Gaming in Korea
South Korea, the most wired country in the world, is experiencing problems with young people being addicted to online video games (Sun, 2011).
1. In July 2011, a 21-year old online-gaming addict died in his home. Despite earlier warnings related to his health, he refused to seek medical help and had rarely left his room prior to his death (Sun, 2011).
2.In an extreme case in 2009, a married couple, both of whom were online game addicts, starved their own baby to death while taking care of their ‘virtual infant' (Sun, 2011).
3. Online gaming addiction has become a serious problem in Korea. High academic pressure and few after-school activities are some of the reasons why many school children turn to online gaming. It is estimated that one in ten Korean adolescents are at risk for Internet addiction (Sun, 2011).
4. In response to the online gaming addiction problem, Korea implemented a Gaming Shutdown Law (or the Cinderella Law) in August 2011 to prevent underage gamers from playing online games in gaming arcades from midnight until 6 am (Sun, 2011).
5. The 'Shut Down Law', also known as the "Cinderella Law" prevents people under the age of 16 from getting onto gaming sites after midnight. The rule does not apply to mobile games or some games found on the social networking websites (Lee, 2011).
6. In response to the Cinderella Law, many Internet users think the new rule is a "waste of money" and "useless". Its effectiveness is being questioned (Lee, 2011).
Discussion Questions:
1. How do you think online gaming affects our society today?
2. If the Cinderella Law was implemented here in Canada, would it have a positive or negative effect on your education? Why?
1. How do you think online gaming affects our society today?
2. If the Cinderella Law was implemented here in Canada, would it have a positive or negative effect on your education? Why?