Play Time’s Over: China Bans Weekday Video Games for Minors
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Video game time is now 8pm-9pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays only! No, that’s not your mom’s rule…it was actually handed down by China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) earlier this week.
In its ongoing battle against youth video game addiction, the new laws require online gaming companies to register all players using their Chinese IDs, and anyone under the age of 18 will have their game time restricted to approved weekend and holiday hours. The new rules, announced Monday, are much more stringent than the previous regulations which limited children to one and a half hours per day, seven days a week, and are intended to “effectively protect the physical and mental health of minors.”
This is part of an effort by authorities to curb what they see as dangerous and addictive behavior in minors. Xinhua reported the NPPA would be carrying out more stringent and frequent reviews of major providers like Tencent, whose game Honor of Kings has come under scrutiny in recent weeks.
There has been much speculation about how this will affect the USD 46 billion dollar Chinese gaming industry, especially as additional restrictions are expected later this year. In the meantime, 110 million underaged Chinese gamers are eagerly waiting, controller in hand, for the weekend.
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