While Blizzard fights waves of rage against its BattleTag, people in South Korea are being subjected to much more harsh measures. I’m speaking of so-called “Cinderella Law” – the one that was accepted in last October. If you read this blog for it’s Alicia Online news, then you may have already experienced this law on yourself, for all minors (below 16 years) in South Korea are now banned from all of the country’s MMOs from 0:00 til 6:00AM by force of the law – and that’s why it was called the Cinderella Law. Koreans probably got tired of their kids being sleep-deprived zombies playing online games whole nights long. But how the hell did they managed to implement and uphold such a law?
The answer is easy: all gamers in South Korea are required to attach their Korean Social Security Numbers to their in-game accounts. There’s no way to register and play in ANY online game in South Korea without using a KSSN. So, it’s pretty easy to see which players are falling under the Cinderella Law, and to order all of the gaming companies to bar access to these p layers for particular time is even more easier after the law has been positively voted for.
Though, both teenagers and the gaming companies are not particularly happy with the law, because not only those minors are kicked out from games, they also need their parents to sign a paper allowing them to play at all. So, if you’re a Korean kid who’s not fond of doing homework, your parents can ban you from World of WarCraft by the force of Gray Skull… erm, the Cinderella Law! Children between 16 and 18 years old could play after the world hits midnight, but also only if their parents would sign a paper. A lot of paperwork for everyone.
By the way… Remember when Blizzard wanted its customers to attach real names to their accounts – not Social Security numbers, mind you! - and what a shit storm this intention did started? Well, Koreans are living pretty fine with their KSSNs being attached to game accounts, and they actually see it as a good thing that helps to fight trolls.
