Gamers may have a real voice in politics

On June 13 (KST), Seungrae Cho, a Democrat Party of Korea congressman, made a post on the Inven bulletin board, asking for gamers’ opinions on Jonghwan Do’s upcoming confirmation hearing for Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on June 14th. Considering the fact that government bureaucrat hearings have historically been a personal character vetting process, Cho’s post is unprecedented.

“I will focus on the fundamental purpose of the hearing and ask questions about the game industry that has been largely neglected by the cultural industry,” Cho wrote in the post. “I would like to inquire the candidate about his cultural visions as well as his industrial views,” he explained his intent.

The community reactions to the post have been nothing less than explosive, accumulating over 800 comments from sub boards. Cho even personally replied to some comments, and community reception has been positive, with some stating that "It’s good to see politicians communicating with gamers," and others simply saying "It’s amazing."

Among all the input, the bulk of the conversation centered around changing public perception of video games, improving the work environment for the gaming industry, and regulating chance-based items. Although big strides have recently been made in these areas, video games in Korea are still viewed with suspicion and many exploitation cases of gaming industry workers have surfaced in recent days.

After listening to gamers’ opinions, Cho expressed his gratitude by saying, "Your passionate interest and honest comments have been a huge help. I will continue to communicate with citizens in real-time to serve them better."

This isn’t the first time a politician in Korea has interacted with gamers. The current state affairs secretary to the president and former head of KeSPA, Byeonghun Jeon, is a well-known case. Jeon has been seen encouraging esports players in various tournaments and even showcased a cosplay to interact with gamers.

Last May, Cho attended the Policy Agreement for Promoting Game Industry as a representative of the Democratic Party and showed continued interest in the industry by working to establish a game forum spanning different fields of academia. As such, the gaming industry is becoming increasingly interested in how much of a voice it will be able to present in the political sphere.