South Korea: 'StarCraft' Is As Harmful As Gambling

Some state officials in South Korea think play on computer games such as “StarCraft” — now in its second edition — has gotten so widespread and out of control that being obsessed with it should be classified as an illness, along with gambling and drug addictions.

Global Voices Online reported: “Earlier this month, South Korean lawmakers proposed a bill that regulates online gaming in a similar fashion to drugs and alcohol…the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare took a step further towards the restriction last weekend by designating the online game as one of the four major addictive elements which merit state-level control.”

Obviously the move has drawn outrage from players in the country.

StarCraft has a poker connection. Some of the world’s top online poker players have experience playing the game, which helps develop the ability to multi-table.

The most famous poker pro with a StarCraft background is Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, who used to compete in Korea. Below is a 2002 video of Grospellier dueling it out at StarCraft.

Most Viewed Articles