The Latis Global blog announced that the South Korean Facebook users had their online purchasing halted. The country’s gaming regulator blocked virtual goods purchasing through the social platform Facebook on August 26.
It was further stated that this block will remain until each and every Facebook game that features real money betting is approved by the GRAC – the Game Rating and Administration Committee.
South Korea’s history of strictly regulating its online gaming community goes back to the dawn of online gaming. The latest regulation over online games was the 2013 Game Industry Promotion Act (GIPA). This act requires every game to be voted on a scale, depending on the age-restriction that its characteristics demand.
The assessment is done by a jury of nine, which places the game in a ranking between the following: higher than age twelve, higher than age fifteen, adults only or allowed for everyone. The GIPA act has been applied to the eSports games for a few years already and this is the first time it is applied to social network-based real money betting games.
It appears the act has grown in popularity and has been given the authority to implement its clauses to social platforms as well.
When a game is submitted for assessment, it is given a score in the upcoming fifteen days, according to the Game Rating and Administration Committee. In South Korea, online gambling is still prohibited and therefore, the classification of the above-mentioned casino games does not look promising, experts say.
However, as social game designers earn little in South Korea, there are hopes the rating of the Facebook-based casino games will be less strict as the ratings in eSports. South Korea is the world’s Mecca of online eSports gaming, having one of the strongest and most loyal communities in the world. The GRAC was established in 2006 as a separate committee after a scandal with its predecessor – Korea Media Rating Board.
The scandal happened when a video slot machine game known as ‘Sea Story’ was allowed to be launched onto the market, after its operators allegedly hacked the game to boost its payouts beyond the allowed boundaries.
The government has been strictly monitoring how much time its citizens spend playing. For example, it has forbidden children under the age of eighteen to play between 12 pm and 8 am. This law was revised several times, lowering the age restriction to sixteen and the time-frame to six hours.
One of the directors of the Gender Equality Ministry has explained his support towards parents, stating that the government has taken the choice from their hands and the ability to decide how to discipline their children. Having in mind the length to which South Korea goes to monitor and control its local gaming industry, it is hard to believe the assessment results of the Facebook casino games will be positive.
