At the tender age of 10, I was struck with an unfortunate case of chickenpox which left me on quarantined in the confines of my bedroom with nothing but my Nintendo DS and a PSP.
The whole ordeal lasted for two weeks. It was two sleepless weeks of Sims 2 Pets, Monster Hunter, and Animal Crossing.
Who doesn’t love Animal Crossing?
This is not about to be the story of my game addiction. My addiction only started at the age of 15 when I discovered Steam. I know, I’m a late bloomer.
It’s not so much of an addiction if you’re chronically getting kicked out of servers for vomit breaks. It was then that I discovered that I had issues… to be more specific, a bad case of motion sickness.
Okay, enough about me. Moving on to today’s topic, in an effort to fight against video game addiction, the Chinese Government has imposed a curfew for young gamers in the country.
The curfew applies to those below the age of 18. It aims to restrict the amount of time and money spent on gaming.
Only 90 Minutes of Game Time Allowed on Weekdays
Video games can be disruptive to a number of routines. The Chinese government had previously identified this problem amongst its youths with China having the world’s largest online gaming industry.
According to BBC, the government has implemented a rule which bans young gamers from online gaming between 10.00 pm and 8.00 pm.
The rule also states that these players will only be allowed 90 minutes of gameplay on weekdays, and three hours on weekends and public holidays.
Tragic
Limited In-Game Spending
It doesn’t just stop at the curfew. A limit will also put on these young gamers’ in-game expenditure.
A maximum of RMB 200 (S$38.86) is allowed for players between the ages of 8-years-old to 16-years-old. While those belonging in the 16-18 age category will be allowed a spending total of RMB 400 (S$77.72)
As such, players will have to use their real names and identification numbers to register or log-in to their gaming accounts.
Loopholes Surrounding the Regulatory Efforts
However, some individuals from the industry are concerned that young gamers could circumvent the new regulations. They mentioned the possibility of these gamers finding their way around the rules by using their parents’ phones and identification numbers.
Oh, so it’s not just PMD riders who know how to find loopholes.
Though others have also said that it might just work in China’s heavily regulated video game market.
But why?
But why impose a curfew on these young gamers?
Chinese officials said the regulations were meant to combat addiction.
“These problems affect the physical and mental health of minors, as well as their normal learning and living,” the National Press and Publication Administration said in a statement that was published by Xinhua, the official news agency.
China’s efforts in curbing video game addiction might just be an awakening to other nations who are in desperate need of a video game detox.
As exhilarating as it is to roam freely around realms and teleport through portals, becoming disconnected from the reality of things just isn’t so fun when you think of it.
Of course, we’re not outrightly calling you out for your toxic gaming habits. We’re just saying… keep everything in moderation.
But if you’re reading this on the Good Feed app, don’t need to keep everything in moderation. Just read as many articles as you want so that our boss can finally buy a new Mercs.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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