You’re probably familiar with South Korea’s gaming shutdown law, which went into effect late last year. The law essentially blocks gamers under 18 from accessing online games during a six-hour block late in the night. The nation’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, however, is looking for even steeper measures.

MEST believes that the danger in gaming doesn’t come so much from when kids play as it does from how much time they spend playing. It makes sense when you think about it – what’s worse for your health, ten hours of daytime gaming, or one hour of late night play? With this in mind, the agency is currently reviewing a new program that will limit all minors in the country to only three hours of game time per day, with only two hours being allowed consecutively. 

Resistance to the proposed rule has already reared its head, with many critics noting that South Korea is regulating gaming from three separate government agencies. Whatever the concern, South Korea has shown its willingness to interfere in the lives of gamers before, so there’s no telling whether this particular rule will or won’t be implemented.

We’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, do you think the government has a right to tell you when you can play games, and for how long? Is it right to try to protect young gamers from bad habits?

[Gamasutra]

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