The Games Committee of the Korean government has asked the Apple and Google stores to take down P2E or Pay to earn games contending that they should not receive an age rating needed to get listed on app market places, reports the cointelegraph.com.
The Seoul government has initiated proceedings to block the release of new play-to-earn (P2E) games. It has also requested Apple and Google to remove existing games also.
P2E or Play to earn games has become very popular, especially in the cryptocurrency industry. The gamers first purchase the game pieces as non-fungible tokens (NFT) to play the game and get in-game rewards. However, gaming prizes over a few dollars are banned in South Korea.
GMC No to speculative gaming
The Game Management Committee, a part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and regulates gaming, has requested major app purchase platforms, including Apple and Google Play, to block any games requiring app purchases before playing games.
The GMC has made it almost impossible for Play to earn developers to get their work listed on popular mobile app stores. The GMC is initiating these measures to stop the spawning of what it says are speculative money-making schemes.
It is the latest measure by the Seoul Government to put a spanner into the spread of P2E games by influencing the app marketplaces. Meanwhile, game developers in Seoul have been facing prolonged litigation since April to keep their P2E games up for sale in domestic app stores. Most gaming apps’ stumbling block is obtaining an age rating required for listing on app stores.
The GMC has cited the Supreme Court precedent in blocking P2E games from getting age ratings and being listed. It is only following the Supreme Court orders and enforcing them.
The official said in a Tuesday statement: “It is reasonable to keep P2E games from getting age ratings under the current law because cash rewards in games can be considered prizes.”
The Prizes earned could reach 10,000 Korean won or $8.42 at a time. The Fivestars for the Klaytn P2E game and NFT marketplace were initially blocked in domestic app stores. The app was banned because it did not have a rating. However, the app creators obtained an injunction in June, clearing the listing.
Cryptocurrency is received with apprehension due to the extreme volatility. In the same vein, P2E is also viewed with suspicion due to its speculative nature. However, once the concerns are removed with time and Web 3.0 as a permanent feature of the digital economy will settle down things.
