Following that, the Director of the Youth Protection and Management Center and the Director of the Family Health Promotion Center took their turns speaking. It was a repetition of the same arguments heard earlier.
They laid out their logic regarding the seriousness of game addiction, the health of adolescents, and the idea that playing games increases violent tendencies, leading to criminal behavior.
Just listening to them, you'd think games were worse than gambling and drugs combined. Beyond being a social evil, one might even call them an evil to all humankind.
At this point, I wondered if maybe they should round up everyone who ever made a game and execute them.
"Playing games for 16 hours a day increases the probability of developing neck and back disc problems. We must protect the health of our youth by extending the hours of the Shutdown System."
Naturally, just sitting and playing games isn't good for your health.
"...Studying for 16 hours a day also increases the probability of developing neck and back disc problems."
But ruining your health studying is probably fine. Who's going to complain when people boast about studying until their noses bleed?
And then, finally, Minister Shin Jeon-mi stepped forward. Although we had exchanged sharp words a few times before, this was our first time meeting in person.
If possible, I would have preferred never to meet her at all.
Minister Shin Jeon-mi spoke sternly, as if reprimanding me.
"OTK Company is a global conglomerate. It should fulfill its social responsibility to establish a healthy gaming culture, rather than just representing the interests of the game industry. I find that shameful."
"Why should a company be ashamed of representing the interests of its industry? Minister, you are only representing the position of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Are you not ashamed?"
Truthfully, the fact that I was having this kind of discussion in this setting was itself shameful. Why am I here doing this? I felt tormented and filled with self-reproach.
At my words, Minister Shin Jeon-mi's eyes widened.
In Korea, the status held by National Assembly members and Ministers is considerable. And she held power in both spheres. It was like possessing the power of both the legislative and executive branches simultaneously. So, who would dare speak to Minister Shin Jeon-mi like this? Especially those from the game industry, who, it's no exaggeration to say, had been utterly subservient until now.
"Serving the interests of a private company and serving the public interest are different. OTK Company sells Lost Fantasy M through OTK Games Korea. Think about the harmful effects this game has on adolescents."
I replied coolly.
"There are many types of content that adolescents enjoy, such as movies, dramas, music, webtoons, and web novels. Why should only games be treated as harmful media?"
"That's why it's a problem that can be solved by making wholesome games according to the regulations. There are even guidelines for this."
I looked at the materials I had prepared and said.
"The 'Guidebook for Producing Wholesome Internet Games for Youth Use?'"
"Correct."
It was a guideline created by the MOGEF under the previous administration.
It was divided into three main clauses: Compulsive Interaction, Excessive Reward Structure, and Inducing Feelings of Superiority and Competitiveness. Looking through the details, it was quite the spectacle.
"Looking at Clause 1, it says games shouldn't allow players to divide roles and cooperate with others to raise a character's level or abilities, nor should they provide a sense of satisfaction from completing quests with teammates. Clause 2 states that obtaining cyber money or items, or improving levels and skills by playing for a long time, is problematic. And Clause 3 says it's a problem if the game gives a feeling of domination, allows players to become powerful and influential, makes them feel superior in the game than in reality, or involves competing against others."
Minister Shin Jeon-mi stated confidently.
"That's right. Those are all problems inherent in games."
"First, the part I don't understand is that Clause 1 says cooperating with others is a problem, but Clause 3 says competing with others is a problem. Which is it supposed to be?"
She looked momentarily flustered as she glanced at the documents.
"Both are problems. Inducing compulsive interaction through team play is a problem, and inducing excessive competitiveness is also a problem. If players feel fun or satisfaction as a result, it's even more problematic."
"..."
If you're not supposed to feel fun or satisfaction, and you're not supposed to compete, why even play games? This was like telling someone to make non-erotic pornography.
"Then let's apply this logic directly to studying. Performing group projects with teammates and feeling satisfaction should be forbidden, right? Accumulating knowledge, improving grades, or receiving scholarships through long hours of study must be banned as excessive rewards. And striving to raise one's class rank, which involves pushing others aside in competition and potentially feeling superior, must also be problematic. According to the MOGEF's guidelines, shouldn't we start by banning studying for children?"
"Studying and games are different. Good food is beneficial the more you eat, but junk food should not be encouraged."
Taekgyu spoke up.
"What about eSports, then? They explicitly hold competitions using games."
Minister Shin Jeon-mi nodded.
"I believe eSports should be regulated as well."
Does she intend to completely eradicate the game industry?
I immediately followed up.
"What about regular sports? During the Winter Olympics, Minister, you cheered for the women's curling team and said you were 'moved by the unity of Korean women.' Team sports involve dividing roles and cooperating, feeling satisfaction from playing together. And if they compete against teams from other nations and win, they proudly receive medals and prize money. Isn't this a perfect aggregation of the supposed problems with games: fun, satisfaction, intra-team cooperation, inter-team competition, and excessive rewards? Should the curling team be disbanded too?"
Minister Shin Jeon-mi raised her voice.
"Stop comparing games to things like studying or sports! Games are classified as one of the Four Major Addictions, so if you must compare, it's correct to compare them to alcohol, gambling, and drugs!"
"..."
That damned 'Four Major Addictions.'
I couldn't fathom what possessed them to lump games into the same category as alcohol, gambling, and drugs. Ever since that bill appeared, games have been treated more like addictive substances than forms of entertainment or leisure.
"Looking at the proposed regulation bill, it allows the Minister of Gender Equality and Family to uniformly collect 1 percent of revenue from game companies as a levy, and up to 5 percent as a fine. What other industry faces such a regulation?"
"Regarding that point, let me clarify to avoid misunderstanding. It's not about collecting a uniform 1 percent from all game companies; the rate can be set below that."
"Isn't the problem that you, Minister, get to decide that amount arbitrarily?"
"This fund is for establishing Internet Game Addiction Healing Centers and placing dedicated teachers for game addiction in elementary, middle, and high schools. Since the fund is being raised for a good cause, cooperation should be expected."
Giving them the biggest benefit of the doubt, fine, maybe the addiction centers.
But dedicated teachers for game addiction? What's that about? If game addiction is a disease, shouldn't treatment be handled by medical specialists? What are these 'dedicated teachers' supposed to do? Naturally, the task of hiring and training these 'game addiction teachers' would fall entirely to the MOGEF. Job creation, in a sense.
"For some game companies, overseas revenue exceeds domestic revenue. Yet the levy is collected by Korea's MOGEF. According to your logic, Minister, you intend to use money earned by 'addicting' children in other countries to treat children in Korea. What do you think the people of those other countries will say about that?"
Perhaps caught off guard by the unexpected point, Minister Shin Jeon-mi flinched.
"Bringing that up here is despicable."
"...Excuse me?" For a moment, I thought I'd misheard. Was it really acceptable to use language like that in a formal debate?
The moderator issued a warning. "The debate has become too heated. Please be mindful of your remarks." He directed this at me, not Minister Shin Jeon-mi. What kind of debate was this?
What was the point of debating people who held the unshakable conviction that they were unconditionally right, anyway?
Still, I resolved to do my best until the very end.
"The MOGEF plans to collect funds for game addiction treatment, but this includes companies that make casual and educational games. These companies have little to no connection with game addiction issues. Won't they be unfairly harmed by the uniform application of this law?"
Minister Shin Jeon-mi nodded. "Of course, I acknowledge that some companies may be negatively affected. However, that is an unavoidable sacrifice. While individual companies might feel it's unfair, for the greater cause of protecting youth and women and for society as a whole, this policy must be implemented. Please try to view this from a perspective that encompasses all of society, rather than arguing based on the cases of individual or specific companies."
"So, Minister, are you saying that the sacrifice of the few for the justice of the many is unavoidable?"
"That is precisely what I mean."
"As far as I know, there was a politician in the past who said the exact same thing."
"Who might that be?"
"Adolf Hitler."
My words threw the conference hall into an uproar.
Minister Shin Jeon-mi exclaimed, almost shouting, "Are you saying I'm like Hitler!?"
"I never said that. I simply pointed out that Hitler said the same thing."
"How despicable and petty! What kind of outrageous remark is that!?"
I shrugged.
"Well, isn't the problem that you said the same thing as Hitler? It's hardly my fault for pointing out that you said the same thing as Hitler, is it?"
Before I could even finish, everyone shot up, pointing fingers and shouting. Even the moderator, who should have been restoring order, stood up and joined in the condemnation. Forget debate; it was pandemonium. The atmosphere felt like I might actually get physically attacked. At that moment, Taekgyu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. As all eyes turned to him, Taekgyu began to say something shocking.
***
After the debate ended.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family released a transcript. However, the content had been completely butchered.
Their nonsensical statements were edited to sound logical, while our words were highlighted only in the most provocative parts. It was so absurd I was left speechless.
A storm of criticism rained down on us.
- LOL, Kang Jin-hoo is terrible at debating.
- Look at him making those ridiculous claims.
- This is all because he plays games. Playing games ruins your brain.
- If you love games so much, stop debating and just go home and play them!
- Minister Shin Jeon-mi was like Joan of Arc! Girl crush ^^
- Lawyer Park Hye-ji spoke so eloquently and logically, just like a lawyer should! I'm a fan starting today.
- It's so reassuring to have someone like her as the advisory lawyer for the Gender Equality Activity Promotion Center~ ^^
- When his logic failed, he just abruptly called her Hitler! How could he say something like that?
- I'm so angry my hands and feet are trembling and I'm crying ㅜㅜ
- Shin-d'Arc, fighting!
I sighed.
"This is what's truly petty and despicable."
I had already anticipated they would pull something like this. That's why I had previously arranged things with one of the media outlets covering the debate. While most outlets were favorable to the MOGEF, their tune changed when OTK Games and the five major game companies promised them a significant volume of advertising.
Taekgyu grinned. "The media doesn't thrive on public adoration; it feeds on advertising revenue."
***
The media outlet that had agreed to the advertising deal released the full, unedited video of the debate.
The reporter stated, "The transcript released by the MOGEF was edited and manipulated. In the interest of the public's right to know, our news outlet will release the entire video footage of the debate. Apart from slightly altering the voice of the OTK Company Vice President, who requested anonymity, we affirm that no other editing has been performed."
Once the video was released, news articles flooded out.
[(Breaking) MOGEF Transcript Editing Manipulation. Whose Orders?]
[Irrational Debate. No Constructive Alternatives Offered]
[Minister Shin Jeon-mi's Totalitarian Remark: Sacrifice of Some Game Companies Unavoidable]
[Medical Community: 'Game Brain' is a Fiction...]
[Who is Lawyer Park Hye-ji?]
[Ze Law Firm Name Derived from Gender-Neutral Pronoun...]
While Minister Shin Jeon-mi was already well-known, Lawyer Park Hye-ji was thrust into the media spotlight because of this incident.
Media outlets rushed to interview her, but perhaps burdened by the sudden flood of attention, she took a leave of absence and disappeared. She even shut down her website.
The shocked MOGEF lodged strong protests with the offending media outlet and pressured various news organizations to take down the video and correct their articles, but the footage had already spread internationally.
Not just gaming websites, but various online communities buzzed with heated discussion.
- LOL, splicing the transcript like that. Did they really think they wouldn't get caught?
- Where did all the MOGEF defenders go?
- Shin-d'Arc LOL. So cringe. Joan of Arc must be rolling in her grave.
- 'I pointed out the Minister made the same remark as Hitler because she made the same remark as Hitler. So why are you asking me if I'm calling her Hitler...?'
- That was truly an astonishing debate. The participants arguing for the regulations managed to perfectly demonstrate exactly why the MOGEF shouldn't regulate games!
- Lawyer Park Hye-ji was the real kicker LOL. Advocating for guilt-by-association for gamers. Saying you can't distinguish between a gamer who commits a crime and one who just plays peacefully at home.
- Telling game companies to ensure gender parity for important characters, but then hiring mostly male lawyers herself ㅎㅎ
- How can someone hire more men for high-ranking positions like lawyers? I'm so upset my hands and feet are trembling and I'm crying ㅜㅜ
- How on earth did she pass the bar exam with a brain like that?
- The performance of the others wasn't exactly negligible either.
- Anyway, games are bad, period!
But the truly shocking part was yet to come.
It was the final statement by the OTK Company Vice President, completely excised from the official transcript. The full video revealed his words exactly as spoken.
"Thanks to this debate, I have clearly realized how this country treats the game industry. Minister, you have won this debate. As the Vice President of OTK Company, I will fully accept the MOGEF's regulations."
At those words, Minister Shin Jeon-mi's expression brightened. "Really?"
"Yes. From now on, in accordance with your wishes, Minister Shin Jeon-mi, I will stand with the MOGEF and take the lead in uprooting and exterminating the Korean game industry. Before coming here today, I concluded discussions with the domestic game companies. We agreed that if we failed to persuade you in this debate, all major game companies would leave Korea."
Minister Shin Jeon-mi was taken aback. "Wh-what did you say?"
"Under OTK Company's leadership, all game companies listed on the stock exchange will delist, and we will relocate our headquarters and corporate entities abroad. Henceforth, companies manufacturing games—these harmful media, these addictive substances—will not be able to set foot in Korea. I want to make it perfectly clear that this outcome is solely the personal achievement of Minister Shin Jeon-mi. There. Now all problems are solved, aren't they?"