Gaming Minecraft is now R-rated in South Korea, Microsoft is looking into a solution

[tom_mai78101]

Update: A Microsoft spokesperson has responded to PC Gamer's request for comment, saying “We are proceeding with the global migration of Mojang accounts to Microsoft accounts for Minecraft: Java Edition including for our players in South Korea. We’re working on a longer term solution for existing and new players under the age of 19 in South Korea and will have more to share on this later this year.”

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Original story: Minecraft, the incredibly kid-friendly sandbox game, has essentially been slapped with an adults-only age rating in South Korea.

The bizarre restriction comes down to the country's "Cinderella law," which pulls the plug on any child or teen hoping to play games with their mates into the early hours of the morning. The law's been in place since 2011 and means anyone under the age of 16 is prohibited from playing online videogames between midnight and 6 AM (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz).

Instead of bothering to implement any form of after-hours screening to Xbox Live or separate servers, Microsoft instead changed their policy for South Korea in 2012, so anybody wanting to make an account has to be at least 19 years old. This hasn't impacted Minecraft so far, as the game's still been allowing players to sign in with their Mojang account which doesn't require age verification.

That's changed now, with the official Minecraft website warning players back in December 2020 that they'd need to start signing in with an Xbox Live account to access the game. The migration started off as a voluntary thing, but then in March, an additional warning popped up specifically for South Korea informing that anyone looking to buy the game would need to be at least 19 years old. So while Minecraft currently sits at a 12+ age rating through the country's Games Rating and Administration Committee, the mandatory Xbox Live sign-in bumps that straight up to an 18+ rating.

Minecraft is now R-rated in South Korea, Microsoft is looking into a solution

Steve's been a very naughty boy.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[sashatrew]

That's very stupid of them. Good thing we're not in South Korea, and I can safely ask - what servers do you play?

 

[The Helper]

I just cannot see the justification for something like this. There is nothing in Minecraft that warrants an R rating or am I missing something?

 

[tom_mai78101]

I just cannot see the justification for something like this. There is nothing in Minecraft that warrants an R rating or am I missing something?

Originally, Minecraft is rated R because of the law in South Korea enacted 10 years ago, which prohibits any minors from accessing any games that requires internet. Minecraft is a game that requires internet to be able to play with other players, so it's rated R.

There is an update about the law itself though.

Gaming - South Korea to ax games curfew, abolishing the controversial 10-years-old "shutdown law"

The South Korean government is to abolish the controversial “shutdown law,” lifting the curfew that blocks access to online games by underage users late at night 10 years after the law came into force. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family...

www.thehelper.net