South Korea bans videogames after midnight

Curfew imposed for 19 specific titles

South Korea bans videogames after midnight

13 April 2010 17:57 GMT / By Duncan Geere

South Korea has announced a series of policies that attempt to curb the growing problem of videogame addiction that the country is facing. A series of recent incidents have caused media outrage in the country's cities, which have some of the most videogame-friendly teenagers in the world.

The most prominent of the policies sees a curfew being imposed for 19 specific titles, including Maple Story, Barameui Nara and Mabinogi, which together represent 79% of the marketplace. Users won't be able to log in for six hours over night, with users having the choice of their blackout period starting at midnight, 1am or 2am.

The policies also include provisions for a slowdown system, where net speeds will be dramatically limited if a user is logged on for an extended period of time, and a system to prevent kids submitting their parents' ID numbers to get around measures particularly targeted at the underaged.

However, one of the most popular games in Korea, Lineage II, isn't included in the ban for undisclosed reasons.

Via: crunchgear.com

Full tags

Gaming, South Korea, MMORPGs, Gaming industry