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

[Hagi]

Can't say I can agree with this.

Not because gaming can't be addictive or a serious problem, it can be.

Rather because it's being lumped in where I don't think it belongs. It certainly doesn't belong alongside alcohol or drugs, substances that themselves are directly physically addictive. And whilst it bears more similarities to gambling, especially if you consider many F2P games with Cash Shops, there are still significant differences, mainly in that it's not like for like in a way that's statistically guaranteed to cause a loss in the long run among others.

I'm fully supportive of creating laws to govern gaming if it poses serious social problems. It should be done. But those laws should not be lumped along with other issues that have relatively little to do with one another. I think video game addiction is a real problem but all the same a different problem than substance addiction or gambling addiction. There should be a separate and different law to deal with it, unrelated to other problems that happen to share a few words to describe them. It'd be like defining the rules regarding identity theft, intellectual property theft and the theft of physical objects in the exact same law. Are they all problems that need laws? Yes. Are they the same problem that need the same law? No. I believe the same goes for substance addiction and video game addiction, both are problems but not the same problem.

 

[Something Amyss]

No, classifying them as antisocial is.

Antisocial addiction, like gambling. In the greater context of what they're saying, however, this STILL shouldn't be an issue.

Which goes back to my point.

 

[Something Amyss]

Biologically addictive? As in it has significant physical effects on the brain leading to a physical dependence?
I severely doubt that, just like the article you linked.

You can down it all you want, but you can find a decent number of papers on this via Google Scholar.

I think you have to ask why you're really skeptical: is there a legit basis, or is it merely that it doesn't fit your worldview?

This kind of bills never seem to solve anything, tho, as they target symptoms more than causes.

In the case of stopping addictive behaviour, I'd say treating the addicted is "solving something." It won't in itself stop people from flocking to the games, but then, even the bill itself does seem to address some preventative advertising.

Yes, we should look at the societal issues causing this, but dealing with a nation of Craftheads might first require, you know, dealing with a fairly large number of those already impacted.

The Soviet Union also passed laws against things they viewed as "anti-social", I thought you were better than that South Korea.

Of course, we're talking outlawing things entirely vs "establishing that it can be harmful and setting up protective measures." Even the ban on kids under 16 playing online between 12 and 6 doesn't match the kind of bans the USSR passed that you're trying to evoke.

What do you think the "A" in asozial stands for? :wacko:

http://www.dict.cc/?s=asozial

I would point out that there are often cultural differences. Anti-social may be an analogue in English, but I was warned in French that use of antisocial to describe someone who is not sociable is a faux pas (which is French for don't do it! >.>) because it carries with it a connotation closer to sociopath. Within German language and culture, there may be a marked difference in the terms that is not covered adequately by a D-E dictionary.

Captcha: Snoop Lion. No, Captcha, I am Snoop Llama and the Kuzco Crew will not tolerate this.

 

[Smeatza]

You can down it all you want, but you can find a decent number of papers on this via Google Scholar.

I think you have to ask why you're really skeptical: is there a legit basis, or is it merely that it doesn't fit your worldview?

You're going to have to give me some links here as I am struggling to find papers that address the physical effects video game addiction has on the brain.

I'm skeptical because I've never heard of anything that can cause what we like to refer to as biological addiction that isn't a physical substance.

If receptors in the brain aren't being chronically modified to demand the presence of said substance (like in the case of alcohol and heroin) or if the number of receptors in the brain aren't being increased in a positive-feedback loop (like in nicotine; just two examples there I'm sure there are more models of biological addiction). If the brain isn't being physically and chronically changed by the addiction in a way that increases dependence then it isn't a biological addiction.

 

[SilverUchiha]

Just the idea of this alone seems backwards. You call it anti-social addiction yet gaming has become more social than ever thanks to the apps sewn into the current generation of consoles now. Not to mention all the different online forums, communities, and content creators tied to gaming. Then there's multiplayer gaming (both online to connect long distance and offline to have little get-togethers). And yet they still want to label it as anti-social addiction? South Korea, I love you guys, but kinda wanna slap whichever one of you came up with this idea.

 

[Someone Depressing]

I know that online gaming in Korea is big. Like, Ragnarok Online, Mabinogi, pretty much everything GPotato hosts, Digimon Battle Tamers...

This is gonna be really bad if the proposal actually turns into a bill. Maybe the Korean government - both of them - are just really stupid in their own ways?

 

[Kittyhawk]

What we have here is another generation gap problem. Some of those in the corridors of South Korean power, don't play or understand games and instead of trying to grasp and understand why gaming is so popular amongst their youth, feel powerless and would rather go to extremes in order to try and control young people.

We've had this kind of moral panic before in the U.S and U.K about computer and video games, because some fear what they don't understand. (Notice we hear little from these U.K/U.S politicians now the economy has gone bad, but games are still selling) Nothing will come of it that will be any good, in the same way that prohibition didn't stop people from enjoying getting merry and drinking. The view of the minority isn't always that of the majority. As for the games industry and South Korea's games sector doing well in the face of tough global economics from other industries, its not a good idea to mess with that invaluable source of income and creative talent that sells well at home and abroad. What Japan would do to have such young gamers, that buy and play often like South Koreans do.

The funny irony here is that smoking, drinking and rugs can kill you slowly. Sleep deprivation can indeed kill, but in very low numbers as sleep is good for all. Best thing Korean games can do is offer gamers there an achievement type system, that encourages rest alongside gaming and other activities. In other words, the government should work with game developers and use 'gamification of rest and recuperation' to the advantage of all. Measure the rest of young gamers via a device/online. If they rest enough or extra, give them extra points and a free credit/s to buy games/dlc/pc parts etc, etc. If they are really sleep deprived, dock them points and they get no rewards or perks like their smarter friends.

Sooner or later, they will rest enough so they can get free game stuff that they love. Everyone wins. Remember kids, it's okay to have a late night now and then, but too many will catch up with you. Don't cash that sleep debt cheque with your life.

 

[Subwayeatn]

"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.

They'll find something else, there will always be something else for these sort of people. It's just a hobby that has gotten out of hand for many people. Video games seem much more pronounced as an anti-social addiction because it's a hobby shared by MILLIONS and the effects seem more widespread compared to people who are addicted to say, fishing or bowling, they amount addicted just doesn't compare; not to mention some anti-social behavior in the form of workaholics is justified with the excuse that they are pursuing careers or making money.

 

[lacktheknack]

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.

Yep, I'm with this guy.

They've already had people dying in internet cafes from gaming too much. Clearly SOMETHING needs to be done.

 

[Charli]

I consider excessive partying to be overly social behavior. Wanna get on that law too? Addiction to going out?
(Drugs and alcohol are a separate addiction that can occur without excessive social behaviour)

Gaming is not a chemical alteration. It's a compulsion. The second you see a game start injecting foreign matter into my veins you can start hysterically loosing your shit and funnel government funding into 'curing it'.

The people 'addicted to gaming' are just unhappy with their real lives. The same way bookish types can loose their social will by being un-happy and just spend all of their free time reading and collecting more books. I know such a person. At the most, they need counselling, which is a thing you can do. Introverted people spend energy interacting with others. It's hard. If your life is already hard, you can loose the will to make an effort entirely.

90% of the population is rather unhappy with their lives, some of us just take our escapism too far. There are methods for reducing such behavior but you have already got it, government does not need to get involved.

 

[Kevin Puszert]

Today I suppressed the urge to make an incredibly racist comment about Korea.
Its hilarity has been noted, and I have been properly castigated for my impropriety.

+ 1 internets for me.

 

[KR4U55]

I think that if people is going to take videogames more seriously, as a mature activity, then gamers should, as a whole, understand that there not everything about them is perfect, like gambling. I thnk that's a great idea considering South Korea's problems with gaming addiction.