Time and Kalakalmoney are at the center of China's latest move to curb the rise of gaming addiction.
New rules laid out by the State Administration of Press and Publications (SAPP) establish limitations on the amount of time a minor can spend playing video games daily, and how much money they can spend every month. The rules also strengthen a number of older policies and begin to establish an age rating system.
People under the age of 18 will now be limited to 90 minutes of playing time on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays, according to a report from the South China Morning Post. They'll also have to squeeze that playtime in under a curfew, as minors won't be allowed to play between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. every day.
Minors will also face new limitations on the money they can spend in online games. The actual number varies by age, but people between 8 and 16 are limited to spending no more than 200 RMB per month (roughly $29). Then, through age 18, that monthly limit rises to 400 RMB (roughly $57).
Minors were already limited to three hours of gaming each day, so the new 90-minute max that applies to weekdays amounts to a stricter version of an existing policy. The new rules also strengthen China's real-name registration guidelines, the tool that makes any of this enforceable.
The SAPP is reportedly working with China's Ministry of Public Security to establish a centralized ID system that gaming companies can make use of in order to stay compliant. Such a system would also give Chinese authorities the ability to hold industry interests accountable when they shirk their responsibilities.
The penalties can be quite serious, even fatal to business in a worst-case scenario. Earlier in 2019, China revoked a publisher's license after the horror game Devotion, from the Taiwan-based studio Red Candle Games, was found to contain hidden imagery critical of President Xi Xinping. The move effectively removed Devotionfrom the global marketplace – you can't buy it even now – and devastated the promising upward momentum arc of an up-and-coming creative team.
What happened with Devotionwas obviously a different situation, stemming more from political concerns than public safety. But still, the actions taken against Red Candle and Devotion's publisher Indievent do serve as a demonstration of how much power the Chinese government wields when it comes to regulating the flow of entertainment content inside the country.
The particulars of the new age rating scale aren't yet finalized, but the idea is for that entire framework to be a part of the centralized ID system. Companies that use the system to set daily limits on playtime will also be able to bar people from playing one game or another if they don't meet that game's age requirements.
The new effort is only the latest move in China's long struggle to combat gaming addiction, and internet addiction more broadly. In addition to acknowledging and dealing with the threat of addiction head-on, there are also concerns in China over the risk games pose to eye health.
While it's hard to argue with any effort aimed at addressing a public health issue, some believe that the new rules won't actually accomplish much in a big picture sense. For one, some of the most worrisome reports out of China regarding game addiction tie to adults who wouldn't be subject to the new guidelines.
Topics Gaming Politics
The State of PC Gaming in 2016
Baidu set to launch ERNIE model iteration next week: report · TechNode
BYD opens first Yangwang store, secures 4,000 orders: report · TechNode
Lenovo leads the global PC market in Q3 · TechNode
This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
China approves 89 gaming titles in September · TechNode
Xpeng’s redesigned G9 SUV to cost $6,300 less than previous version · TechNode
Xpeng’s redesigned G9 SUV to cost $6,300 less than previous version · TechNode
AMD Radeon RX 550 + Intel Pentium G4560
Ehang secures first industry approval for fully autonomous passenger
Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
Founder of embattled Chinese EV maker reportedly moves to the US · TechNode
Great Wall Motor’s first MPV model to compete with BYD’s Denza D9 · TechNode
Porn apps disguised as learning apps on China’s iOS App Store · TechNode
Gods of War
ZhipuAI raises $342 million this year led by Chinese tech majors · TechNode
China wins first e
Former Xpeng Motors purchasing head investigated for corruption · TechNode
Best Max streaming deal: Save 20% on annual subscriptions
Alibaba Pictures to buy live events producer Damai · TechNode
College students can now get both Spotify and Hulu for just $5 a monthAirlines cap flight prices out of Florida, but empty seats are hard to findEquifax execs sold off nearly $2 million in stock before massive data breach was made publicFrightening satellite view of Hurricane Irma swallowing tiny islandsIncredibly, three Atlantic hurricanes may hit land on the same day'Pokémon Go' will introduce trading and player vs. player battlesFacebook comments might soon get colored backgroundsMom donates breast milk to Hurricane Harvey relief effortsSouth Park game's difficulty will be based on your skin color in a boldThe world's best airport has handed out smart glasses to ground staffThe interactive 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' eCountry superstar Jo Dee Messina diagnosed with cancer, will finish tour dates before hiatus'Braided' eyebrows are the latest absurd beauty trend that truly anyone can try$797 million in 3 months: Blockchain’s newest industry is going crazyCafe in Taiwan makes horrorEquifax execs sold off nearly $2 million in stock before massive data breach was made publicFacebook says it sold $100,000 in ads to Russian propaganda companyScary clowns have nothing on cruel everyday reality in Stephen King's 'It'New startup lets you take out interestFlorida's nuclear plants prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Irma Bitcoin goes above $6,000 for the first time this year Delta will start testing free in More than half of U.S. adults are gamers, and most will vote in 2020 Google is borrowing from Apple's privacy playbook 'Tolkien' is evidence that some people shouldn't get a biopic: Review Taylor Swift reveals the 'Game of Thrones' influences in her albums Oppo's Avengers phone hands Syrian girl thanks J.K. Rowling for her 'Harry Potter' books Bran is the most relatable character on 'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Super cute baby koala and mother just hanging out, looking like stuffed toys 'Avengers: Endgame' will stream exclusively on Disney+ Online shoppers gobbled up $1.9 billion in bargains on Thanksgiving Please do not give your pets alcohol these holidays, or like ever Unusual brunch suggestion is causing widespread rage in Britain Google I/O 2019 had no foldable phones and it was all Samsung's fault In other (nicer) news, the whole of New Zealand is doing a Secret Santa Is 'Game of Thrones' setting up Sansa and Tyrion for the Iron Throne? 'Game of Thrones' is screwing itself over with bad romance 'Spider What you need to know about the Lyft, Uber driver strike
2.5298s , 10131.5625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Kalakal】,Wisdom Convergence Information Network