China takes another step against online gaming
China has taken another step in its war on online gaming by limiting the amount of time under the age of 18 can spend on the activity on Fridays, Weekends, and Holidays to just one hour. Minors could previously play online games for one and a half hours on weekdays and three hours on Weekends and Holidays.
According to Xinhua (via The Guardian), the new restrictions, which were issued by China’s national Press and Publication Administration, would restrict people under the age of 18 from playing online games between the hours of 8 pm and 9 pm local time on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Online gaming firms will be forbidden from giving access outside of certain days and hours, which implies that unless it’s a holiday, no access will be allowed Monday through Thursday.
Gaming Companies getting affected
The gaming companies will have to enforce the regulation by requiring real-name registrations and logins, according to the gaming regulator. According to Xinhua, the National Press and Publication Administration also warned that the intensity and frequency of inspections to ensure compliance with the laws on minors’ time limitations would grow. Failure to do so will result in serious consequences.
Video games, particularly those played online, have long been frowned upon by the Chinese government. Only a few weeks ago, Xinhua referred to them as “electronic drugs.” The comment caused Tencent and NetEase shares to drop more than 10%, wiping about $60 billion off the former’s market valuation, which could explain why the state later stated that this was not an official viewpoint.