wasn't official.

Nothing has changed other than Blizzard actually making money off of it and it being less shady.

That's the same reasoning behind legalising Cannabis. And Ecstacy. And murder. Nothing's changed except rather than treading into murky waters it's accessible right from the game interface. Same thing happening only massively more prevalent.