"Controversy Over Sexual Objectification of Girls This Time... Mobile Games Going Too Far (Comprehensive)"

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] A mobile game about raising a girl as a daughter has become embroiled in controversy over sexual content.

According to the gaming industry on the 6th, 'Idle Princess' by I&V Games, released on the 17th of last month, is an RPG (role-playing game) about raising a girl. However, the game has faced backlash from users due to scenes that sexualize the girl character.

In the game, a female child around the age of a first grader in elementary school is shown wearing revealing clothes or taking defensive postures as if resisting someone forcibly removing her clothes.

Additionally, somewhat explicit lines such as "You want to see my panties that badly?", "I want to bathe with dad," and "It's okay because I'm not really your dad, right?" have drawn criticism from users accusing the game of promoting pedophilia.

Ongoing Controversy Over Sexual Content in Mobile Games

Controversies over sexual content in mobile games are not new. Especially, games rated for users aged 15 and older have consistently faced issues due to provocative and explicit content.

Previously, the Chinese mobile game 'Wangbiui Mat' sparked major controversy for sexualized advertising. It promoted itself by hiring a Japanese AV actress as a model with slogans like "Taste the flavor of Mikami Yua!" and labeled female characters with descriptions such as "Rose flavor, Lemon flavor, Peach flavor, Milk flavor," explicitly exposing certain body parts. This game was rated for users aged 15 and older on Google Play.

How Did It Receive a 15+ Rating?

After 'Idle Princess' became controversial, the game company issued an official apology and announced that the game's rating, originally 15+, would be changed to 18+ starting from the 7th. The fact that such explicit content initially received a 15+ rating points to systemic loopholes.

'Idle Princess' was rated 15+ by a self-rating classification operator designated by the Game Rating and Administration Committee. A self-rating classification operator is a platform operator authorized to assign game ratings independently.

Currently, there are eight self-rating classification operators: Google, Apple, One Store, Samsung Electronics, Sony, Oculus VR Korea, Kakao Games, and Microsoft. Once designated, these operators can autonomously assign and provide services for all ratings except those restricted to youth use.

A representative from the Game Rating and Administration Committee explained, "Because the number of games being released is so large, the committee collaborates with self-rating classification operators to share the workload," adding, "It is true that their expertise is somewhat less than the committee's, so we conduct separate filtering and post-management work."

The representative added, "In the case of 'Idle Princess,' filtering was not done after release, but since complaints were received, monitoring is currently underway."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.