South Korea Considers Law to Peg Online Gaming as "Anti-Social Addiction"

[Alex Co]

South Korea Considers Law to Peg Online Gaming as "Anti-Social Addiction"

South Korea legislators are considering a law that would label online gaming as an "anti-social addiction."

South Korea's parliament is currently considering a proposal that will align online gaming with other activities such as gambling, drugs and alcohol as a potential "anti-social" addiction. To date, the legislation is backed by 14 of the ruling law makers and comes after a ruling was passed in 2011 wherein South Korean residents under the age of 16 were <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114369-South-Koreas-Shutdown-Law-Takes-Effect

">banned from playing online games between midnight and dawn.

If this decision passes, it will include building a fund to beat online gaming addiction by taking one percent of South Korea's gaming industry revenue, and will also limit game advertisements in the country.

South Korea is, of course, no stranger to online gaming, with many top Starcraft players in the world hailing from the country. Aside from pro gamers, South Korea is also known as a significant exporter of videogames and has a sizable amount of revenue coming from the gaming industry. Just last year, free-to-play title MapleStory - along with other online games - earned more money from overseas for the country than Psy's YouTube-hit "Gangnam Style," Korean-Pop (K-Pop), movies and other cultural exports combined according to The Independent [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/south-korea-considers-law-to-classify-online-gaming-as-a-potentially-antisocial-addiction-8998538.html]

In the meantime, gaming companies in the country are arguing that passing such a bill would mean a death sentence for the South Korean gaming industry, with the Korea Internet and Digital Entertainment Association stating, ""The 100,000 people employed in the game industry are not drugmakers."

Should online gaming be painted with the same brush as alcohol, gambling or even drugs? For South Korean gamers' sake, let's hope it isn't.

Source: The Independent [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/south-korea-considers-law-to-classify-online-gaming-as-a-potentially-antisocial-addiction-8998538.html]

Permalink

 

[Ninmecu]

I don't have a face palm hard enough to make sense of this one. On the one hand, I can see that online gaming in Korea(Based wholly on what the news stories have painted) has lead to death if not worse in some cases. But, this? Seriously? Anti-social behavior? On the basis of what, an antequated notion that social interaction can only exist in a person to person way for it to have any sort of meaningful depth?(It's not like people lie to each others faces all the time presenting a mask or more agreeable persona or anything.)

 

[Eddie451]

Korea has always put a lot of play restrictions on online games(vindictus' old token system for one) but that bill is going pretty far. I agree with the statement it would kill Korean game companies.

 

[CriticalMiss]

So how long will it be before South Korea has mandatory socialising to curb 'anti-social' behaviour? Anyone who doesn't invite all of their neighbours around for afternoon tea gets a week in jail. Thinking about curling up in bed and watching a DVD on your own? CRIMINAL!

I know that people could get an actual addiction to gaming, but do they really have to label an entire past-time as anti-social addiction rather than offering help to the small number of people who are actually addicted? If anything online games can have a good social side since you can interact with thousands of people from all over the world, all of whom are 19 year old virgin cheerleaders who want someone to to help them explore their supple bodies...

If anything they should be cracking down on single player games!

 

[Something Amyss]

I think people are jumping the gun a little bit on this. What South Korea is proposing is not really all that bad, and it doesn't hurt the hobby overall. Are we really so oversensitive that our reaction to them classifying this as a possible source of addiction is dog-whistle outrage?

 

[Nouw]

Considering they're calling it a 'potentially anti-social addiction,' I don't see the problem with it. They're not calling the past-time inherently anti-social or harmful, just that it can become as harmful as other addictions such as gambling. Gaming addiction is a problem, particularly with students but then you open a whole new can of worms of issues like stress and over-studying. If it means people can get help, I'm all for it. One thing that does bothers me is the suggestion to restrict advertising and taking one percent of the industry's revenue.

 

[Jupiter065]

A 1% tax to set up an addiction help fund is hardly a "death sentence" of an industry.
Seems like a good idea to me.

 

[JarinArenos]

The problem comes not when you regulate something as potentially harmful, but when you act out of proportion to potential harm. For other examples, see the US DEA's insane obsession with marijuana over the past 30 years.

 

[Epic_Bubble]

Well screw you South Korea and here I was totally having your back for when the North invades.

Now I am hoping the North not only invades you but also beats you in starcraft in a grand winner takes all (the countries) final.

All that being said I do think Online gaming (and only online gaming) can lead to problems. I know cause I know what I was liking growing up in highschool during the start of WOW days. Things like "residents under the age of 16 were banned from playing online games between midnight and dawn" are what I see as good well justified laws because lets face it nothing good happens at 3 in the morning.

I still don't like how they view the gaming as a anti social addiction because if the person is anti social from the beginning then mmo would do more harm than good in all fairness. But yeah its just when you go over the edge in reasoning that ones entire reason falls flat.

GG WP North Korea Terrain forces win by nuclear victory.

 

[strumbore]

"Should online gaming be painted with the same brush as alcohol, gambling or even drugs?"

Uh, yeah!
I don't see the need for blacklisting and fining the industry, but video-games are a crutch. Millions of young men abandon all hope of learning to adjust their social skills and put their lives indefinitely on hold by indulging nothing but video-game escapism.

 

[DugMachine]

I actually like the 1% tax fee for helping gaming addiction, because it is a very real thing. The advertisement cuts can really hurt the companies in long term but I doubt it will make any sort of serious effect. Definitely not the end of gaming in South Korea.

The early days of WoW were amazing but they were also some of my darkest. I had two years of very little social interaction outside of the game and my grades in college at the time definitely took a hit before a friend helped me out.

 

[Sofus]

By this definition then any hobby could be classified as addictive and anti-social. Even the pursuit of wealth or fame could be seen as being an addiction.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

A 1% tax to set up an addiction help fund is hardly a "death sentence" of an industry.
Seems like a good idea to me.

Yeah, that's like 60 cents per game.

I mean, anything can be an addiction, and any addictive substance should lead to treatment. South Korea clearly has a population of addicted gamers and I don't think some help wouldn't be warranted.

That said, the distinction between hobbyist and addict should be set up.

Captcha: Safety First

Indeed captcha, indeed.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I guess in South Korea it does have a potential to be addictive and highly anti-social. We've all read the stories.