China’s young video gamers no longer have play time, thanks to a new law.

China has prohibited minors from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a severe social intervention that it once described as a 'spiritual opium' addiction. The new rules, issued on Monday, are a key aspect of China's effort to grasp society and key sectors of its economy, including technology, education, and real estate, after years of uncontrolled growth. As a result, a worldwide gaming industry, which caters to millions of consumers in China's most lucrative market, is incensed. This year, the Chinese government has a policy of limiting minors to playing games for one hour a day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, in addition to one hour of playing time on public holidays.

The rules from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) regulator coincide with a broader clampdown by Beijing against China’s tech giants, such as Alibaba and Tencent. State media has described the “savage growth” of some companies as a problem. This has wiped billions of dollars off shares both at home and abroad.

The Chinese video games regulator has said it will ban gaming companies from providing services to minors outside the stipulated hours and will require them to use real-name authentication systems to verify users' identities. The future of our country lies in the hands of our youth,” said an NPPA spokesperson. “Protecting the physical and mental health of minors is an issue of national importance, and one that directly impacts the development of the next generation in our country's rejuvenation.”

LATEST FULL HD 1080P GAMES

According to Xinhua, the NPPA spokesperson highlighted teenagers’ importance in China’s future. Protecting minors’ physical and mental health is critical, particularly in terms of nurturing the country’s next generation,” he stated. The NPPA requires parents to prevent their children from playing outside of the designated hours and uses real-name identity verification technology.

Hundreds of people agreed that the measure was so strict that they were at a loss for words. Others doubted whether the restrictions could be enforced. “They will just use their parents' logins, how can they control it?” one asked.

700 likes were garnered by a comment that conveyed utter speechlessness after seeing the video. Others questioned whether the restrictions could be enforced. “They will just use their parents' logins, how can they control it?” one individual asked.

LATEST GAME PEDALS

Comments like “I’m utterly speechless because this is so fierce,” received over 700 likes. Some doubted that the restrictions could be enforced. “They will just use their parents’ logins, so how can they control it?” one asked.

China's games market is predicted to generate $45.6 billion in 2021, according to Newzoo, surpassing the United States. The global impact was immediate. Prosus, an Amsterdam-based technology investment firm that owns a 29% stake in Chinese social media and video game company Tencent, saw its shares drop 1.45%, while Ubisoft and Embracer Group, two prominent online video game stocks, fell over 2% across Europe.

Chinese gaming stocks NetEase and Bilibili fell before market open in the United States as a result of state media reporting that a huge number of minors frequently play games online. A whopping 62.5 percent of Chinese children play online games, and 13.2 percent of them play mobile games for more than two hours a day on working days, state media said. Gaming firms have been on edge in recent weeks as state media lambasted the gaming addiction of young people, signalling a regulatory crackdown.

State media reported that online games are ‘spiritual opium’ this month, citing ‘Honor of Kings’ as an example of a game that should be curbed. The article battered shares of China’s biggest online gaming firm by revenue after mentioning ‘Honor of Kings’ in an article that called for more restrictions on the sector. After the piece was released, Tencent announced new measures to reduce the time and money children spend on games, starting with ‘Honor of Kings’. In addition to its president’s commitment to working with regulators to explore ways to cap the total amount of time minors spend on gaming across all titles, Tencent has also announced that it is working with regulators to introduce anti-addiction and time limit systems. NPPA regulators will increase the frequency and intensity of inspections for online gaming companies to ensure that they are complying with time limits and anti-addiction protocols, Xinhua reported. Parents and educators also play a key role in combating gaming addiction, it said.