Law to Curb Teenage Gaming in South Korea

A potential law in South Korea will greatly affect how teens play video games. The restrictions proposed in that law is questionable at the very least but reasons behind it prove unconvincing and will only harm a form of entertainment that is a building block of that country's economy, perhaps more so than the American economy.

This law, known as "The Cooling Off System", would limit

anyone under 17 years of age to two sessions of gaming per day, the first being no more than two hours with a mandatory 10-minute break before the next session. That would go on top of the "The Shutdown Law" already in place in South Korea, that blocks teens from logging in from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. The South Korean government somehow believes this would put a halt to school bullying.

This "blame video games for everything" mentality is really getting old. Bullies try to control other kids in school to give themselves a high because elsewhere they feel weak, helpless and not in control. Video games have nothing about making a kid feel helpless. In fact, a lot of the games are about saving and protecting the weak and helpless.

South Korea needs to find a better way to stop bullies because this stupid Cooling Off System law will not work. Governments need to stop blaming video games for making kids bad and start telling parents to be more responsible. If the fruit in the garden taste bad, blame the gardener.