Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Three hours and out: South Korea considers additional gaming ban for minors]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/three-hours-and-out-south-korea-considers-additional-gaming-ban/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/three-hours-and-out-south-korea-considers-additional-gaming-ban/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/three-hours-and-out-south-korea-considers-additional-gaming-ban/#commentsFiled under: , ,

South Korea bang
It looks like being a young gamer in South Korea is getting tougher and tougher. Last year the country put into effect a "Cinderella Law" that prohibited online gamers 18 and younger from logging in to popular games between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m.. Now the government is taking a close look at an additional law limiting the amount of time played each day for minors.

The proposed policy comes from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and would yank account privileges for minors if they played either more than two hours in a row or more than three hours daily. The MEST is concerned about game addiction in minors, citing that it may come from the duration of play sessions.

The game industry is concerned about possible over-regulation by the government spurred by theories on addiction that haven't been proven. Some are calling for earlier shutdown policies to be overturned if this one is implemented.

MassivelyThree hours and out: South Korea considers additional gaming ban for minors originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cinderella-lawgamers-under-18korealawlegalmestministry-of-education-science-and-technologyminor-gamingminorspolicyshutdown-policysouth-koreaFri, 27 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard to add-on developers: Your money is no good here (literally)]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/blizzard-to-add-on-developers-your-money-is-no-good-here/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/blizzard-to-add-on-developers-your-money-is-no-good-here/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/blizzard-to-add-on-developers-your-money-is-no-good-here/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The luau may be over for LUA add-on developers in World of Warcraft who make money for their code, as Blizzard just released a new add-on policy preventing them from doing just that. Under the new policy, add-ons must be free-of-charge and written in clear code. They may not solicit donations or run third-party advertisements.

This is a fairly surprising move by Blizzard since the new policy basically screws over some add-on developers who have helped propel WoW to the success it is currently experiencing. Not only has the game benefited greatly from add-ons that addressed deficiencies in the standard UI, but Blizzard themselves have patched in UI updates 'inspired' by successful add-ons, as Lum points out.

This is a clear message that no-one except Blizzard should profit from WoW. They are basically saying, "We'd love you to improve our game for free, but don't expect anything other than warm fuzzies as compensation." It will be interesting to see reaction to this news from developers of popular donation- and fee-based add-ons. How much of an impact will it have on WoW if they cease to develop and support these (or new) add-ons?

MassivelyBlizzard to add-on developers: Your money is no good here (literally) originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addonsblizzardin-game-advertisingpolicyuiworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 23 Mar 2009 12:30:00 EST