Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/11/07/chinas-government-is-limitin.html
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take video games away from kids… this is where dissent truly begins.
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I am so conflicted by this…
Applying the coercive power of a modern nation-state to a parenting issue is rather like using dynamite to extract a stubborn baby-tooth.
But with the current sentiment about China, I suppose it means that policy is now far less likely to be applied in the US.
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Keyword is PLAY. Kids gold farming is still business as usual I’m sure.
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To ensure compliance, players must use real names and identification numbers.
And herein lies the real reason for this ban. Can’t have the kids criticising glorious leader Winnie the Pooh in multiplayer chat.
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This has nothing to do with what’s good or best for the people en masse, let alone as individuals. It’s all about what’s best for the state. One more step into the Brave New World of Chinese market communism. Add the social credit and Uigher-type behaviour and thought controls and they’re halfway there.
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“Far less likely to be applied in the US”?
Given the fact that our oligarch overlords are more than happy to make their marketing decisions based on what China wants, I’d say it’s exactly the opposite.
$50 says much more powerful parent controls are MORE likely to be incorporated in gaming software because the Chinese market demands it.
Complete transparency: I’m probably one of the few here who doesn’t think that’s a bad thing whatsoever.
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I wonder how many giant games will start making EVERYONE use real names because it’s easier to apply one policy than to have regional exceptions.
And how is this implemented? Does every game now need to connect to the Game Tracking Server with the player’s name, and automatically close off if they exceed their limits, regardless of how much time they spent in that particular game?
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Yep. And add in age categorisations/restrictions, and ID systems will be needed like the failed UK age verification system for porn. I’m sure it will all work out exceptionally well. (Not!)
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You know what else does that? Living under the thumb of a police state with no hope for a decent future. No wonder kids want to escape. Better lock them in, quick!
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Preventative measures would be challenging to implement, but after-the-fact punitive ones based on logged data are simple.
Every player must use a state ID#
Every game must submit player usage stats to the state
Households in violation face consequences
Remember, kids, government control “for the children” is just an appeal to emotion to limit your freedom. Everyone’s names and online presence is now locked in as a kid, and in, what, 10 short years they will have that as adults too.
Oddly, overall, the Chinese are mostly ok with this sort of thing, they are just sort of conditioned to comply as long as it isn’t too intrusive. (There are exceptions, of course, but as a generality.) Especially in the larger cities who are used to more control.
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If you grow up in a cage, a cage is “normal.”
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The new generation is face planted cell phone screens. Hopefully this new regulation is beneficial.
Half of me is like “ugh, this is horrible”.
The other half of me is like “This is horrible, but given that they keep having people falling over dead from playing video games, there is something about Chinese culture that is having problems interfacing with computer games. This is not a good solution, the limits are way too low, needs to be more of an average thing, but there is an actual problem here that does kind of need addressed.”
I play “Puzzles and Dragons”, which started in Japan and is exceptionally popular across Asia. It has a lot of warnings about only playing for an hour a day, and it features a cool-down feature that won’t let you play more than a certain amount at a time. My wife plays a lot of games that were originally launched in the Asian markets and later translated to English and most of them incorporate a small-bursts kind of game mechanic that places emphasis on short play periods spread across the day.
Um, excuse me: what?
If you have some source on such cultural differences, provide it. Otherwise this is baseless patronizing chauvinism.
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I’ve heard that happening in South Korea, but not China.
But I don’t think playing video games to the detriment to one’s self or others is unique to anywhere in Asia. It maybe makes the news more due to the use of internet cafes, but there are tons of stories in the US of taking games to far. From bad to to horrible like neglecting a baby to play WoW.
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China sounds more and more like a paradise for old people who shake their fists at clouds.
What’s your source for this? And did the information ultimately come from Chinese (state-controlled) news?
Yes, China is truly the harbinger of woke consciousness. They can’t stand their burgeoning populace being subdued by the neo-opiate for the masses. This is a calculated maneuver to spark a movement which will ultimately free the minds of children worldwide. Yes yes.
