• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.263-280
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• 2014

The purpose of our study was to figure out the generation gap between adolescents group and parents group in the sub-dimensions of perceptions on online games, such as harmfulness and benefits of online games, impacts and values of online games, parent-adolescent relationship with regard to online game activities, and government regulation of online games. To this end, we conducted online survey targeting middle or high school students and parents with children attending middle or high school regarding the perceptions on online games. As a result, we identified the similarities and differences between adolescents and parents generation in the sub-dimensions of perceptions on online games. Especially, we found significant differences between adolescents and parents generation in the perceptions on violence and sociality of online games. This result shows that the generation gap in these two factors may cause the conflict between parents and adolescents with regard to online game activities. Also, we ascertained the significant generation gap in the perception on parent-adolescent relationship with regard to online game activities. This result implies that parent-adolescent relationship in the developmental process of adolescents in real life was reflected in the perception on parent-adolescent relationship with regard to online game activities. Our contributions are in specifying the generation gap in the sub-dimensions of the perceptions on online games and in identifying the main causes of the conflict between parents group and adolescent group with regard to online game activities.

• Korean System Dynamics Review
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.129-153
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• 2015

Mandatory shutdown policy of the juvenile protection act was enforced in December 2011 to prevent game addiction of the youth. However, the size of game market in Korea seems to be reduced significantly after implementation of the shutdown policy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of current government regulations on Korean online game market. Based on empirical evidences and results from the related literature, we developed several causal loop diagrams(CLD) and system dynamics models. The CLD include sub-diagrams of innovation processes, user commitments, and operational costs. We conducted simulation analyses under various policy scenarios, adopting Normalized Unit Modelling By Elementary Relationship(NUMBER). Our results show that first, the impact of time regulation on the number of users is greater than the impact of content regulation. Second, the quality of domestic online game appears more elastic to regulations than the quality of foreign online game. The results of this study suggest that the deregulation in Korean online game market can narrow the gap in market outcomes between domestic and foreign online games. Some recommendations for future study are suggested.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 2015

The purposes of this study are, firstly, to investigate the relationship between the online and mobile game players' psychological aspects (reference group, government regulation, game contents) and their game experience and overindulgence in games and, secondly, to suggest possible ways to reduce overindulgence in games. The implications of this research are as follows; Firstly, families and school authorities should strive to make sports and other pastime activities popular among peer groups rather than allowing online and video games to become only source of popularity among peer groups. Secondly, it is better for families members to establish a set of rules for controlling their children's time spent on online and mobile games rather than entirely forbidding the games. Family members should also strive to have more family conversations and to find a common source of interests. Thirdly, government should strive to develop policy responses to the overindulgence in games based on practical research and analysis. Fourthly, game makers should pay more attention to the components and expressions used in their games so as to draw game players' interests to the story and design of the games. Game makers also need to consider elements in their games that may potentially cause overindulgence in the development stage. Lastly, game players should strive to find new leisure activities besides online and mobile games that they can enjoy and have good experience with.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.109-115
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• 2014

Sales of online games companies that began from the small and medium-sized ventures, have grown to billions or hundreds of million dollars to target the global market. The issues related with industrial policies and regulations for game industry gain attentions. In particular, the Korean government has strengthened the relevant regulations of the webboard game service across many departments within the government such as Media Rating Commission, Game Products Administrative Committee, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports, and Ministry of Female and Family. In this study, we analyze the effects of government regulation on webboard games using a VECM(Vector Error Correction Model). We have acquired the Gametrix time-series data during a year since July 2013. Having the co-integration estimated in the analysis process, we attempt to identify the long-term equilibrium relationship within webboard game industry and predict use time in near future. The results show that the use time has decreased to a third to a fourth comparing to the initial value at the beginning point in 2013. Two representative webboard games are exposed to the significant risks to have less or no use time. Additionally, we discuss the issues of the overall game industry influenced by the changes of webboard games.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1548-1568
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• 2015

Korea's Compulsive Shutdown System bans online game providers from offering their services to children under 16 years of age from midnight to 6 a.m. Although it was introduced only after lengthy rounds of discussion, controversy over the system still continues. The key question is whether the system, which unilaterally emphasizes juvenile protection, infringes upon the freedom of playing games for teenagers, the freedom of business for game products related business operators and the right to foster children for parents, which are basic rights under the Constitution. It is very encouraging that the State took up the issue and prepared various systems for juvenile protection through the Compulsive Shutdown System. Yet the government has to plan as comprehensive and effective of a measure as it possibly can by predicting the trends of technology development and game use, and also set detailed standards to ensure that the system should not become an excessive or inappropriate regulation. Although the State's compulsive intervention may be positive since it is hard to expect a self purification capability to exhibit itself concerning game use among teenagers, a plan to prevent game addiction among adolescents from the long-term and fundamental perspectives should be prepared as well.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.151-162
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• 2009

The objective of this study is to uncover the standard and procedure of the review for the online game to export to China and try to find a plan how to solve a problem such as regulation for the online game imported into China depending on a protective policy for homemade game. The literatures related to the policy of China online game industry and the present condition of the wholistic restriction are reviewed and the standard and procedure of the review of China online game which is veiled was able to find definitely by using the case study on Korean company which was a great success as localization in China. As a result of this study, we found that the key factor on the review standard of China online game is the anti-social personality, such as 'the overthrow of Chinese socialist system', 'the territorial issue as the eviction of Hong Kong or the acknowledgment of Taiwan government', 'independence problem of the minorities', and 'damage to property as national treasure', et cetera. While the review of the homemade game in China takes about a month through just two steps in review process on online game, that of foreign game is required over at least three months through four steps in it. Moreover, it is difficult for foreign games to obtain the license due to total amount regulation for online game by 'General Administration of Press and Publication of the People's the Republic of China'. In the case of the joint-venture company, it is most important to the smooth communication between Korean company and Chinese company in order to overcome these strong regulation for online game review in China. Furthermore, as Chinese company in outward appearance it is need to be positioned absolutely in Chinese marketplace. The definite positioning strategy enables foreign companies to avoid the strong regulation about the foreign game in China. To understand, finally, deeply politics, society, and culture presented in Chinese ethics textbook permits the foreign companies to predict the exact standard of the review for online game. Therefore, this study is concluded with key implications to sustain guidelines on the deliberation for foreign companies which want to export online game to China to improve the predictability and accountableness about the review of the online game in China.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.63-78
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• 2015

This study explored parental mediation strategies of children's online gaming and their relevant variables which could influence on them. A survey to 379 parents with elementary, middle, highschool, and college aged children revealed 7 distinctive parental mediation strategies of children's online gaming, that is, 'instructive', 'co-playing', 'rule-based', 'restrictive', 'technological', 'government regulation-dependent', and 'active guidance' mediation. Also, the results showed that there was significant relation between the parental mediation strategies, characteristics of parents, and characteristics of children. This study holds its significance in identifying the parental mediation types reflecting media characteristics of online games and Korean social and cultural context.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.119-148
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• 2009

The paper presents and empirically tests a model of the digital contents(DC) innovation systems that enables us to study interactions between users, service providers, contents developers and network providers, and to examine the relationship between manufacturing innovation and service innovation as well as patterns of innovation in the DC industry. The framework of Gallouj and Weinstein(1997) and Gallouj(2002) is modified into the DC innovation model according to characteristics of the DC industry, that is, user involvement and network externalities. The model is applied to a case analysis that traces the growth of the online game industry in Korea since its introduction. The model offers several advantages over other approaches in understanding the dynamics in the DC industry. Most importantly, it provides a single unified basis within which both service innovation resulting from users and service providers and manufacturing innovation induced by contents developers, platform holders and network providers are analyzed. The distinction between service and manufacturing innovation is important in many ways, for instance in selecting proper government policy tools for promotion or regulation of the DC industry. Second, the Korean online game industry has experienced both radical innovation during the beginning period and non-radical innovation throughout the maturation period. The model developed herein helps to illustrate several types of non-radical innovations such as recombinative innovation that are crucial to sustainable development of the DC industry. Third, the model clarifies impacts of network externalities that are characteristics of the DC industry.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.149-164
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• 2014

The laws and policies governing Korea's game regulations are becoming more and more topics for debate as we enter the Age of Internet. The nature of the basis for Internet regulations and policies are not rooted in freedom of speech or fundamental values of democracy, but rather focused on solving real-world problems such as protection of the youth. Furthermore, the reality is that regulatory devices for keeping the social order such as regulating gambling are being applied directly to games without consideration on the characteristics of Internet gaming, raising concerns that the expansion of constitutional values and innovative empowerment inherent to the Internet are being weakened. The Geun-Hye Park Administration which succeeded Myung-Bak Lee's Administration, even went so far as to implement the so-called "Shutdown Policy", which prohibits access to Internet games during pre-defined time zones and also instigated a time zone selection rule. In order to curb the gambling nature of Internet games, government-led policies such as the mandatory personal identification and prohibition of player selection or in other words mandatory random player selection are being implemented. These institutions can inhibit freedom of speech, which is the basis of democracy, violate the right of equality through unreasonable discrimination between domestic and foreign service providers, and infringe upon the principles of administrative law, such as laws, due process in policies, and balance in among policies and governmental bodies. Going forward, if Korea's Internet game regulations and polices is to develop in a rational manner, regulatory frameworks will need to be designed to protect the nature of the Internet and its innovative values that enable the realization of constitutional values; for example, the Internet acting as the "catalytic media for freedom of expression as a fundamental human right ", which has already been acknowledged by the Korea's Constitutional Court. At the same time, transparent procedures should be put into place that will allow diverse participation of stakeholders including game service providers, game users, the youth and parents in the legislation and enforcement process of regulatory institutions; policies will also need to be transformed to enable not only regulatory laws but also self-regulation system to be established. And in this process, scientific and empirical analysis on the expected effects before introducing regulations and the results of enforcing regulations after being introduced will need to be strengthened.