[The Public = Daniel Park] Recently, documents that can confirm the keynote of the Yoon Seok-yeol government's game industry policy in detail have been published. On the 3rd, 110 major national tasks were announced, and on the 12th, the implementation plan of the national tasks, which had not been completed, was leaked to the online community.
According to the implementation plan of the national task, positive measures are included in the projects led by the game industry, such as P2E games, metaverse, and e-sports. On the other hand, the probability-type item(random box items), which was the biggest issue in the industry last year, was embodied until the time of the introduction of regulations.
◇Government makes it mandatory to disclose information on ‘probability-type items’ by 2025
The word ‘probability-type item’ was mentioned a total of 9 times in the 1,170-page implementation plan for the national task. The government plans to actively cooperate with the revision of the Game Industry Act in the second half of this year to prepare a basis for mandatory disclosure of information on probability-type items. Currently, a bill to amend the Game Industry Act, including this content, is pending in the National Assembly.
It is also noteworthy that the regulation of probabilistic items was included in item 58 of the 110 national tasks, ‘Super-gap industrialization of K-culture’. This is because it can be interpreted as meaning that the industry's practice of protecting probability-type item information confidentially hinders this by fostering content such as games as a super-gap industry.
◇P2E Metaverse, selected as ‘future industry’
Metaverse and the P2E game business, which the authorities are currently putting a brake on, are expected to release the shackles. The purpose is to enact the Digital Assets Act and revise the Money Act, the Special Payment Act, and the Copyright Act so that there are no difficulties in conducting business.
The Yun Seok-yeol government plans to nurture P2E (Play to earn) games and metaverse as future industries. However, since several laws are entangled, there is a possibility that it will be difficult to promote the enactment or amendment that requires an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.
When the Digital Assets Act is enacted, the foundation for the NFT (Non-fungible tokens) industry is laid. Coin issuance is also currently bypassed overseas, but they are trying to make it possible in Korea. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is expected to lead the approval of P2E games and revitalization of the industry.
In ‘Criminal Law Reform’, the 4th national task, we can get a glimpse of the plan to revitalize the metaverse. The government plans to operate a communication window between the prosecutor's office and the police department on Metaverse so that various notices and complaints related to the investigation can be resolved. This means that the metaverse is directly used as part of the digital platform government policy.
◇Support for nurturing game experts and improve accessibility to games for the disabled
In addition, the government is working to improve negative perceptions of games, such as nurturing game and e-sports talents and improving accessibility for the disabled.
The government plans to expand the number of game talents. Game Human Resources is a two-year, eight-semester game professional training program operated by the Korea Creative Content Agency.
The Game Human Resource Center is currently operated only in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province. The government will develop manpower and space here, and from 2026, a branch will be established in the southern region.
By 2027, esports professional training institutes are also planning to support nine places. The Presidential Cup Amateur Tournament will also be increased from once a year to twice a year from next year.
The government will also focus on securing access to games for the handicapped, which is insufficient in Korea. In the second half of this year, we will conduct research on accessibility to games for the disabled, and from the second half of next year, we will carry out improvement projects in earnest.
There is a possibility that the Yoon Seok-Yeol government's government task implementation plan, which contains such a game industry policy keynote, may be revised. This is because it was leaked in an incomplete state that has not been reviewed.
The Public / Daniel Park webmaster@thepublic.kr
더퍼블릭 / Daniel Park webmaster@thepublic.kr