China’s New Gaming Addiction Strategy

After Internet Censorship, Chinese Government is now seeking to limit the amount of time teenagers spend playing online games. Teenagers under 18 who spend more than three consecutive hours per day will have limits imposed on the points they gain. According to a report from China National Children Center, 13% of under 18s in China are addicted to online gaming.

Online gaming companies like NetEase and Shanda Interactive Entertainment have been given a deadline of three months to install the anti-addiction software on its users. The anti-addiction software will reduce the points scored by the gamers by 50% if they play from more than three hours per day. Die hard gamers who continuously play for more than 5 hours will receive no points at all. Additionally, they will also receive an onscreen warning that they are entering “unhealthy game time”. All gamers will have to register for gamers using their real names and identity cards number to verify their age.

China looks seriously determined towards bringing an end to net addiction. Previously, they put a hold on any new cyber café from opening in their region to fight against net addiction. I personally feel that this isn’t a step in the right direction, by restrict teenagers and blocking websites, they are seeding hatred in the hearts of teenagers towards their own country. No loyal citizens, no patriots. I certainly agree that online gaming addiction is unhealthy, but they should have tried educating teenagers about the addiction, rather than launching the direct offensives.

Via BBC

This post was published by on April 11, 2007

About the Author: Thilak Rao works as a Social Media Expert. He is one of the first professional bloggers from India, and he loves to write, travel and click photos. Follow him on Twitter @thilak

  • http://www.avirtualexit.com Gili

    This is amazing…

  • http://auscoder.com Afterlife(69)

    Wow, thats gotta be one of the stupidest things I’ve read lol.

  • http://anirudhsanjeev.org Anirudh

    Well, restriction and curbing has never been the right way but then again…what is?

  • http://www.teamtutorials.com TeamTutorials

    I can’t believe people are that addicted that the government needs to interfere.

  • http://www.mathpoints.com/2007/04/friday-tech-buzz.html MathPoints

    Black Friday Tech Buzz – April 13, 2007…

    China’s Strategy to the Game Addicts: Yep, the government censors the Internet and they are looking to monitor online gaming too….

  • herico

    OMG this is so stupid!
    once again i think chinise´s government is so patetic!
    they censure all!, and by all i mean ALL :P
    where is the freedom there? i think the will censure gay or lesvian ppl too! come on!
    DONT BE SO STUPID, THIS IS REALLY PATETIC!
    what they want with all this? they dont think this is very bad? guys will start to play even more! its like the drogs, more censure = higher price, and even more ppl interested on it, cose its ilegal.
    thanks god i live in a free country where u can be whatever u want and do what u want (except: kill ppl or slteal something :P or children pornograpy… and that kind of stuffs)

  • http://www.teamtutorials.com/ TeamTutorials

    I can't believe people are that addicted that the government needs to interfere.