Strict Government Decrees Takes a Toll on the Game Developers in South Korea, the Gaming Industry Suffered Setback
Online gaming industry, which was once being a highly coveted national sport in South Korea is slowly losing its ground in the recent times. In spite of its burgeoning progress in other parts of the world, the online gaming portals of South Korea are almost on the verge of being extinct. At its dawn few years back, the gaming industry saw a massive opportunities for business, but, following the government decree, the users are limited to only a few hours of play. This is indeed a setback for the gaming industry of the country. The blames can also be given to the government limitations exercised on the types of games that are likely to be published.
So many restrictions over the past few years have undoubtedly played a downcast for the game developers for whom the entertaining part of the games is the main focus. As a result, they are somewhat limited with the ideas for preparing games.
As a result, the total numbers were cut down to more than half. As per the reports published by The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), from 30,535 game developers in 2009, the number was reduced to 14,440 active developers in 2014.
Korea Joong Ang Daily reported that presently with the reducing number of online gaming portals, South Korea is still reigning the fourth-largest market for games in 2015, immediately after China, the United States and Japan.
The gaming industry contributes about $8.3 billion as its annual revenue, which compounds to 6.7 % of the global market.
"Korea's game industry is a very lucrative business that accounts for over half of all exported content by volume," said Kim Soo Yeon, a researcher for KERI. " However, the gamers and the insiders of the industry is believe that the entire industry is in crisis. And, the excessive regulations in this regard have hindered the progress.
However, it is to be mentioned in this connection that a bill which was once the lifeline of the online gaming industry had taken a sour turn with most of the best online gaming portals surfacing gambling threats. Most of the game development authorities reportedly found that the several lawmakers and the kinsmen of former President Roh Moo Hyun are mostly involved in the gambling.
Moreover, the issue of the "addiction bill" has exacerbated the situation even further. According to the bill, the gaming addiction in South Korea is treated similar to the drug and alcohol addiction, says a report in Daily Dot News. As a result the impact of video gaming on the everyday life of many users have already has its adverse effect. The result is the hindered progress and awfully slow growth of the gaming industry.
However, restrictions and strict laws have not yet been a spoilt sport in the country. Despite the decrees, online gaming is yet the most celebrated sports in South Korea, says the BBC News.
The red carpet launch of Star Craft organized in December last year was a highly celebrated event by the gaming enthusiasts. It was celebrated with exceptional grandeur, where the prize money for the event was declared as high as $250,000 with associated sponsorship.
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