Gaming addiction is no laughing matter: addicted gamers have lost their jobs, their spouses, and in rare cases, their lives, for non-stop gaming in a virtual world rather than living in the actual one. In late 2011, the South Korean government took steps to curb videogame addiction by creating its “shutdown” law, which prevents gamers under 16 from playing online games between midnight and 6 am. But that might not be the only step it takes.
South Korea may implement an additional law, the “cooling off” law. According to MSNBC,
…the Cooling Off system will cause a game to be shut down automatically after two hours of being played. Gamers can log back in, but only after 10 minutes to “rest,” and only once per 24 hours. It was not specified how long the second session will last, but it is presumed to be no longer than the initial time allotted.
However, the reason behind the “cooling off” law isn’t to save the healths of gamers. No, this law may come into effect to…prevent bullying?
