By Baek Byung-yeul
The immensely-popular "Grand Theft Auto (GTA)" is the definitive, violent video game of our times: players are rewarded points for stealing, killing, visiting prostitutes and running over anyone who gets in their way.
So imagine the discomfort of Korea’s famously uptight censorship authorities after it was announced that the newest version of GTA will come with Korean subtitles. The game has been played legally in Korea since 2008 after the Game Rating Board passed GTA IV after much deliberation. Part of the tolerance was based on the fact that the game language was entirely in English.
GTA V will be released in Korea on Sept. 17 for PlayStation and Xbox console users and regulators are expecting more debates in the screening process this time.
"We approved the fourth version of GTA for gamers over the age of 18. GTA V will surely contain violence and sexuality, so it will probably receive an over-18 rating too," said an official from the board.
"Of course, we don’t have the authority to order altering the content of a game, although we can disapprove of it. We haven’t received official application for GTA V, but once we do, the reviewing process will take about 15 days."
The GTA series, developed by American firm Rockstar Games, has sold more nearly 130 million copies worldwide since 1997. The violent content has provoked controversies virtually everywhere it went.
H2 Interactive, the game’s Korean distributor, said it hopes the inclusion of Korean subtitles will improve the gaming experience of Korean gamers. It downplays the worries that the game would be a bad influence to under-age users, who in this country could easily download pirated versions of adult games.
Gamers were excited about having Korean subtitles on GTA.
"This is unbelievable," somebody wrote on the video gaming community site Ruliweb (ruliweb.daum.net).
"This is a monumental moment in Korean video gaming history," gushed another user on a Naver (www.naver.com) message board.
There are critics who consider GTA as a harmful content that could breed aggressive behavior in younger players.
"GTA series has become a cultural phenomenon in around the world in this day and age of cultural freedom. However, this is a game made and intended for adults, and Korea’s authorities and companies must provide better plans to prevent under-age users from accessing these games," said Hyun Nam-il, a columnist of online game magazine, This Is Game (www.thisisgame.com).