China sets out to curb kids' online gaming

It looks like China's not content to simply wait for over-eager gamers to find their way to a halfway house, with the government now taking some steps to curb the amount of online gaming kids partake in. It's not imposing a strict limit, however, instead forcing game makers to install so-called "anti-addiction software" in their games, which would ramp up in-game penalties if gamers play more than the government deems to be healthy. Apparently, gamers will only get half the normal amount points if they play more than three hours, with no points awarded at all after the five hour mark. At that point, they'll be presented with the ominous message: "You have entered unhealthy game time, please go offline immediately to rest." Exactly how that system will be applied to various games isn't clear, although it seems that any games that don't comply by July 16th will be shut down. What's more, in order to verify their age, all gamers will also be required to register for games using their real name and identity card number, which at least one analyst speculates could "scare away" adults and young users alike.

[Via Slashdot]

[blunt @ Apr 10th 2007 4:43PM]

Gotta love communism.

[michael @ Apr 10th 2007 4:47PM]

That's just so mean. They're always restricting people's rights. But putting some kind of limit on game playing? That's just so mean.

[kingofwale @ Apr 10th 2007 4:48PM]

July 16??? so games has exactly 3 months to make the change? You think Blizzard will go and modify WoW just to comply with a ridiculous law?

what's next? denying their citizen's most fundamentals right to have children? ;)

[Scott @ Apr 10th 2007 4:56PM]

In Soviet China, games register YOU!

[sethmo @ Apr 10th 2007 10:23PM]

I loled haha. Im glad I dont live in China!

[Matt @ Apr 10th 2007 5:00PM]

"In Soviet China, games register YOU!"

bwa ha ha ha!

[Engadget is the stupidest place in the world!!! @ Apr 11th 2007 3:02AM]

simpsons quote FTW again!

[wkcr @ Apr 10th 2007 4:56PM]

michael: "That's just so mean. They're always restricting people's rights. But putting some kind of limit on game playing? That's just so mean."

Sorry mate... thats communism.

[Sunlokyee @ Apr 10th 2007 4:59PM]

@kingofwale

they already have that law for limiting the amount of children you can have. You are only allowed to have one child per family unless that first born is a girl, then you can have one more child.

[Jesse S @ Apr 10th 2007 5:34PM]

No, it's one pregnancy...Imagine the problems that would happen with twins et al. otherwise.

[StevO @ Apr 10th 2007 6:15PM]

i think he was being sarcastic..
but yeah it sucks

[tristanfey @ Apr 10th 2007 8:20PM]

He was being sarcastic, hence the little wink at the end of the post.

[Adrian Williams @ Apr 10th 2007 5:08PM]

Don't South korea do this already ?

[Adrian Williams @ Apr 10th 2007 5:11PM]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2005-10-06-korean-game-addicts_x.htm
linky linky to my last comment

[Tech^Cellfish @ Apr 10th 2007 5:11PM]

I guess illegal gaming will take off in china

[Matt @ Apr 10th 2007 5:13PM]

Communism FTW!

Seriously, though, WoW players will have fewer gold farmers to deal with!

[Ayle @ Apr 10th 2007 5:17PM]

Eh? Thats actually an interesting system.... But this would suck in massive raids....

[Traveler @ Apr 10th 2007 5:27PM]

Not every freedom brings merit.

You won't think this law is ridiculous when you find your kid dropping grades vertically, missing for days, or worst found dead from exhaustion in an Internet bar. It happens, and gets more and more.

It serves the kids right. The hard thing is how to enforce this law when online age registration can't be trusted and business owners ignore the health of kids for more earning.

[Matt @ Apr 10th 2007 5:34PM]

With all due respect, you're a moron. We can try to legislate common sense and parenting all we want, but the fact is that most people don't have laws telling them what they can and can't do, and they manage.

I play video games, and I've managed to remember to eat so I don't die so far. Blame it on business all you want, but it is a person's responsibility to watch out for their own health.

1984? No thanks.

[Tim @ Apr 10th 2007 8:27PM]

Such an authoritarian attitude is never justifiable. Regardless of it's intentions, this law is yet another one that removes the moral and social responsibilities from the individuals and instead places them on the state. The government is supposed to govern, not dictate every action and thought that a person has.

It's sickening enough just to read about this happening in works of fiction, but to see it actually come to be is quite simply horrifying. And I though England was pretty bad...

[LC @ Apr 10th 2007 8:24PM]

Traveler-

We will always think it is a ridiculous regulation. There is already a regulation to prevent kids from playing online too long. It's called parenting. You warn them the first time, if they don't listen you shut the computer down. If they turn it on again, you call the game company and cancel the account. I'm sure Jr. wouldn't want all his hard work being lost to oblivion.

The government should not be mother and father.

[Lisa @ Apr 10th 2007 6:03PM]

With all due respect, your (Matt) comment was a little harsh. Granted, something like this would never fly in the United States, but the concept behind the move isn't without merit. In China, obviously, they can impede on personal freedoms to whatever extent they so choose--I don't agree with that form of government. However, if the United States were to offer incentives (tax breaks, for example) to the makers of online video games to implement a modified version of this program for users under 18, it could do a lot of good for kids. And while it's the parents' responsibility to make sure their child isn't spending 7 hours a day online, I think it's common knowledge that a lot of kids get stuck with parents who simply don't care. And those are the kids we have to worry about. Yeah, I'm sure some will lie about their age. But that's no reason not to try something that may help kids get off their butts and outside.

As for adult gamers, I think the same program would still have merit (because internet addiction is real and sometimes tragic), but since we all have the personal freedom to mess up our own lives as much as we want, I don't support trying to encourage gaming companies to implement any protection for users over 18.

[Ethan @ Apr 10th 2007 5:52PM]

I just feel as if I need to educate people here. China (Veitnam, North Korea, Cuba, Former U.S.S.R.) are/were Socialistic Dictatorships. By the definition of Communism, it can not be ruled by one person. It is ruled by a group of people, that have the same rights as everyone else, nothing more. (Hint: That's why real communism is impossible in the REAL world. Someone always wants more power, and people aren't able to be trusted at all.) Also when Karl Marks wrote his idea of communism he never intended it to be a Goverment system. His book was/is about the social society of the human race and what people can do for other people, but in no way was it a way govern yourselfs. (Readers took it out of context and believed it was a govermental way.)


Ps. I'm a true to heart Capitalist, and not at all scoialist. I just felt like I needed to tell people that Communism is used why to much in describing the countries goverment. Hey, I do agree, though after the last 60 years of hearing the same thing from everyone else. We automatically say communism.

[Matt @ Apr 10th 2007 6:12PM]

It was a bit harsh, I'll grant you that, but the reality is that you can't protect people from themselves, and all of this legislation is just taking away freedom from people. I should be able to decide how long I want to play video games. I should be able to decide what I want to do and what I want to eat. If said things are harmful to me, then they were bad decisions, but don't take away my ability to make them. Otherwise, we all end up as sheep to be guided around, and it seems that people like Traveler are all too willing to see that become a reality under the guise of safety. Where does it end? Video games, then TV, then mandated schedules? Will our lives be planned for us?

[LC @ Apr 10th 2007 8:33PM]

Lisa-

The problem with that is that no amount of government incentives is going to make up for the loss of subscribers who don't want to put up with game limits. As in nature, business abhors a vacuum, so some other company would be more than happy to provide the kiddies with unlimited game time.

The key to this is the funds. Parents can pay the monthly fee for their kids and cut them off when they feel they are abusing it. Yes there are parents that just don't care, but this apathy doesn't apply only to gaming. If the kids hit a limit in the game, he or she will probably just lay around and watch television or play a different online game with the uncaring parent not paying attention.

[Adam Maras @ Apr 10th 2007 6:54PM]

Let's just give China their own Internet.

[LC @ Apr 10th 2007 8:36PM]

"Let's just give China their own Internet."

Well, they already have their own Google.

[js @ Apr 10th 2007 7:05PM]

Less gaming = More iPods

[Brandon @ Apr 10th 2007 7:08PM]

I guess I better buy me some WoW gold before the prices go up ;)

[David @ Apr 10th 2007 7:15PM]

China planned this about two years ago, these companies have had years to prepare, this is not a new thing.

[David @ Apr 10th 2007 7:32PM]

And a reference from more than a year ago...

http://au.gamespot.com/news/2005/08/24/news_6131845.html

[Anonymous @ Apr 10th 2007 7:41PM]

I'm sure glad we live in the US, where people can have 10 illegitimate children AND play video games all day long. But really, communism is founded on everyone doing their part, and if enough people were to stop doing their part to play games all day and all night, it would (in theory) collapse. So I can see why they did it.

Oh and this will be the new official joke;

"In Communist China, Video Games play you! (But only for 3 hours)"

[LC @ Apr 10th 2007 8:35PM]

"But really, communism is founded on everyone doing their part"

That's just what the Pamphlet says. The real world application goes more like "communism is founded on everyone being forced to do their part".

[James @ Apr 10th 2007 8:25PM]

Of course, nothing draconian China does surprises me anymore, and it's a shame, but it would be a good idea for developers to voluntarily put these kinds of controls in place as parental controls, akin to a V-Chip or DVD player rating control. Designated "minor" accounts could be allotted a certain amount of time per day/week/whatever after which return on play drops at a steady rate, configurable by the credit-card holder. Yes? No?

[cf18 @ Apr 10th 2007 9:10PM]

Sigh... It's really not much different from keeping minors from R rates movies, casino and beer.

[ranron @ Apr 10th 2007 9:16PM]

We should have this in the US. I'm sick of seeing people pissed 'cause they played WoW for 100 hours straight and their characters are dead.

[kingofwale @ Apr 10th 2007 9:52PM]

>communism is founded on everyone doing their part

yeah, because there happens to be this ideal world, where people do not have greed or jealousy in them. that people would work for the great of others. and nobody would take advantage of the system. :)

we all know how the Chinese is free of corruption and are famous for their perfect human right record.

face it, there's no such thing as a perfect communist society, not with the world filled with people who are born greedy.

After all, communism countries are the wealthiest in this world. :)

[rainygrass @ Apr 11th 2007 3:03AM]

weird...this was a news in China 3 years ago, and it has never been executed...just some basic idea about stop kids over addicted on video games...bla bla...

Chinese people don't have human right...they don't watch CNN...how come they can get human rights...

[Sudo @ Apr 11th 2007 4:59AM]

"I loled haha. Im glad I dont live in China!"

Come to China,and live for some time,it's not that bad.

[bob the builder @ Apr 11th 2007 11:44AM]

I think most people here are talking a lot of tripe about individual freedom and not having the government control them etc etc etc.
thats all fine and well but here in britain and perhaps all over the world the government FORCES , yes they force children to go to school . now call me liberal but that is totally wrong. why should children be FORCED tgo go to school . why is the government inteferring SO much in our personal lives making us go to school, forcing us to study for a whole decade. what a dictatorship. lol. seriosly
my point is .. I dont understand how everyone is so appalled at this act by the chinese government which stops children playing video games after 5 hours...yes 5 hours.
most parents will welcome this is as an aid to parenting , but you guys dont want the parents to have any help at all.
' its the parents fault'..blame the parents' etc etc...but when the government tries to help the parents its' communism , a dictatorship ' etc etc..

[TheWakeUpCall @ Apr 11th 2007 9:41PM]

Thank god the world I live in still let's me do what I want, when I want :) (well, apart from laws like murder and stuff, but I wouldn't want to do that anyway)

[timmmmy @ Apr 20th 2007 6:49AM]

I can't see there is anyting to do with communism. If you can accept the movie rating system, I can't see why not the online time limitation is justifiable. Anyway, somebody might think what movie to watch is up to the choise of the kids themselves, as well as if they should go to school.