By Yoon Sung-won
Foreign game companies expressed concerns over the nation's game addiction bill pending before the National Assembly.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a U.S. organization dedicated to video and computer game businesses, along with 12 other European game associations sent a statement to the members of the National Assembly opposing the bill, Wednesday.
Last year, Rep. Shin Eui-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party submitted the "Prevention, Management and Treatment of Addiction Law," which would put online game addiction on a par with drug addiction.
In the statement, ESA said that Korea's game addiction bill defines Internet games as an "addictive substance that can be compared to alcohol and narcotics," and Internet game publishers are "regulated to follow the law that includes restrictions over the games' advertisement and promotion."
As a representative body of global game industry, ESA said it is "not rational" to define games as things that have a critical addictiveness on the human body like alcohol and drugs.
It also said there is no consensus among medical professionals worldwide that use of the Internet, let alone online games, can be attributable to a mental illness.
ESA has continuously showed disappointment over Korean bills aimed at restricting the game industry. It has pointed out that such excessive regulations are choking the possible growth of Korea's game industry, even as President Park Geun-hye herself admitted that the game industry is part of the nation's "creative economy," a keynote that Park's administration has claimed since inauguration.
ESA also warned that the excessive regulations may undermine the growth of Korea's game industry, saying that the nation's reputation as a leading online game developing country can be threatened in the global market.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism earlier predicted the nation's game industry will exceed 11 trillion won this year.
"We are concerned over the negative impact that Korea's excessive regulation will have in the global market because Korea's game developers have pioneered the growth of the global online game industry," ESA said in the statement.
ESA added its pledge to seek a way to cooperate with Korean lawmakers to help the Korean game industry promote the best interests of the Korean people.
Meanwhile, Rep. Shin told local news media on June 2 that it would be possible to remove online games from her bill, saying it is still too early to elaborate.
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The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a U.S. organization dedicated to video and computer game businesses, along with 12 other European game associations sent a statement to the members of the National Assembly opposing the bill, Wednesday.
Last year, Rep. Shin Eui-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party submitted the "Prevention, Management and Treatment of Addiction Law," which would put online game addiction on a par with drug addiction.
In the statement, ESA said that Korea's game addiction bill defines Internet games as an "addictive substance that can be compared to alcohol and narcotics," and Internet game publishers are "regulated to follow the law that includes restrictions over the games' advertisement and promotion."
As a representative body of global game industry, ESA said it is "not rational" to define games as things that have a critical addictiveness on the human body like alcohol and drugs.
It also said there is no consensus among medical professionals worldwide that use of the Internet, let alone online games, can be attributable to a mental illness.
ESA has continuously showed disappointment over Korean bills aimed at restricting the game industry. It has pointed out that such excessive regulations are choking the possible growth of Korea's game industry, even as President Park Geun-hye herself admitted that the game industry is part of the nation's "creative economy," a keynote that Park's administration has claimed since inauguration.
ESA also warned that the excessive regulations may undermine the growth of Korea's game industry, saying that the nation's reputation as a leading online game developing country can be threatened in the global market.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism earlier predicted the nation's game industry will exceed 11 trillion won this year.
"We are concerned over the negative impact that Korea's excessive regulation will have in the global market because Korea's game developers have pioneered the growth of the global online game industry," ESA said in the statement.
ESA added its pledge to seek a way to cooperate with Korean lawmakers to help the Korean game industry promote the best interests of the Korean people.
Meanwhile, Rep. Shin told local news media on June 2 that it would be possible to remove online games from her bill, saying it is still too early to elaborate.
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