Gaming companies will be barred from providing services to minors in any form outside the stipulated hours and must ensure they have put real-name verification systems in place,said the regulator,which oversees the country’s video games market.
Previously,China had limited the length of time under-18s could play video games to 1½ hours on any day and three hours on holidays under 2019 rules.
The new rules swiftly became one of the most discussed topics on Weibo,China’s answer to Twitter. Some users expressed support for the measures,while others said they were surprised at how drastic the rules were.
“This is so fierce that I’m utterly speechless,” said one comment that received over 700 likes.
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Others expressed doubt that the restrictions could be enforced:“They will just use their parents’ logins,how can they control it?“.
Gaming shares zapped
The Chinese games market will generate an estimated $US45.6 billion ($61 billion) of revenue in 2021,ahead of the United States,according to analytics firm Newzoo.
The crackdown reverberated around the world.
Shares in Amsterdam-listed tech investment company Prosus,which holds a 29 per cent stake in Chinese social media and video games group Tencent,were down 1.45 per cent,while European online video gaming stocks Ubisoft and Embracer Group each fell more than 2 per cent.
Shares of Chinese gaming stocks slid in pre-market trading in the United States with NetEase falling more than 6 per cent and mobile game publisher Bilibili dropping 3 per cent.
About 62.5 per cent of Chinese minors play games online,and 13.2 per cent of underage mobile game users play mobile games for more than two hours a day on working days,according to state media.
Gaming companies have been on edge in recent weeks as state media criticised gaming addiction among young people,signalling a regulatory crackdown.
A state media outlet in August described online games as “spiritual opium” and cited Tencent’sHonour of Kings in an article that called for more curbs on the industry,battering shares in the world’s largest gaming firm by revenue.
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Tencent later announced new measures to reduce the time and money children spend on games,starting withHonour of Kings. Its president also said it was working with regulators to explore ways in which the total amount of time minors spent on gaming could be capped across all titles in the industry.
The NPPA regulator told Xinhua it would increase the frequency and intensity of inspections for online gaming companies to ensure they were putting in place time limits and anti-addiction systems.
It also said that parents and teachers played key roles in curbing gaming addiction.
Reuters