The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) is refining its rating classification regulations.

On the 5th, the GRAC posted a 'Notice of Proposed Amendment to the Rating Classification Regulations' on its official website. The amendment aims to refine criteria for violence and sexual content, and update procedures and forms to reflect changes in the gaming industry and modern trends. Consequently, rating classification elements have been subdivided and criteria have been made more specific.

The most significant change is the separation of certain rating classification elements. Existing categories such as 'Violence and Fear' and 'Crime and Drugs' are now separated into individual pillars: violence, fear, crime, and drugs. Accordingly, new detailed criteria for the fear and drug categories have been established. With the creation of the fear category, elements previously not listed under violence and fear, such as 'horror and revulsion' and 'blood and gore,' have been added. Age ratings are now determined based on the specificity and directness of these depictions. A new provision has also been added stating that when applying detailed criteria for each rating element, the overall context—including historical facts, background, virtual experiences, and the subject of the depiction—must be considered.

Changes have also been made to rating classification clauses to keep pace with the times. Redundant elements across all rating categories have been removed, and content has been further specified by age rating. For instance, in the case of sexual content criteria, clauses such as 'in the absence of specific expressions' have been completely deleted, and ratings are now distinguished based on the method and intensity of the expression. As a result, even the same level of nudity is classified as 15+ if it is indirect, limited, or partial, while it is classified as 'Adults Only' if it is depicted directly and specifically.

Furthermore, criteria regarding gameplay that induces sexual acts—whether directly or indirectly—have been clarified to 'inducing or expressing.' The rating considerations for the newly established drug category have also been further subdivided to include 'narcotics, psychotropic substances, and cannabis' to reflect modern standards. This is expected to provide more intuitive information and make the rating classification process more convenient.

In addition, the disclosure of probability-type item information has been specified in the 'Game Rating and Content Information' section. The amendment also includes changes to several other elements, such as the requirement to display the types of probability-type items and their respective supply probabilities.

Meanwhile, through this amendment, PC games and online games have been merged into 'PC/Online games,' and for video games (console games), the committee now requires an 'executable game file' or 'executable medium' instead of a 'game CD' for rating classification. Furthermore, elements evaluating the revenue and service methods of betting-style games have been further subdivided. These changes also apply to documents submitted for rating classification, such as game content information certificates.