South Korean ‘Overwatch’ Hacker Gets 1-Year Prison Sentence

In most cases, hacking an online video game results in accounts getting banned by the company that owns said game. However, it seems the penalties for such actions in South Korea are quite a bit steeper. One hacker, in particular, is currently facing a prison sentence of one year to go with two years of probation. This is due to him violating the country’s laws specifically related to video game crimes.

Clearly, South Korea takes crimes involving video games very seriously. A 28-year-old man living in the country was recently charged with violation of the Game Industry Promotion Act and the Information and Communication Technology Protection Law. He did so by hacking the hit MOBA shooter “Overwatch,” and earning 200 million Korean won (about $180,000) in the process, TechCrunch reports.

As reported by the South Korean publication SBS News and the video game website Dot Esports, the hacker committed the act multiple times. This generated quite a healthy income for the individual.

This sentence was a result of Blizzard Entertainment’s cooperation with the country’s Seoul National Police Agency to crack down on hacking in the game. As one of South Korea’s most popular eSports games, it was only natural that it would draw a huge number of cheaters.

These cheats can come in many forms. They range from enabling players to hit targets even without aiming, to actually fixing matches. For a game like “Overwatch,” where balance is incredibly important to maintain a good level of fun, hacking is a business killer. As such, it’s no wonder that Blizzard is going along with this harsh punishment for a convicted hacker.

It’s worth noting that previous cases of cheaters getting caught only resulted in fines. Then again, the government did already warn hackers that penalties could go up as high as $43,000 in fines and a maximum five-year prison sentence.