South Korea Might Ban Steam

[DigiQ8]

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[br]The Department of Videogame Rating Board of Korea have expressed possible intention to block all Valve's Steam services from Korea due to the fact they have Korean language support yet both the service and games have not been rated or approved by them.[br]

The department have made a decision that every single video game created that is wanting to spread in Korea, including indie games, flash games and online games, should be rated in accordance to Korean standards, which means game developers must pay fees can run to thousands of dollars to get their game rated and many cannot afford the price.[br]

This is what has caused the problem as steam currently holds many games, each of which will cost an amount to be rated. An insider from the department suggests, 'complete block is on the table, but are seeking alternate options.' It could be that Steam will continue to operate in the country, but with a significantly reduced library.

 

[Yuri]

Damn, are you sure you don't mean North Korea?

 

[Otto-Grainer]

That's... Wow, that's like... I mean, Wow.

Who cares about the internet speed benefit in Korea, what a sucky place to live in
if they're going to enforce that.

 

[Lobster]

Apparently every game, (including independent titles) will have to pay a one off fee for their rating, the best part? the fee is based on the size of the game... in megabytes.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/09/06/south-koreas-indie-tax-trauma/

 

[MJ12]

But then how will they train their soldiers?

 

[Warped]

theres always a work around though.

 

[Naph]

I don't think Koreans really care. Obviously Battle.net still runs unscaved.

 

[hipnotyq]

....why isn't anyone stating the obvious? Blizzard is paying the S. Korean gov't a LOT of money for this ban.

 

[Avoidist]

I had been told recently that something vaguely similar might occur here in Australia, i.e. all indie games including iPhone games will have to meet the same rating requirements as all other titles (and hence need to pay for rating approval) or be banned from distribution.

And some googling suggests that we're already doing it (but at least we're making it cheaper) .

 

[StarBob]

This is strange to me. I thought the US was the land of raping the little guys... I mean I thought the whole point of joining with Steam was to supersede the crazy distribution bureaucracy and let whoever could make a game people like have a shot at it? I mean there are games on Steam you literally cannot buy anywhere else. Seems this would make some people unhappy.

 

[JUL3]

I had been told recently that something vaguely similar might occur here in Australia, i.e. all indie games including iPhone games will have to meet the same rating requirements as all other titles (and hence need to pay for rating approval) or be banned from distribution.

Fark I hope not.

 

[JustachaP]

I had been told recently that something vaguely similar might occur here in Australia, i.e. all indie games including iPhone games will have to meet the same rating requirements as all other titles (and hence need to pay for rating approval) or be banned from distribution.

And some googling suggests that we're already doing it (but at least we're making it cheaper) .

god hope not, the prices for games might go up

 

[Reflex]

Damn, are you sure you don't mean North Korea?

Probs already banned in in North.

 

[highlander]

holy shit.

 

[YROC]

Probs already banned in in North.

 

[<RJMC>]

why pay to have the game rated?
shouldnt that be rated for the fact that is released?

wont be surprised if its a way to stop indie by big companies

 

[Druckles]

Probs already banned in in North.

The Internet's banned in North Korea.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Jesus, they're making such a big fuss about. They're going to make Steam Illegal Contraband.

 

[Marler]

well I'm glad I'm not korean!

 

[15357]

I've heard of this.


Ah, what can I do. It sucks. Life goes on.

 

[bbson john]

numbers, don't leave HL2.net just because steam has abandoned you.

 

[15357]

Nah, I don't use Steam much anymore. Prolly won't till HL3.

 

[kazsymonds]

Apparently every game, (including independent titles) will have to pay a one off fee for their rating, the best part? the fee is based on the size of the game... in megabytes.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/09/06/south-koreas-indie-tax-trauma/

hl3.rar

 

[Acepilotf14]

What's really so wrong with the ESRB?

Are nations really so fussy as to want THEIR programs us-

Oh right. Yes they are.

 

[Krynn72]

Nah, I don't use Steam much anymore. Prolly won't till HL3.

You won't get an HL3.

 

[ríomhaire]

Well I think Valve's best move now would be to get into negotiations with that department and use their region locking system to block all unapproved game from Korea. We know they can do it seeing as how there was that massive hissy fit over retarded publishers not wanting to make money by not selling their games through Steam outside of the states.

 

[Druckles]

not wanting to make money by not selling their games through Steam outside of the states.

No-one has, as of yet, explained that to me.

 

[hool10]

How many MB was in your last game you played? I mean we are talking 4974MB in Portal alone and who knows how much Portal 2 will be. That's like almost $5k if every MB was a $1. :x

 

[Acepilotf14]

I don't believe Portal is 5gb.

 

[taviow]

I don't believe Portal is 5gb.

 

[ríomhaire]

How many MB was in your last game you played? I mean we are talking 4974MB in Portal alone and who knows how much Portal 2 will be. That's like almost $5k if every MB was a $1. :x

It's 4974Mb not MB. Upper case and lower case are very important when you're talking about data (not just directed at you hool, just people in general, it is a very common mix up).

 

[15357]

Well I think Valve's best move now would be to get into negotiations with that department and use their region locking system to block all unapproved game from Korea. We know they can do it seeing as how there was that massive hissy fit over retarded publishers not wanting to make money by not selling their games through Steam outside of the states.

No publisher here uses Steam.

How many MB was in your last game you played? I mean we are talking 4974MB in Portal alone and who knows how much Portal 2 will be. That's like almost $5k if every MB was a $1. :x

Uh, no that's not how it works. Publishers get discounts on how big their companies are, so if you're an indie developer, you pay less than $30 for a singleplayer game, whereas if you're a giant publisher, you pay like $150.

MMORPGs have about 10X the fees. Size is largely irrelevant.

 

[ríomhaire]

No publisher here uses Steam.

Yes but I assume there are a few western publishers who have their games on Steam and also rated by the board? Surely Blizzard aren't the only ones who export games to Korea. If no one in South Korea used Steam there wouldn't be a problem.

 

[15357]

Yes but I assume there are a few western publishers who have their games on Steam and also rated by the board? Surely Blizzard aren't the only ones who export games to Korea. If no one in South Korea used Steam there wouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, all of Valve's game are rated.

What I don't like about this, is that now I'll have no choice but to pirate the games that don't come out here. Like Europa Universalis, and other games. (Of course, you can get them from a "buyer", but more expensive)

Anyway, I've signed a petition that calls for reimbursements if Steam is banned to the Constitutional Court, hope that helps.

 

[MaximusPM]

ahw, that's bad... at least Korea has like, 10000 MMO developers... If the same happens here in Brazil, well be in a much worst situation... Only mobile games if we are lucky... possibly a homemade minesweeper from my past as a programmer... Wait, it didn't work :/

 

[Otto-Grainer]

It's 4974Mb not MB. Upper case and lower case are very important when you're talking about data (not just directed at you hool, just people in general, it is a very common mix up).

Didn't know that. Isn't a "Byte" a word of its own? Megabyte? Mega-byte? Mega Byte?

 

[Acepilotf14]

Yeah. MB is Megabyte, but Mb is Megabit.

 

[ZoFreX]

According to a post on reddit that seems to have sparked a lot of this discussion in the first place, these are the fees:

Basic fee per game:

• less than 10MB - 21000 won, 17.5$
• 10MB to 100MB - 50000 won, 23.8$
• 100MB to 300MB - 56000 won, 47.5$
• more than 300MB - 168000 wom, 142.97$

AND Coefficients... (This was somewhat difficult vocalbulary for me XD)

• Network related - x1.5
• Not network related - x1.0

AND Coefficients again per genres

• Role playing games - x3.0
• Betting-related, fighting, adventure, simulation, FPS - x2.0
• Puzzle, board, sports - x1.5
• Educational - x1.0

AND Coefficients for localizing

• Non-korean localized x1.1
• Korean localized x1.0

Which really screws over people that make free or very cheap games - $400 is a drop in the ocean for Blizzard, but a pretty big amount for someone that makes free games in their spare time.

 

[Druckles]

Why are there genre-based coefficients...?

 

[15357]

Because RPGs take too long for the board to verify, duh. Try Oblivion, and see if you can finish that in one workweek.

Also, pretty sure that the size of the game isn't counted; there's a basic fee in regard to the genre.