Game ‘Boosting’ in South Korea Could Carry A Jail Sentence
Mike Sanders / 5 years ago
New Gaming Laws Introduced in South Korea
While we have perhaps not gotten to the stage yet of applying any actual laws to gaming in the West, it is something that parts of Asia take very seriously. For example, last year a gamer was sent to prison in South Korea for being caught cheating at Overwatch. Additionally, a PUBG cheater in China was subject to what could only be called ‘mob justice’ as people caught in internet cafes were given group beatings.
There were, however, rumours that South Korea specifically was looking to take things a legal step further. Namely, by making account boosting or sharing illegal. Well, in a report via PCGamesN, the law has now officially been passed and it surprisingly carries a remarkably stiff sentence.
What Is ‘Boosting’?
Boosting is a rather basic concept, albeit one that it’s tricky to describe in a limited amount of words. Put simply, it’s getting someone (paid or otherwise) to play on your account with the intention of getting it to a rank or level that you would not otherwise be able to achieve.
Think of it this way, you’re a Rocket League player and can’t escape the Gold ratings. To work around this, however, you get somebody (much better than you) to play on your account until you’re into the platinum ranks. At which point, you resume playing on the account.
Well, if you attempt this in South Korea now, not only will you face a fine in the region of £15,000, but you can also be imprisoned for two years!
What Do We Think?
While the sentence might sound amazingly harsh, as above, parts of Asia take online gaming really seriously. As such, hearing that such laws have been passed doesn’t strike us as unique, let alone unusual.
The law does specifically look to target those who pay people to ‘boost’ their accounts. Albeit technically this could easily extend to you simply playing with a friend who is massively better than you.
It’s a knotty one, and certainly more than a bit unusual – What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!
