China is taking a major step to address the growing problem of cyber addiction among its youth. China's growing band of young internet gamers will face virtual penalties if they stay online for more than three hours, under a new set of rules designed to "only target minors who lack the self-discipline to control their playing time," according to Kou Xiaowei, an official with the Chinese State Press and Publication Administration.
Chinese authorities have voiced increasing concern in recent months about the number of teenagers who spend hours and sometimes days in internet cafes playing games.
In the latest measure to combat the problem, eight government departments have issued new rules that will force internet gaming companies and operators to install and run "anti-addiction" software, the China Daily reported.
The software is supposed to discourage marathon play sessions by cutting the amount of points earned in games the longer they are played. Gamers under the age of 18 will receive full points in their online world only for the first three hours of play, which the Chinese government has deemed as the limit for a "healthy" amount of time to be glued to the internet. If young gamers choose to stay on-line, they will get half the normal points for the next two hours. Any gaming after five hours of play will not recoup any points.
The official Xinhua news agency said that most online games encouraged players to play longer by rewarding them with more credits and virtual goods.
The new rules will come into force on April 15, with games to be closed down from July 16 if they are not installed with the anti-addiction software, according to the China Daily.
Under the new rules, all gamers will have to register with their identity cards to prove their age. If they are aged over 18, they can play for as long as they like.
China has about 137 million online users, according to the latest official statistics. Of those, 31 million are internet gamers.
Can someone educate me? Do the Chinese play shooters of any kind or are they not permitted in the country? It seems this kind of measure would only affect MMORPG players.
Chinese authorities have voiced increasing concern in recent months about the number of teenagers who spend hours and sometimes days in internet cafes playing games.
In the latest measure to combat the problem, eight government departments have issued new rules that will force internet gaming companies and operators to install and run "anti-addiction" software, the China Daily reported.
The software is supposed to discourage marathon play sessions by cutting the amount of points earned in games the longer they are played. Gamers under the age of 18 will receive full points in their online world only for the first three hours of play, which the Chinese government has deemed as the limit for a "healthy" amount of time to be glued to the internet. If young gamers choose to stay on-line, they will get half the normal points for the next two hours. Any gaming after five hours of play will not recoup any points.
The official Xinhua news agency said that most online games encouraged players to play longer by rewarding them with more credits and virtual goods.
The new rules will come into force on April 15, with games to be closed down from July 16 if they are not installed with the anti-addiction software, according to the China Daily.
Under the new rules, all gamers will have to register with their identity cards to prove their age. If they are aged over 18, they can play for as long as they like.
China has about 137 million online users, according to the latest official statistics. Of those, 31 million are internet gamers.
Can someone educate me? Do the Chinese play shooters of any kind or are they not permitted in the country? It seems this kind of measure would only affect MMORPG players.
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