[Bu-aeri's Game Dictionary] "Is the person in charge a feminist?" Kakao Games faced backlash

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] "Since the staff members are not affiliated with any specific group, it is difficult to keep up with the new derogatory terms used by those groups. We apologize for any misunderstandings or disappointments caused." Kakao Games, which is set to go public next month, recently faced backlash over its new release, "Guardian Tales." After modifying misogynistic expressions in the game, the company was met with a flood of criticism from users. Although the company attempted to manage the situation belatedly, users rapidly declared their intention to "quit the game," and the rating plummeted from 4.9 to the 2-point range.

The incident unfolded as follows. On the 2nd, "Guardian Tales" changed some in-game dialogue. The English version contained the line "You Whore," which was translated in the Korean version as "geolle like X" (a derogatory term). When some users raised concerns that this line was misogynistic, Kakao Games revised it to "clown-like guy."

The controversy began there. After Kakao Games modified the dialogue, users on the official cafe and community forums raised objections. The users' anger centered on three main points: the change was made via a "submarine patch" (a patch applied without prior notice), the company usually responds slowly to user requests but acted quickly this time, and the revised line was considered to be a misandrist expression.

Some users argued that "clown" has no relation to "geolle" and is instead a misandrist term that disparages men who cannot have romantic relationships. During this process, it was revealed that "Guardian Tales" had designated terms like "boiru," known as misogynistic expressions, as banned words within the game, which further fueled the controversy. Some users protested, suggesting that there might be radical feminist staff members within Kakao Games.

Ultimately, Kakao Games re-revised the "clown" expression back to "bad X." The company replaced the staff involved and began efforts to appease users. They also announced plans to reorganize the banned words list. Lee Si-woo, Head of Business at Kakao Games, explained, "We judged that it would be difficult to regain trust with the current staff, so we replaced all of them with new personnel." He emphasized, "None of the employees who made the decision belong to or are biased toward any specific group."

Due to this issue, "Guardian Tales," which had been praised as a hit, is experiencing a decline. Within the gaming industry, there are cynical voices saying that the repeated "feminist" ideological vetting problem has occurred again over the years. However, there are also criticisms that since male users remain the main customer base, game companies should have been more cautious about such controversies from the start. Recently, the National Human Rights Commission recommended to the gaming industry that "improvements are needed regarding misogyny and discriminatory practices within the industry" and that "companies must recognize their responsibility as members of society."