Nanny state alert: South Korea clamping down on late-night gamers

In a move that would have Orwell spinning in his grave, South Korea plans to crack down on gamers who play into the wee hours, by enforcing a nightly six-hour blackout on 19 different MMO games.

With South Korea gaining a growing reputation as a nation of gaming addicts, Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has stepped in, declaring that gamers will now have to back away from their computer for at least six hours each night.

Gamers will be able to choose a window: midnight to 6 a.m., 1 to 7 a.m., or 2 to 8 a.m.

Critics of the scheme – of which there are understandably plenty – suggest MMOs and games are being unfairly targeted, and it’s hard to disagree. As unwanted government interference goes, I genuinely can’t think of many more shocking examples from a supposedly developed democracy.

See also:Switzerland preparing to ban violent videogames

[Via Hot Blooded Gaming]