Beginning August 1, online game operators in China will be forced to take a series of steps to protect online gamers under the age of 18 from inappropriate content and selling or buying items using virtual currency.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, online games created for minors will have to lose any content that would lead to “imitation of behavior that violates social morals and the law.” The regulations deal with content that is horrifying, cruel or otherwise unwholesome, specifically any portrayals of “pornography, cults, superstitions, gambling and violence.”
The virtual currency ban was said to be made possible by a new rule that online game players must register game accounts using their real name.
Gaming operators were also told to “develop techniques that would limit the gaming time of minors in order to prevent addiction, though without specifying what kinds of techniques and a permissible gaming time.”
Bloomberg reported that shares in Tencent Holdings Ltd., described as China’s largest Internet company in terms of market value, and a “leading provider of virtual currency services,” saw its shares fall as much as 5.3 percent after the new regulations were announced.
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China Moves to Protect Young Online Gamers
June 22, 2010
Shout box
DorthLous: Actually, nop, I did miss the emoticon for some reason (getting used to pics?) and I didn't know you changed it since (since I posted previous to my shout and it was still there.) Anyhow, thanks for taking it out!05/23/2012 - 6:01pm
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james_fudge: Well we were just testing it. but it is still on the submission to fight $pam.05/23/2012 - 5:48pm
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E. Zachary Knight: James, No I don't have it. I was just wondering who does and why. More curiosity than anything.05/23/2012 - 5:38pm
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james_fudge: Did you not see the emoticon and did you not see that it has already been changed back?05/23/2012 - 5:10pm
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james_fudge: LOL05/23/2012 - 5:07pm
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DorthLous: Why? Not shocked that people are barking to an additional hoop to jump through when posting from their already logged in account or just mentionning this to try to paint me as one always complaining?05/23/2012 - 4:45pm
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james_fudge: big shock there ;)05/23/2012 - 4:30pm
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DorthLous: I'll add my voice to those wanting it gone :S I'm already logged in, I don't need a captch'a. That's for those registering.05/23/2012 - 3:54pm
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james_fudge: Et tu EZK?!?05/23/2012 - 3:51pm
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Craig R.: I'm a One Man Quorum! And it's working for me now, thanks. :)05/23/2012 - 3:48pm
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E. Zachary Knight: How do we determine who get's the game/captcha thingy? Is there a certain posting threshhold users have to meet before it is turned off?05/23/2012 - 2:25pm
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james_fudge: Give it a chance, we're still adjusting it ;)05/23/2012 - 11:20am
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james_fudge: One does not a Quorum make Craig.05/23/2012 - 11:16am
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Craig R.: If I complete the stupid game, and it just deletes my comment, what's the point?05/23/2012 - 11:15am
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Craig R.: Ok, the little captcha game? You can get rid of it already.05/23/2012 - 11:13am
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Craig R.: FCC boss is giving the thumbs up to usage-based pricing for Internet access05/23/2012 - 11:08am
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Andrew Eisen: beemoh - Yeah, Miyamoto was awarded the Spanish prize for Communication and Humanities.05/23/2012 - 10:36am
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beemoh: UK READERS: Sky Arts to broadcast complete Video Games Live concert this Friday at 9PM. Repeat 7AM the day after.05/23/2012 - 10:09am
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beemoh: Miyamoto seems to have been awardsed something- he was just trending worldwide on Twitter, and all the tweets were in what looked like Spanish.05/23/2012 - 7:07am
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Michael Chandra: Think so yes, since the judge didn't allow them to add ips at will. :P05/23/2012 - 6:23am
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Comments
Re: China Moves to Protect Young Online Gamers
All this protect the children stuff is mindboggeling. I mean what exactly do children need to be protected from when it comes to video games?
Video games don't sexually molest or violently harass children nor do they cause them to enter an altered or trans like state like alcohol and drugs can do causing them to commit actions which they wouldn't otherwise do in their normal state of mind.
It seems to me to be nothing more then an indirect form of state-based thought and mind control. The nanny-state doesn't like the ideas and messages presented in the games so they want to restrict access to them. Of course this is China which has no Freedom of Speech or Expression so I guess my point is moot.
"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment
Re: China Moves to Protect Young Online Gamers
When I imported Siren from Hong Kong it came with a BIG sticker on it saying "18 and over don't play infront of, sell, lend, hire etc this game to anyone under the age of 18."
Re: China Moves to Protect Young Online Gamers
...specifically any portrayals of “pornography, cults, superstitions, gambling and violence.”
So, for game content for minors, they just banned... everything?
Re: China Moves to Protect Young Online Gamers
Since if you look hard enough you can fidn that in, anything, seems like it.