The conflict (reported on page 18 of the Joongbu Ilbo on February 23) over the disclosure of probability information of the’probability type item’ eventually spread to the’boycott’.
According to the game industry and the game community on the 24th, the boycott started with an item-related improvement and error correction notice posted on Nexon’s Maple Story on the 18th.
It was confirmed that the probabilities were not the same, as the notice contained “all kinds of additional options that can be given to items are modified so that they can be given with the same probability”.
Users said, “So far, game companies have deceived users,” and started boycotts such as’limit 0 won challenge’ and’unconnected challenge’. On the 25th, a demonstration using a truck was also announced.
The’limit 0 won challenge’ is a method of setting the amount of in-game cash rechargeable to 0 won. As of 9 p.m. on the 22nd, 456 users participated, and the cost they paid in January and February was estimated to amount to 1.08 billion won.
Probability-type items first appeared in Nexon’s Japanese Maple Story in 2004.
Probability-type items have been criticized for being’actually like gambling’ while making payments from as little as tens of thousands of won to as many as tens of millions of won in order to obtain the items users want.
Responding to such complaints from users, Nexon explained, “We are discussing internally and plan to post a related notice soon.”
Earlier, Congressman Lee Sang-heon (Ulsan Buk-gu), a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, proposed the ‘Amendment of the Game Industry Promotion Act’ (amendment to the Game Act) that discloses probability information of probability-type items.
The revised bill of the Game Act was presented to the general meeting held that day and handed over to the Subcommittee on the Review of the Arts and Culture Act. The law subcommittee opens on the morning of the 25th.
Reporter Hyowon Yang
