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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
World
Kieran Isgin

Minecraft is now rated 19+ in South Korea

Minecraft is renowned for being a kid-friendly game that inspires creativity, but that may now change as South Korea has given it an adult rating.

Due to a law that's been in place in the country since 2011, dubbed the "Cinderella Law" people under the age of 16 aren't allowed to play videogames between 12am and 6am, presumably so they don't lose on any much-needed sleep.

To navigate around this law, Microsoft changed their South Korean Xbox Live policy so anyone looking to make an account must be 19 or over.

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Previously, this law didn't directly affect Minecraft which can be accessed with a Mojang account which doesn't require any age verification.

Now that has all changed with players needing to sign into Minecraft with an Xbox Live account on Microsoft consoles.

The country's Games Rating and Administration Committee officially rates the game as a 12+ title.

However, due to the new rules with Xbox Live age verification in the country, the game is now classed as an 18+ titles.

The move has sparked controversy in the Korean gaming community, a petition on the Korean government's website has gathered over 88,000 signatures.

A translation of the site reads: "The [law] finally stretched out to Minecraft, which is regarded as the epitome of educational and creative games.

"Korea will become [the only game market] where even Minecraft is reduced to an adult game."

The petition goes on to argue that the Cinderella Law is unnecessary and ignores the benefits gaming can have on children.

Daniel Ahmad, a senior gaming industry analyst, stated on Twitter: "The shutdown law in South Korea, which prevents minors from playing games between midnight and 6am, has become increasingly controversial.

"Other games do comply with the shutdown law and have implemented technical solutions which block minors during the designated time.

"There are movements dedicated to eradicating this law, which is not very effective in 2021. It will probably be amended in the future."

Microsoft has not yet commented on the situation.

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