Chinese gov't restricts online gaming

by Kaitlin | April 12, 2007 at 10:36 am

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Worried about its young people, who are increasingly playing hooky and turning to crime, the Chinese government has decided to restrict online gaming. The government sees the increasing popularity of MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) like World of Warcraft as directly contributing to these two trends. Their solution? Kick the gamers where it hurts: right in the points.

The new system will require all gamers to register using real names and identity card numbers to prove their age. Young users will be allowed to play for three hours per day, which is apparently considered the "healthy" limit, and full points will be allowed during this time period. Between three and five hours, gamers will still be allowed to play, although points will be halved. After five hours, a message will be displayed every 15 minutes warning players that they are risking their health and that their points will be reset to zero if they continue to play.

Games that have not embedded the system by the cutoff date of July 16 will be shut down.