Legal Niches

Korea May Rate App Store Games

By pete_gallagher

The growing popularity of the iPhone in Korea may necessitate the rating of App Store game offerings by government regulators.

The Korean Herald notes that currently all games in Korea must be approved by the country's Game Rating Board. In deference to this, the Korean version of the App Store currently does not offer a game category at all, but concern remains over games that could be downloaded from the App Store's 'entertainment' category or from the App Store of other countries.

A Game Rating Board official told the paper, 'We asked Apple to open its games category and get its games rated, but Apple shows no signs of doing so.'

30 of the top 100 most popular App store programs in Korea are games that do not have an OK from the Game Rating Board.

150,000 iPhones have been sold in Korea since the device's launch three weeks ago.

Korea's Game Rating Board ratings consist of four categories: All (for everyone) 12-year +, 15-year+ and Teenager Restricted (not for those under 18).

Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on December 21, 2009 (boomark / email).