StarCraft II gets adults-only rating in Korea

Sad, sad times in South Korea. The country's Games Rating Board has just slapped StarCraft II with an 18+ rating, an action that has shocked just about everyone on the planet. Previous builds of the game presented to the board received 15+ ratings, making the AO label an absolute shocker.

Blizzard had sought something along the lines of 12+ for the final product, similar to its North American rating. But what could compel South Korea's classification board to put such a harsh label on the nation's favorite pastime? The CRB has recently begun cracking down on games with violent content, inappropriate language, exposure to drug use, and other such elements that would corrupt their youth for the next several centuries -- something like that. The government has been taking action to combat widespread addicting to gaming and the Internet, particularly in younger gamers. Companies are actually being pressured/encouraged to use "fatigue systems" in their games, which will insert annoying disadvantages in-game once the player exceeds a certain time limit. This new interest in gaming habits has no doubt influenced the board's decision.

"Considering that the RC version of the game is closer to what will be sold on the shelves compared to the beta versions, we looked more carefully at the content," said a GRB official. "However, this rating is not final, as Blizzard will get the chance to object to it."

The Games Rating Boards is part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source:The Korea Times

Section:PC Games

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