Posted on 08/25/2005 12:07:18 PM PDT by Lexinom
China blocks online gamers from playing for more than 3 consecutive hours
By Faye Wang
Shanghai. August 23. INTERFAX-CHINA - The Chinese Government unveiled a new system Tuesday to prevent individuals from playing online games for more than three consecutive hours, which must be installed for every online game in the country.
"This timing mechanism can prevent young people from becoming addicted to online games," Kou Xiaowei, Deputy Director of the Audiovisual and Internet Publication Department of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), said during a press conference.
The new system, developed under the guidance of the GAPP, stops individuals from playing online games for more than three hours by cutting the abilities of game characters. The new system cuts the ability level of a player's online game character by half after he or she has played for more than three consecutive hours. Once a player has played for more than five consecutive hours, the system cuts the ability level of that player's character to the lowest level allowed by the game.
The system also lowers the ability of players to find treasures or prizes available in an online game after they have played for more than three consecutive hours.
Furthermore, the system keeps track of hours of play. Individuals who immediately log back onto a game after three hours of consecutive play will continue to have the ability of their game character lowered by the system. Players must be logged off for a minimum of five hours before the system resets.
The GAPP has defined the playing of online games for less than three consecutive hours as "healthy," playing three to five consecutive hours as "tiring," and playing for more than five consecutive hours as "unhealthy."
(Excerpt) Read more at interfax.cn ...
On another level, it shows that China occassionally takes cultural decay more seriously than to we in the West, which bodes well for their future.
Nice of the government to think about how best to protect us from this scourge. Hope they can think of other ways to help me from harming myself... (/sarcasm)
Good luck in that 5 hour poker tournement! LOL
Did you find it strange that the control mechanism involves integrating the controls into the game itself? This is an effect on the content of the game, not just the session. I wonder if they could have a Red Star power-up that would give you bonus time if you could prove you did your homework? ;-)
The Reds are taking away online gaming for the common good.
Or if you turn in one of your neighbors for an offense to the state - say . . . smoking, or over eating.
Online gaming can become an addiction, so abstaining from it or limiting it is a good thing. Having said that, their tactics - a government-enforced crackdown - are unfortunate and unacceptable by our (American) standards. It's like smoking in a lot of ways - bad for us, yes, but our liberty.
...or were related to the local CP official.
"Or if you turn in one of your neighbors for an offense to the state - say . . . smoking, or over eating."
LOL! but you've got your countries mixed up---in China, you turn people in for speaking against the government.
ping
And Hillary takes notes...
Once a player has played for more than five consecutive hours, the system cuts the ability level of that player's character to the lowest level allowed by the game.
What if my character was a complete dork anyway and started out at the lowest level allowed by the game?
They could make out like bandits if the cost of connection doubles after 3 hours, then doubles again after five.
Evrybody wins!
Well, it works for cigarettes, doesn't it?
Awr your bases are berong to us.
Watch all the big game companies kowtow (pun intended) and scramble to inflict this system on everyone worldwide so they don't lose out on the 'valuable market' in China.
Good idea. You could get, say, extra ammo or a bonus life if you can correctly fill in the blank on a passage from the Sayings of Chairman Mao.
:^)
"Awr your bases are berong to us."
A pseudo-Chinese phrasing of an Engrish translation (for Sega Genesis) of a Japanese translation (same) of an English phrase used in what would otherwise be an obscure and unnoteworthy side-shooter arcade game, Zero Wing. Ouch.
I'll give it two or three weeks before a Chinese or Korean hacker managers to get around the controls.
Nanny States which want to micromanage every aspect of everyone's life "for their own good" are far worse threats to the future of a society than "cultural decay", especially when the "decay" is something that *can* be abused, but usually isn't. How is four hours on an online game worse than four hours in front of the TV watching football games? Or four+ hours carousing at a bar with your buddies? Or four hours of Freeping?
Washington DC. August 23 2009. AP - The Hillary Clinton administration unveiled a new system Tuesday to prevent individuals from participating in online forums for more than three consecutive hours, which must be installed for every forum server in the country."This timing mechanism can prevent young people from becoming addicted to political activism," Sandy Berger, Deputy Director of the Audiovisual and Internet Publication Department of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), said during a press conference.
The new system, developed under the guidance of the GAPP, stops individuals from reading forums for more than three hours [...] Furthermore, the system keeps track of hours of forum usage. Individuals who immediately log back onto a game after three hours of consecutive usage will continue to have the access restricted.
The GAPP has defined the reading of online forums for less than three consecutive hours as "healthy," read three to five consecutive hours as "tiring," and reading for more than five consecutive hours as "unhealthy."
"It's for the Children", said President Clinton.
Wow, The Chicoms forgot one thing, They can't block American Games. So if a Chinese player played say Runescape for 10 hours, The Chicoms can do nothing. Even if they did block Runescape, Those people can still play other games. Freedom Cannot Be Stopped, Mhuhhahahah
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