By Yoon Ja-young
The government is considering strengthening restrictions on teenagers from playing online games, convinced it is a factor in recent bullying and violence in schools. The game industry is countering that they are already suffering from unprecedented multiple restrictions but both parents and teachers are calling for heavier restrictions.
According to education ministry officials, the government is considering more stringent time limits for online gaming for various age groups. For a middle school student, the maximum playing time would not go beyond three hours a day in total or for more than two consecutive hours. If either of these events occurred, the game would automatically shut down.
The country has already introduced an online game “shutdown system,” which limits teenagers under 16 from logging onto game sites from midnight to 6 a.m. It is also scheduled to implement a “selective shutdown” from July, which lets parents set the time limits.
The government is now considering limiting the total number of hours of use as well determining excessive exposure to games harms children both mentally and physically.
The move comes after a series of teenage suicides following bullying and violence at schools. It turns out a victim in Daegu was forced to play online game “Maple Story” to upgrade game level of the bullies.
The game industry is concerned about the latest proposals.
“The curfew after midnight has been implemented, and the selective shutdown by parents is also scheduled. Now there is talk of shutting off the game after three hours of play. It is like levying double, triple restrictions on the industry,” said a spokesman for a local online game company, who asked to remain anonymous.
He pointed out that the shutdown wasn’t effective as teenagers subscribed to games using a parent’s name. “There should be effective and carefully designed measures, supported by parents and the industry as well as students.”
He said that the industry is aware of some students becoming addicted to games, but contended they should seek the fundamental reason of their addiction.
He also denied the assertion that school violence is linked to game addiction. “There could be diverse reasons for the violence. In the case of the recent bullying in Daegu, the online game was just one of the means of harassing the victim.”
He pointed out that some popular online games have over 20 million subscribers. “It means almost all teenagers are subscribing. It isn’t right to focus on the fact that someone played shooting games when there is a shooting crime.”
However, parent groups are demanding that something should be done to protect children and teenagers from game addiction.
“The damage from game addiction is serious,” said Kim Min-sun, director of Children’s Health Network, an NGO organized by parents.
She said that school violence is both directly and indirectly related to games. “The bullies can’t control their anger, and most of the games they play are violent ones. Medical research has shown that the games can cause damage to frontal lobes of the brain that enable people to control anger.”
Games are also direct reasons for violence at schools. She cited the case of an elementary school student stabbing his friend for not handing over a gaming item as an example. She said the game industry should prove that games are safe instead of demanding that parents prove the games are harmful.
“Korean teenagers are playing games the most seriously, for the longest hours. I don’t think teenagers in other countries would be playing games at 2 a.m.,” she said, adding that Korean teenagers are seriously exposed to games.
She said it is the duty of schools and parents to help children and teenagers to be happy. “I don’t think they are ‘happily’ enjoying the games they play after midnight.”
The director called for comprehensive measures, on top of demanding the strengthening of regulations on smartphone games. “The government should set up a task force participated in by parents instead of each ministry coming up with symptomatic treatment.”