Google is back in business in South Korea selling games in the Android Market, as the government loosened its reigns on its rather limiting regulations.  Sellers in the Android Market just need to adhere to their new rules regarding gambling and sexually themed products (they’re a no-go).

“We expect to see a jump in game purchases and downloads in the weeks ahead,” Eric Chu, a Google developer, wrote in a post on a company blog devoted to Android games. He added that game developers can use a software tool to “target your app for distribution in South Korea and set prices in Korean won.”

Apple also decided that it was time for things to change and agreed to the terms and conditions of South Korea.  The change quickly turned games as the highest selling app in iTunes Korea.

South Korea is known for imposing very strict laws, especially with video games and gaming.  It wasn’t until 2009 that the country started selling smartphones in their market and just last October, they imposed a curfew on playing networked game consoles for teenagers and kids aged 16 and below.  They are also planning on widening the restriction to include mobile games within the next two years.  The result is unhappy unable to sell their products in their own country.  But hopefully, with this sudden change, more local developers would be enticed to make their own products.

“Not being able to sell games on the app stores in our own country has been a lost opportunity worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Korean developers,” said Kim Choong-sik, senior manager of Gamevil, a game developer in Seoul.

It is not only in South Korea that Google’s Android Market is gaining traction.  Currently, Japan is showing high affinity to Android devices and patronizing the Android Market.  GameStop will be selling Android tablets pre-loaded with Sonic the Hedgehog but the Japan Android Market already has Sonic Advance.

The reason for the sudden interest in the Asian region is that most phone manufacturers and game developers are already here.  So if companies want to make it big in the market, they should focus on the areas where these games and devices come from.

But as apps’ popularity continue to grow, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, together with the CTIA Wireless Trade Association, plans on invading the iOS, Android and Windows Phone realm as they push to regulate gaming apps which can be downloaded from their respective stores.

The ESRB wants developers to submit a survey form for each game which will contain a thorough analysis of the game.  They will then use the obtained information to deliver a rating which will be the same rating appearing on different app stores and operating systems.  The game developer can appeal if they think the rating is unjust or inaccurate.
But Apple and Google do not agree with this process, as they have their own way of regulating and rating the apps available in their app stores.  Both think that ESRB should just stick to regulating and rating games on game consoles and leave gaming apps to them.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into Android Market’s rating system, which now works well globally,” a Google spokesperson told DigitalTrends.  “While we support other systems, we think it’s best for Android users and developers to stick with Android’s existing ratings.”