'Chotongryeong Game' Minecraft, Rated 19+ Released

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The game 'Minecraft,' which has gained global popularity mainly among teenagers, has lifted the age restriction of 19 years that was applied domestically. This comes four months after the abolition of the 'Shutdown System,' which blocked game access for youths under 16 from midnight to 6 a.m.

On the 20th, Minecraft developer Mojang stated, "Access to Minecraft for users under 19 in Korea is now allowed again," adding, "We have updated the account system so that minors who have verified their identity through the authentication app PASS and obtained permission from their parents or guardians can access Minecraft."

The controversy surrounding Minecraft dates back to October 2020. Microsoft, which holds the management rights to Minecraft, proceeded with integrating game accounts and Microsoft accounts. The issue was that in Korea, the 'Shutdown System' requires 'adult verification.' To comply with the law, Minecraft had to create a separate server for Korean youths, but due to server costs and management issues last year, they decided to accept only adults.

This decision became a signal for the abolition of the Shutdown System after 10 years on January 1 of this year. Since only domestic youths were unable to use Minecraft, gamers strongly protested by submitting petitions to the Blue House. Ten communities of Minecraft users jointly issued a statement demanding ▲ the complete abolition of the Shutdown System or its application based on game type or situation instead of uniform enforcement, and ▲ the introduction of a 'negative regulation system' that applies the Shutdown System only when requested by guardians.

Minecraft is considered a game with many youth users, to the extent that on Children's Day in May 2020, the Blue House held a non-face-to-face invitation event by unveiling the 'Minecraft Blue House Map' for children. With 126 million users worldwide, Minecraft is popular among elementary school students and is even used for educational purposes.

Mojang said, "We are pleased to announce that access to Minecraft for users under 19 in Korea is now allowed again," adding, "In accordance with regulations, Minecraft encourages minor users to take appropriate breaks during gameplay through the game play timer function and notices."

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