South Korea cracks down on cheaters with law targeting illicit game mods

The South Korean government has passed an amendment into law with the specific intent of shutting down video game hacks and modifications.

According to PvPLive, a recent amendment passed by the South Korean parliament bans the “manufacturing and distributing programs that are not allowed by the game company and its Terms of Service.”

In theory, this makes it easier for the creators of competitive games to crack down on things like hacking programs, aimbots, and other game mods that give players an unfair advantage in online play.

Violation of the amended law also comes with a hefty penalty; those found guilty could face up to 5 years in jail or roughly $43,000 in fines.

But while this could deter would-be hackers from creating programs explicitly for cheating, the somewhat ambiguous act of outlawing any program that violates the Terms of Service has some League of Legends and Overwatch players worried that non-malicious mods could be caught in the crossfire.