> You'd get jail time in the US for selling steroids,
which cause bodily harm..
> making devices for cheating at casino games
which cause financial fraud
> or fixing the outcome of sporting events.
same as above.
Cheating in an every day game does not benefit you financially or cause harm to other human beings. If this law was limited to eSport tournaments then I can see it being effective.
You also have to accept that not every gamer in Korea is a professional.
Yeah, this isn't really comparably to pro sports such as NFL players taking steroids or cheating at a casino. It's more analogous to cheating in your friendly Sunday company softball game and getting 5 years in prison. I also agree that it makes sense for professional sports, but is absurd for casual players.
I hate cheaters in video games, just not enough that I think they should be jailed. Cheating at an event with a monetary reward though...
The parent is saying that it is in professional games, but that that doesn't mean it requires legislation making cheating in all games explicitly illegal. Penalties in sports are commonly enforced primarily through the organisations running the sport, and only some offenses even involve actual law. If you cause someone financial harm, it's very likely already illegal.
Match-fixing in professional games is clearly fraud, that doesn't mean that letting your friend win because it is his birthday should be prosecutable.
I'd personally be okay with making cheating in multiplayer games illegal (it's purely antisocial behavior that causes real financial harm and has no legitimate reason to exist), but prosecuting people who write code is beyond the pale.
Cheating in physical sport is not fraud unless done with the intent to fix an outcome. Similarly, cheating is not always necessary to fix an outcome, but the penalty is the same.
In small amounts steroids have not been shown to cause harm. They are even prescribed by doctors to people like cancer patients who are in remission to help regrow muscle after they get off chemo.
Of course there are people who abuse them, but then that could be said of pretty much anything. Should we also ban fizzy drinks, doughnuts and grandma's apple pie because of type 2 diabetes?
Also, selling and taking steroids isn't illegal. I don't know where that's coming from. Purchasing or selling scheduled steroids without a Rx is what's illegal.
which cause bodily harm..
> making devices for cheating at casino games
which cause financial fraud
> or fixing the outcome of sporting events.
same as above.
Cheating in an every day game does not benefit you financially or cause harm to other human beings. If this law was limited to eSport tournaments then I can see it being effective.
You also have to accept that not every gamer in Korea is a professional.