South Korea loosens game censorship

by Justin Murray { Dec 29th 2006 at 1:00PM }

Game censorship is a big news item in the past few months. Political types of all walks of life enjoy trying to stifle the medium by passing laws that don't hold up in court in the US and even get through without much of a hitch in Europe. On the other side of the world, one nation is going the opposite direction.

South Korea, which recently proposed an anti-gold farming bill, has pulled censorship on games depicting military action against their northern neighbor. Under the ban, any game that was negative toward North Korea was not permitted for sale in the South, citing they would only inflame the existing tension. However, wiser South Korean lawmakers finally realized video games have little impact on the real world, cut the rule and games like Ghost Recon 2 can now be sold.

Lawmakers from the West take note; South Korea has the right idea. When they're sitting right next to an unstable tin-pot dictator and decide that games aren't going to cause a mass invasion, we should start reassessing this whole "games make people violent" kick. Our only hope is wiser people end up in leadership positions who actually try to solve problems instead of deflecting the responsibility on an unrelated party.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Zertoss @ Dec 29th 2006 1:44PM

This will be interesting to follow. I mean, if North Korea does flip out over this and starts threatening South Korea, will lawmakers in other countries try to ban violent games or even video games altogether?

ackmondual @ Dec 29th 2006 1:44PM

""However, wiser South Korean lawmakers finally realized video games have little impact on the real world, cut the rule and games like Ghost Recon 2 can now be sold.""

That's the right idea! Unless it's that game (Secondary Life was it called?.... among many RPGs) where you provide virtual goods and services and make real money, or that game where you go after Suddam which may have been what the White House modelled their own plan to go after the real deal, most people realize that as long as books, movies, and vid games aren't overtly inflaming, it's all good.

Josh @ Dec 29th 2006 2:17PM

Not Hilary Clinton.

ackmondual @ Dec 29th 2006 2:32PM

@ #1
I would think N Korea's "fearless leader" is more flipped out by the imbargo making it more difficult for him to obtain ipods, PS3, Wiis, and yeah, some of these fine video games.

GhaleonQ @ Dec 30th 2006 3:10AM

Er, irrespective of whether I agree with the poster's whole argument or not, that final argument stretches the comparison to a breaking point. It made no sense to me, as South Korea's geopolitical predicament is hardly analogous to ours.

Sidepocket @ Dec 30th 2006 9:05AM

I am hoping countries will folow France example and nominate videogames as an art form.

Violent Videogames....there are Violent Cave Paintings! And for anyone who has read the bible, that is one of the most evil and violent books ever. Every story is about suiside, rape, murder, and just evil stuff no kid wants to hear. @,@;