Korea to put limit on Online gaming

[dz06lt]

Good/Bad Idea? do any of you impose limits on your own gaming?

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/nationa...20100412000752

Midnight ban imposed on online games

2010-04-12 17:08

• Midnight ban imposed on online games

A pair of policies were announced yesterday that will attempt to block underaged access to online computer games after midnight in light of the rising problem of video game addiction among youth.

In what’s being touted as the "nighttime shutdown," the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hopes the new measures they have implemented will help eradicate video game addiction among teenagers.

According to the ministry, underaged users will be forced out of gaming sessions when online access automatically shuts down as soon as the clock strikes midnight.

The policy also includes a "slowdown" system in which internet connection speeds will be stifled dramatically if underaged users are logged on for a lengthy period of time.

These policies will be applicable to popular online games like "Barameui Nara" "Maple Story," and "Mabinogi," in the second half of this year -- games which require users to spend long hours invested in a virtual world.

Gamers will be given three options for the six hour black-out period --midnight-6 a.m.,1-7 a.m., and 2-8 a.m.

The "slowdown" scheme is currently being tested out on a total of four role playing games, including the hugely popular "Dungeon & Fighter," and "Dragon Nest," and will be extended to 19 role playing games.

The 19 RPG titles represent approximately 79 percent of the domestic online game market.

While the policy is the first of its kind drummed up to combat online game addiction critics feel underaged gamers will simply find ways to get around to the enforcement.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism intends to establish a countermeasure for youths using their parents' resident registration number to set-up online accounts sometime in the first half of this year.

Some online game developers feel the wrong types of games are being targeted.

Games which fall under the MMORPG (massively multiple online role-playing game) are the ones which require gamers to heavily invest both money and time.

However, popular titles of the genre such as "Lineage," are not being included under the new policy.

Calls for drastic measures have been made since a slew of headline-making incidents riveted the nation.

Cases which ranged from gamers dying after having spent days and even weeks at PC rooms without a break and the death of a newborn through starvation from a couple’s neglect and addiction to online gaming rocked the nation.

[downphoenix]

I say good idea... but the shutdown may be pointless if these gamers just decide to go to bed then and play the rest of the time, the slowdown idea seems more effective, dunno about you but I hate to play online games when they are slow or laggy.

[Gnu]

If they'd stop killing their babies to play games, that might not be necessary.

[Fyrus]

I prefer natural selection to just take its toll.

[E6600]

Good!

Online gaming is for tools anyway.

If you can't enjoy a game alone like we all used to do -and still do- then you shouldn't be gaming.

The amount of time and money wasted on online games shows how far civilization declined.

I've known my share of idiot friends who wasted their lives on online games.

[dz06lt]

We all know what you to with your games alone E

[downphoenix]

Its still considered wasting your time if you spend a large portion of your time with games, doesn't matter if its single player, multiplayer, MMO, console, pc, etc.

[Gnu]

Originally Posted by E6600

If you can't enjoy a game alone like we all used to do -and still do- then you shouldn't be gaming.

I'm going to venture a guess that MUDs have been around longer than you've been alive..

[Wii60]

I say bad idea, the sound of thousands of bored korean gamers masturbating will be deafening.

[Olorin]

Just a crazy idea here, but maybe the parents could do some parenting and send their kids to bed at an appropriate time.