Amidst the ongoing distribution of games that distort and demean the May 18 Democratic Movement overseas, the Game Rating and Administration Committee is pushing for the deletion of the relevant game. This game was blocked domestically in March, but overseas users still have access.
The Game Rating and Administration Committee announced on the 5th that it plans to request the deletion of ‘Gwangju Running Man’ registered on the PC game platform Steam from Valve Corporation in cooperation with The May 18 Foundation.
‘Gwangju Running Man’ depicts citizens as criminals and violent groups against the backdrop of Gwangju in May 1980, justifying the violence of the military government. It also includes scenes that glorify former President Chun Doo-hwan by prominently featuring his photo.
The game is not an independent game, but a mod of ‘Mount & Blade: Warband’ released in 2008. The creator confirmed to have uploaded it to Steam Workshop last September after adding modeling of armored vehicles, soldiers, buses, and more to the original game.
The mod uploader is believed to be Chinese. This account seems to have been active since 2017, and its Steam profile contains numerous reviews written in simplified Chinese.
The Game Rating and Administration Committee stated, ‘We recognize that domestic laws are difficult to apply to overseas use,’ and ‘We plan to continuously convey the historical significance and concerns regarding the May 18 incident to Valve and request deletion.’
Meanwhile, the Game Rating and Administration Committee also collaborated with The May 18 Foundation last year to block and delete the game ‘Gwangju of That Day,’ which distorted the May 18 incident, that was circulating in Roblox.