Chinese regulators are concerned about the impact of a booming gaming culture.They’ve released proposals to prevent so-called addictive behavior. So, is it ‘game over’ for gamers?
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00:00 China's regulators are not playing games.
00:04 The National Press and Publication Administration is calling for new rules to curb the use of
00:09 online games.
00:11 It says it wants to restrict the rewards that these games offer.
00:16 What does that mean?
00:17 It means no points, credits or discounts for logging in every day.
00:22 No incentives if users buy something within a game for the first time.
00:27 And no benefits for making several purchases in a row.
00:32 Gaming companies want people to spend more time playing.
00:36 They also want them to spend more money while playing.
00:40 Rewards encourage them to do that.
00:42 But regulators say enough is enough.
00:45 They're even suggesting limits on digital wallets.
00:49 In other words, the money that players spend on products within the game.
00:54 This isn't the first time authorities have clamped down on gaming.
00:58 Back in 2021, they said children could play online games for one hour a day, but only
01:05 on Fridays, weekends and public holidays.
01:08 So what's the big deal with games?
01:12 Authorities say they want to prevent a culture of obsession and addiction.
01:17 And there's some evidence that the rules may be working.
01:20 Game coverage firm Niko Partners says there were 122 million young gamers in 2020.
01:28 That figure dropped by a third after the rules kicked in, falling to 83 million.
01:34 Officials have asked for feedback on the latest proposals.
01:38 They say they'll study the responses.
01:40 But China has 650 million gamers, nearly half the population.
01:46 The industry is also worth around $45 billion.
01:51 It's a massive part of Chinese culture.
01:54 So even if people do cut back, it's not exactly game over.
02:00 Michael Merillia, CGTN, London.
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