South Korea bans trade in virtual goods

South Korea will completely ban the trade in virtual, in-game items. The government fears that students are wasting their time collecting virtual money. Previously, the country had great difficulty with the Auction House in Diablo III.

To prevent students from ‘wasting’ their time collecting virtual gold in games, this will be banned, the Korea Times writes. A law to that effect will be presented next month, which is due to come into effect this year. According to the ministry, games should be used for ‘good purposes’.

The law also targets the automated collection of items by bots. According to the government, 60 percent of items exchanged in games are the result of automated farming. That would not do the image of games any good, says the South Korean government.

Anyone who violates the item ban can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to 50 million won, converted 34,000 euros. It is unclear what the government wants to do with games that violate the ban.

South Korea struggled with Diablo III, partly because of the Real Money Auction House, where players can trade collected items for real money. In South Korea, this option is therefore disabled, but it is still possible to trade items for virtual money.

The southern half of the Korean Peninsula is one of the richest and most high-tech countries in the world, where multiplayer games are very successful. For example, StarCraft matches are broadcast live on television.