Oh the irony is strong in this one, because video games (and Gaming in general) is a really big deal in South Korea (the e-sport scene is HUGE!). And as you probably already know, “Starcraft” is something of a national sport in South Korea as well (there are even TV-channels that broadcast “Starcraft” matches daily). So I got quite surprised when I heard that the government has launched an anti-video game campaign to stop people from playing games in South Korea. Simply put, the South Korean government has declared war on video games:

And from what I´ve been told, the videos are said to be legit. So it´s not a joke, and the videos are being aired in South Korea as we speak. And based on what I have seen and heard so far, it seems like this is just the very start of the South Korean government’s anti-video game campaign (one of the very first videos aired in January last year). In other words, there will be more videos of this kind in the near future. On a personal level, I find the “Only Losers Play Video Game” part to be rather laughable. As people from all races, society classes and genders play video games nowadays (sport stars, famous actors. rap stars, you name it!). I also believe that it´s wrong to blame video games for all the bad things that happen and exist in our world today (crime, dropping school grades and whatnot). Because in the end, it´s all about the individual and his or her mental power, self-control and moral (don´t commit evil acts, know when to stop playing games, deal with work, studies, workout and so on).

And personally, I think it´s more a problem with “addiction”, then anything else (addiction is not only a problem in the world of video games. And it´s the addiction itself that´s the real problem, not the medium in question). I mean, you can be addicted to pretty much everything there is (gambling, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.). And the vast majority of Gamers don´t have a serious Gaming addiction problem, besides. Most countries offers help to those who need to deal with their Gaming addiction problems. In the matter of fact, there even exists Video Game addiction rehab centers in the UK and the US nowadays. So there is help available for those who need it the most, as for South Korea (there exists game addiction clinics in South Korea as well).

The video game industry Shrunken quite a lot as of lately (counted from 2009 to 2016) thanks to taxes, censorship and shutdown-laws. So I highly doubt that the “anti-video game” campaigns are going to do any wonders for the games industry in South Korea. And that´s most likely going to affect everything Gaming related in the country (publishers, developers, retail, e-sports, cosplay, Gaming events, etc.).

And quite frankly, I´m somewhat worried that people might end up losing their jobs in South Korea. And more so, that other countries will follow South Korea´s lead and start their own anti-video game campaigns. Well, let´s pray to the Gaming gods that we won´t happen. And before I wrap this OP piece up, I would also like to point out that a lot of young people in South Korea seek comfort in games since the South Korean society has super-high expectations on them (thus the high suicide rates). So there is more to this matter than reaches the eye…

With that said, what´s your take on this matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!

Credit:
NotYourAverageGook

Source:
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Robin “V-Act” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround

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Tags: Gamers, Gaming, South Korea, Starcraft, Video games