Google Said To Be Removing Games From South Korean Android Market

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One of the biggest gripes that we hear in regards to the Android Market seems to be that some apps will not work with some builds of Android. For example, those sporting a Droid Eris with Android OS 1.5 are not going to have access to certain apps such as Google Goggles. And while that is an annoyance, try for a minute and imagine not having access to an entire category of apps.

Image is that of the Motorola MOTOROI, which is available with SK Telecom in Korea.

Well, that is reportedly about to become reality in South Korea. It looks like South Korean Android users will be losing the games category in the Market due to the inability to have all games reviewed and rated by the Korean Games Rating Board. For those unfamiliar with this policy, South Korea requires that any game, including console, computer or web based be reviewed in order to “abide by local law.”

That policy is what will cause Google to remove the games category from the Market for South Korean users, because Google is said to have “found it impossible to have all games sold on Android rated by the local regulator.” At current that means those users will be losing access to the approximate 4,400 games and the change is expected to take place in about one month. This move, while not the best news is certainly better than the alternative which could have lead to the entire Market being blocked.

Of course, this comes as little surprise considering we have also seen a similar move in the past with Apple and the iTunes App Store. The App Store in South Korea is also lacking the games category, however it was noted that some games are slipping in by way of the entertainment category.

As for what users will do, well, either the obvious of going without games or playing it a little tricky and setting up a Google account outside of Korea and getting the access to the games through that account. I guess it will come down to how important the games are to you. Personally, I like having them available, but so far have not found anything anything that I could not live without.