Hacking Games In South Korea Soon Carries Harsh Punishment

If you're prone to hacking tendencies when it comes to playing video games, you'd better hope that you don't plan on acting on those hobbies when you're in South Korea, because doing so will soon net you a severe punishment.

Being banned from your favorite game for creating, distributing, or taking advantage of a hack may seem like enough of a threat to dissuade players from altering their games, but a new South Korean law targeting hackers takes it a step further by imposing fines and even jail time on those who break the law.

Video games are no joke in South Korea; they're an insanely popular social activity, PC bangs exist where players can meet up for LAN parties for a small price, and the region is known for having some of the best esports competitors in the professional scene. With all of that being taken into account, it's no wonder that the country is taking steps to prevent people from ruining the video game experience for others, especially when it comes to competitive games such as Overwatch.

The law was passed last December and is set to go into effect on June 23. Punishment for breaking the new law will result in a fine that totals to approximately $50,000, and violating the rule can also warrant up to 5 years in prison. That's quite the stiff punishment for messing with what many would be fine to call "just a game." The new law doesn't specifically say that another user can't partake in the hacks, but it does advise against doing anything that might upset the flow of a game. It also prohibits the distribution of private servers.

It's a bit unclear at this time exactly what the government and video game companies will pursue when it comes to claims of hacking and private servers, but it'll probably become more clear as charges start being levied against supposed hackers more cases come to light. You can probably bet that aiming hacks and map hacks will be targeted, but what about other hacks that less people have problems with? Hacks of Pokemon ROMs have led to some creative and adventurous looks into community-made content, so those will hopefully not fall under the umbrella of the new law.

[via GameToc]