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THE INVESTOR] The South Korean government on July 18 decided to ease regulations on the gaming industry, such as revising the online game “shutdown law,” by leaving in to the choice of the gamers’ parents.
According to the plans drawn up as part of the government’s strategy for boosting the game industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to lift the curfew imposed on underage users from accessing online games late at night.
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Enacted in 2011 to curb video game addiction among youth, the shutdown law bans gamers aged 16 or under from playing online games between midnight and 6 a.m. Under the proposed change, parents can apply for a request to permit their adolescent gamers to play after midnight.
The government is also planning on establishing a specialized high school for gaming by 2019, in an effort to nurture content developers and game industry experts.
By Ahn Sung-mi (
sahn@heraldcorp.com)
