90 Minutes/Day, Until 10 p.m.: China Sets Rules for Young Gamers

Gamers at an internet cafe in Fuyang, China. The state-run media has likened some video games to “poison.” Credit...Reuters

BEIJING — No playing video games after 10 p.m. No more than 90 minutes of gaming on weekdays. Want add-ons like virtual weapons and costumes? Keep it to $57 a month.

The Chinese government has released new rules aimed at curbing video game addiction among young people, a problem that top officials believe is to blame for a rise in nearsightedness and poor academic performance across a broad swath of society.

The regulations, announced by the National Press and Publication Administration on Tuesday, ban users younger than 18 from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. They are not permitted to play more than 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays.

Officials say regulations are meant to curb video game addiction, which they blame for a rise in nearsightedness and poor academic performance.

The limits are the government’s latest attempt to rein in China’s online gaming industry, one of the world’s largest, which generates more than $33 billion in annual revenue and draws hundreds of millions of users.

The National Press and Publication Administration said that minors would be required to use real names and identification numbers when they logged on to play. The rules also limit how much young people can spend on purchases made through apps, like virtual weapons, clothes and pets. Those purchases are now capped at $28 to $57 a month, depending on age.

Chinese officials said the regulations were meant to combat addiction.

“These problems affect the physical and mental health of minors, as well as their normal learning and living,” the National Press and Publication Administration said in a statement that was published by Xinhua, the official news agency.

Analysts said the regulations had been largely anticipated by the industry and were unlikely to hurt revenue. Many of the biggest technology companies, including Tencent and Netease, have already imposed limits on younger users.

Young gamers are also likely to find ways around the regulations, such as using a parent’s phone and identification number.

“There are always going to be loopholes,” said Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst at Niko Partners, a research and consulting firm.

But Mr. Ahmad added that China was now one of the most heavily regulated video game markets in the world, and that technology companies in the country and abroad would be forced to follow the government’s policy announcements more closely.

“I think compared to the West, it’s very extreme,” he said. “Publishers and developers need to be very aware of the content of the games they are developing for the market.”

In a sign of the growing global importance of the Chinese gaming market, Activision Blizzard, an American company, recently suspended an e-sports player who had voiced support for antigovernment demonstrations in Hong Kong during a live broadcast, a move that was seen as a concession to Beijing.

The rules were greeted skeptically by some parents and gamers.

Yang Bingben, 35, the owner of an industrial technology firm in eastern China, said he worried that many children would still find ways to play video games. For example, he noted that his 7-year-old son often played games that did not require an internet connection and were difficult to regulate.

“We have to develop new things to replace games,” he said. “Our minds should be focused on building more stadiums, football courts and basketball courts.”

China fears young people are addicted to video games. Now it's imposing a curfew

China is the world's largest gaming market, with an expected total gaming revenue of $38 billion in 2018.

Hong Kong (CNN)China has announced a curfew on online gaming for minors among new measures aimed at curbing video game addiction.

Hong Kong (CNN)China has announced a curfew on online gaming for minors among new measures aimed at curbing video game addiction.

The official government guidelines will be applied to all online gaming platforms operating in the country, mostly notably Tencent, the world's biggest gaming company.

Under the new rules, gamers aged under 18 will be banned from playing online games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. On weekdays, minors can only play for 90 minutes, while they may play up to three hours per day on weekends and public holidays.

The guidelines also place restrictions on the amount of money minors can transfer to their online gaming accounts. Gamers aged between eight and 16 years old can only top up 200 yuan ($29) per month, while the maximum amount for those between 16 and 18 will be 400 yuan ($57).

China is the world's largest gaming market, accounting for a quarter of global revenue, according to market research firm Newzoo. It expected China's total gaming revenue to reach $38 billion in 2018.

The document was issued by China's General Administration of Press and Publication on Tuesday.

Speaking to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, a spokesman for the administration said the new rules were aimed at creating a "clear internet space" and "protecting the physical and mental health of minors."

"(This notice) has emphasized on the responsibility of the corporations, and has executed the government's duty to supervise the problem," the spokesman said.

He said that government units would be required to study the rules and ensure corporations abide by the requirements.

The administration is also working with police to set up a real-name registration system, and to enable gaming companies to check the identity of their users against the national database, he added.

The new guidelines are China's latest move in an ongoing campaign to increase regulation of the gaming industry.

In August 2018, Beijing announced plans to limit the number of new online games to "reduce nearsightedness in children and adolescents." It also criticized a popular mobile game, "Honor of Kings", for allegedly causing addiction in young people in 2017.

Addiction to gaming, known officially as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), was added to the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases for the first time in June 2018.

IGD is diagnosed when an online gamer plays compulsively to the exclusion of other interests, including school and family life.

A 2018 study carried out by researchers at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine showed that men may be more susceptible to gaming addiction.

CNN's Sherisse Pham contributed to this report

Source: The Newyork Times, By Javier C. Hernández and Albee Zhang;

CNN, By Eric Cheung,

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