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Thailand Imposes Gamers Curfew
bg writes "How addicted can you be? According to this article, Thailand will install a curfew to "protect" their childern from the addiction from Gaming. "Game servers, both local and overseas, will be blocked from 10.00pm to 6.00am daily from July 15 to Sept 30, while Internet cafes will also have their hours curbed to those times". Under particular attack is Korean role-playing game Ragnarok, which was introduced to Thailand seven months ago."
Remember, this is Thailand. During the hours from 10:00 pm to 6:00, that is where they want the children working.
I don't know what it is with Korean games, but the sounds coming out of the character's mouths never sync with their lips. I must have a slow PC.
Once again I bring you this service announcement:
Parents, watch your kids. Don't make the government do it for you, you won't like it.
This is not specific to Thailand either.
Sent from your iPad.
That's horrible!! Those people may never know what it's like to do a 36 hour multiplayer marithon.
That certainly would be motivation to have a LAN installed and invite friends over for weeks at a time.
Maybe they should have a good read of the article about why games are good for you. Video games are good for your kids! (Oh, they're good for adults too....)
I'd like to see how the plan to do this from a technical stand point. Blocking some well know servers shouldn't be all that hard. But blocking all gaming trafic.... I see this plan failing hard and fast.
Technology, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems.
This is bad in that it doesn't just affect the kids. Not sure how much simpler I can put that.
... said the gaming industry as it faces hostile action from various quarters for the violence it 'promotes'.
I believe they have a new ratings system for video games. It rates the games on the basis of the level of violence in the game. e.g. cartoon violence, fantasy violence, intense violence and sexual violence. This will come into effect from Sept. 15.
I wonder why Thai authorities could not do the same instead of imposing curfew.
Anyways, I don't think the curfew is gonna work. It never does! After all, the forbidden fruit is always the most desirable... and the best way to ensure that children do something is to disallow it!
Hopefully it will prevent incidents like this, when gamers apparently don't know when to stop.
I wish they would come around to my apartment and *enforce* this curfew on me, personally.
Games should have a playing limit; If you play for more than 24 hours, it enforces you to shower, shave and eat something. You would have to present fresh evidence that these tasks have been done before unlocking the next level.
It would be for my own good :/
In a related story the US desides to block all porn sites during working hours.
"My father once told me that respect for the truth comes close to being the basis for all morality." - Muad'Dib
Just run a game server at port 80? Or if it requires more ports, tunnel them all through port 80 or use other common ports? (21, 23, 25, etc) This either renders the "curfew" useless or generates one helluva fun spastic reaction from Thai officials as they accidently ban the web.
Hate me!
Do you ever know where such parental censorship has worked? I can name several where govt. censorhip has worked / is working well for all concerned. Pakistan, for instance, is developing a free porn-blocking s/w at the govt. level.
OK, good... now name one that's actually a good idea and has worked. What if I lived in Pakistan and wasn't a Muslim (or Buddist, or whatever) and WANTED to look at porn, but couldn't because the government regulated my internet traffic?
Never trust monopolists and capitalists to work for the good of you or your kids.The only values they understand are dollars and share-prices.
And NEVER trust the government, because they're the only group that can legally kill you and everyone you ever met "for the common good". I'd rather trust people concerned with money than people that could kill me for not trusting them... and get away with it. At least I agree that money is good. I definitely don't agree with killing me.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
I totally agree with you. How about the poor adult shmucks who work evenings and can only play at night? Penalize everyone for the sake of the kids. It should be the parents' responsibility to enforce this, not the government (except maybe having the internet cafes not admit anyone under the age of 18 between those hours). Where are the parents while this is happening? Why arent they watching what their kids are doing?
It's better to burn out than to fade away
Wait, corporations now own our children? Fuck, how long was I asleep for?
Placebo? Is that the art of convincing your enemy you hit him really without actually touching him?
Malaysia has, like Thailand, what it perceives to be an increasing amount of youth addicted to gaming. What one has to understand is that the methods of parenting in many Asian countries are quite different from those employed here, as is the perceived role of law enforcement. Because parents feel that they cannot simply order their children to stay away from the arcades, they put their trust in the laws of the land to prevent their children from what is seen as an unproductive, unhealthy activity.
I've been to Malaysian Net Cafes. Part of the reason parents are so worried about these places is because they often are havens for youth gang members, and still more often serve as venues for recruiting impressionable youths into the gangs.
Gaming addiction, while not so prevalent here, is quite common in the Far East. Kuala Lumpur has Net Cafes on every block, and enough children skip school or sneak out at night to play there that parents groups have demanded that something be done.
Many asian societies value strict adherence to the wishes of one's parents. These curfews have probably been implemented because parents feel extremely concerned that their children are defying family values (by disobeying their parents and playing games at all hours).
Now kids can go back out on the street and get mugged, do drugs and get trashed at parties! Just what every "normal" kid should be doing. If my kid has a tendancy to get addicted to things then I want him doing drugs and alchohol, not evil video games!
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
Shouldn't you be out on a ledge somewhere?
"If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated." - Voltaire
who's talking about around the clock gaming?(well, you are :)
What if you don't have a 9-to-5 job but a 2(pm)-to-10(pm) job? All work and no play make Homer go something something....
Nobody believes the official spokesman, but everybody trusts an unidentified source. -- Ron Nesen
When television first starting being broadcast in the UK, there was no transmission perhaps an hour in the evening so that parents could put there children to bed.
I have to get the kids to sleep first!
..... but not surprising coming from the country where it is allegedly illegal to go commando!
..... it's part and parcel of what separates us from the animals.
But seriously. This sort of thing is serious, even although it is "only" happening in Thailand, because I can hear Blair, Bush et al having real live orgasms about the possibilities. You have to ask the question, "what next?" When they finally take the ashtrays off restaurant tables, the sugar bowl and the salt cellar will look furtuvely at one another and wonder how long they have left. Those in authority never stop with what they have. If they can successfully "solve" the "problem" of childhood addiction to computer games, then some new problem will take its place as "#1 menace to our youth" and will, in turn, be "solved" by an even more pointless and draconian law.
Since when has it become necessary to prevent adults from doing something that might be harmful for children just in case children might do it anyway? That is not the job of the government, it is the job of parents. The whole point of being an adult is that you alone are responsible for your actions and the consequences thereof. Since the dawn of time, the human race has practiced self-destructive behaviour
Governments have been nibbling away at our rights for a long time now. Every so often, though, they seem to bite off a huge chunk, chew it with their mouths open, and spit it in your face.
If we don't take up against this sort of thing right now it might be too late. The day is coming when every single decision that might have a hint of a consequence about it will have already been made for you. The world is turning evil, what with ID cards, CCTV cameras, embedded RFID chips, anonymous tip-off hotlines and suchlike. And you know what? Under that kind of a system, I really can't think of a single advantage to not being in prison.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
I will probably get flamed for this, but I think this is a positive thing.
You're right. This is Flame Number One.
Growing up, I grappled with a gaming addiction. Going to school on three hours of sleep is not good for your education (despite what some articles might have you believe). In a perfect world, parents would be preventing their children from overloading on games. In reality, in these days of dual incomes and extracurricular activities, they aren't always able to, and it's a good thing that the government can step in and lend a hand.
I remember one time, back in the early 90's, I was playing too many video games and not doing my homework. I was still getting pretty good grades, mostly B's, but not the A's I was capable of. I was living only with my father, at the time, so there really wasn't anybody around for several hours a day to watch me (I was 12-13 at the time). My punishment was very limited video game access for 6 months, or until my grades improved. You know how my father accomplished that? He took my Super Nintendo to his workplace, put it in a box, and stuck it under his desk. It could have been in the car, at one of his friends' houses, or any number of a million other places. Was my father "special", or "lucky", or a "more talented" parent, or simply "more intelligent" than your parents? Probably. Maybe the easiest solution is for parents to be parents.
The alternative is medication (which is how I kicked the video game habit before I became the next Columbine), and that will just be more expensive to everyone in the long term.
Great idea. Let's just drug our children. After all, 6% of the children in this country actually have ADD, yet 17% (or more) are on Ritalin. We obviously need more drugs. While I'm on the subject, maybe you don't watch enough TV (because of your work schedule and all), but perhaps you've seen the commercials that try to drug all the adults now too? They're paid for by the company that produces Ritalin.
Curfews are cheap and effective.
What's cheap about it? Paying the government employees their union-decided wages to work minimal hours on doing the least-possible work? What's effective about a curfew? I was out all the time when I was a kid after the 10pm curfew that we had in our town. I walked past the police department at 2am, including officers and patrol cars (and I didn't look over the age of 12), and never once got taken home, or fined, or anything.
Another good approach might be to put a lower age limit on the use of Windows.
I'm not sticking up for Microsoft, but putting an age limit on software is insane. If my 3 year-old is intelligent enough to play Final Fantasy X, then damnit, he/she will play Final Fantasy X. Who's going to regulate and enforce that age? Microsoft? Then they'll be collecting more personal information about you, which I'm sure you'll love. The government? Oh wonderful. Another Total Information Awareness Act. Great idea.
You need to think out your arguments before you post... seriously. If your parents didn't want you playing games, they shouldn't have purchased the console for you. If you only had 3 hours of sleep every night, eventually, you'll fall over and sleep. It seems like it took you quite a few years, but you're mentally asleep now. Mission accomplished.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
Quick comparison. "Kill" & "Die"
Kill
"One of the boys was seen on Chinese television telling police interrogators that he had started the fire in an act of revenge because staff at the cybercafe had refused to let him play computer games there."
Die
"A South Korean man died yesterday after playing computer games at an Internet cafe for 86 hours nonstop, reports the Associated Press."
I have no point, just an observation.
Isn't it the Koreans who always seem to be dying from 72 hours of non stop gaming, forgetting to eat sleep or drink. Try googling for korean+gamer+death - seems to happen quite a bit.
Police also tend to get weird ideas, like the undesirable person might not be dealing drugs, but we don't like his kind here anyway. Lets say he's a drug dealer (blam).
To me, this sounds like a human rights disaster waiting to happen, and I hope Singapore gets itself out of the mess before it blows up in their face. I don't think you'll find due process "ball-less" when you get wrongly accuesed by some overzealous cop listening to some guy pleading for his life and fingering everybody he knows as a drug dealer. Yes. The government knows the best forms of entertainment for you. Thinking for yourself is bad. Pick up government novel GN-23562 for your daily entertainment stipend today. Interestingly enough, a lot of those fast food places used to close between 10 and 12. Maybe the kids will turn to drugs once they take away the gaming? I don't know. I do know that the games weren't hurting anybody (the vast majority of the time at any rate), I don't know what they're going to do instead though. This is a bit of FUD, but it really does reflect my uncertainty about the upcoming situation.
I read the internet for the articles.
On matters like censorship, I generally agree with you - because kids might see something at a friend's house, school etc, when you're not present to see what they are up to.
But the simple act of not letting them play PC games after 10pm is another thing entirely. Thats as simple as not putting the machine in their bedroom.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
This doesn't suprise me at all. When I was teaching in rural Thailand (though close enough to an urban center to have net cafes), I would go there every day to check my email. Usually, most of the computers would be taken up by kids I recognized from my (elementary level) classes. At that point, the really popular game was Counterstrike. It was a strange experience to be writing home while the sound of gunfire came at me from a dozen directions ...
...
I have to admit wondering at the time what effect it would have for an entire nation to grow up playing a game like that. They would be well-versed in squad combat techniques, for a start
Can you really imagine GW Bush getting on a podium and pointing at an initiative that came from Thailand as an example of a US initiative for children? Not only would it leave him open to attacks (Thai children's initiative? Is that something to do with the asian child sex trade?) but more importantly everyone should know by now that ALL GOOD THINGS COME FROM TEXAS. The moment Houston implements something like this (probably with a death sentence attached for violators) GW will round up Blair and hold a news conference. Besides, GW knows that only terrorists and file trading pedophiles use the internet, he's gotta wait until he gets the intel before he can try to have the marines land on the WWW
Because parents feel that they cannot simply order their children to stay away from the arcades, they put their trust in the laws of the land to prevent their children from what is seen as an unproductive, unhealthy activity.
Well here in Canada (and the US) parents don't feel they can simply order their children around either. But rather then expect law enforcement to do anything about it, they whine and bitch about freedom and rights.
Then schools and law enforcement try to cover the gap left by bad parenting, constantly overstepping reasonable bounds and cause more trouble. (I actually had a principal that gloated about how he was more powerful then a court, he didn't even need evidence to punish students)
Bad parenting exists everywhere, you have busy hardworking overworked parents, lazy parents, non existant parents.
Making laws to compensate isn't going to help, we need parents to get back to work.
(No, I'm not a parent. Yes I know it's hard, which is why I'm not a parent yet, I'm not ready.)
It's called a girlfriend.
Welcome to lifestyles of the Rich and Famous "The Authoritarian Edition".
I really suppose you have a kid (I do, and can state my personal thoughts on this matter). There's very little chance of parental censorhip succeeding with kids - why? Bcos kids are kids, that's all. This is a matter where Western and Eastern thinking differs a lot - the value of state censorship.
I do have a kid, two in fact. And you can bet your dictator trodden ass that I MUCH prefer setting the limits for my children, than having my government do it for me. Where the system breaks down, is with poor parenting - NOT "kids being kids". Basically all you are saying to the world is, "I can't manage my own life - please mister government man can you take care of that for me?" Well I say, "FUCK THAT!"
And in regards to you other idiotic statements...
Western societies are generally more tolerant - lax, according to the Earterners, and are driven by capitalism. They tend to focus on rights, rather than duties. This could explain the recent orders permitting gays and lesbians, as well as the inaction on spam.
Yes, I suppose thats why most of the spam I receive come from relays in China, Indonesia, Thialand, etc... I will grant you that it is mostly Westerners using these open relays - but if these governments are so on the ball and looking out for their citizens seems to me this wouldn't be an issue. But hey, I live in one of the states with real anti-spam laws. You've got me totally baffled on the gay rights equates to spam thing though...
Earterners generally focus on duties, role models, censorship and even punbishment for acts considered normal in the West. The internet brigs out this dichotomy bcos it's an open network. Thus govt. censorship is a preferred and better solution in Eastern societies - Thailand being one.
You stick with your authoritarian view. Because really - your governement knows what is best for you and your ilk. "The value of state censorship"... yeah, you hang onto that it'll be worth a lot one day...
I usually don't add quotes to my posts. And god knows I'll catch major shit for posting an Ayn Rand one...
It is a sin to write this.
- Anthem
http://windows.scares.us
You might tell me that computer games aren't damaging--hell we've all been playing them for years, and they made us who we are today. But the kids in Pornvakia say the same thing about porn.
We all accept (well, sort of) those limitations the government put on us because we grew up with them, and it's just the way it is. Anyway, I know I wouldn't like to be told not to play computer games. But I don't think this is much different from what is accepted in other countries.
The alternative is medication (which is how I kicked the video game habit before I became the next Columbine)
You know, I pretty much grew up on games. Heck, I still have my gaming addiction. I'm almost 33 now, and I haven't shot anyone. In fact, I don't even consider violence to be a solution to anything.
I also have a well paid job as a programmer. Somehow gaming didn't interfere with that education after all. (In fact, it was what got me interested in programming in the first place. And my father fully cooperated there, so by the time I was 14 I was already fluent in Z80 assembly.)
No medication was necessary, either. Go figure.
My father did insist though that I go to bed at 9 PM, no matter what. Maybe that's why I didn't go to school on 3 hours sleep.
If your parents just put you on drugs instead, well, no offense to you, but I hope your parents do take offense. Because they're retards. They're a prime example of what's wrong with society today, and what's the _real_ cause of stuff like Columbine happening.
The real problem is: people who don't want to deal with their kids. In some situations even to talk to them. They're so busy making a career and working 12 hour geek shifts to impress the PHB, that poor kids get at most 5 minutes a day of speaking to their parents.
And when said kids have a problem, the parent takes the easy way out. Just put the kid on drugs or insist that the government take care of that problem. Hey, it's easier than talking to the kid, right?
A lot of blowing stuff out of proportion is based on that lack of communication too. It's easier to make blanket statements about games, than to talk to the kid and find out exactly what games does he play.
It's downright retarded to put for example FPS gaming in the same pot as, for example, puzzle games. You tell me how some kid growing on logic games is going to be the next serial killer. No, really. I'm all ears. He's going to get the idea of shooting people with a shotgun... from a game which doesn't even have shotguns anywhere?
Yet people will still make these blanket statements anyway and expect the government to do their work for them. It's easier than actually talking to their children. Or than, you know, actually trying to influence the kid's choice of games.
So here's an idea: if you're going to put your carreer in first place, and the kids only in 10'th place (after watching football, beer, watching news, and everything else) on your list of priorities... you shouldn't have kids in the first place. Wear a condom. They're cheap. Or take a pill. Have an abortion. Whatever.
But don't just bring a poor kid into this world and then treat it like it's some unwanted rat in the basement.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
Having lived in Thailand for a long time and having seen that laws are enforced less-than-vigorously, I can't see this really changing anything.
Thailand is the kind of place where I can go to Pantip Plaza and have my choice of five floors of pirated software for $2.50US/CD. When the police come to crack down, you throw a sheet over your stall - if you can't see it, apparently it's not there (with the aid of a bit of a kickback, of course). Get pulled over? Shell out a few hundred baht to compensate the officer for his time, and you're on your way.
On the other hand, there was a crackdown on nightlife a year or two ago and they're forcing everyone to close their bars at 2am, this seems to be largely followed. But even if Internet Cafes are forced to close, I'm sure that today's enterprising young children will find some way around that, and they shouldn't be up that late, anyway. As for adults - they have better things to do between the hours of 10pm and 6am, believe you me.
TCP is not UDP. Games run on UDP. Blocking UDP port 80 will not interfere with TCP port 80.
-molo
Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
I live in Thailand...
One of the reasons this was put into effect is because broadband access is way too expensive for non-businesses to afford. Registered game shops and cybercafes get special discounts otherwise they also can't afford to get broadband. So people who play online games never play at home.
Hmm, come to think of it, I guess this is also the reason broadband prices suddenly dropped.
Game servers, both local and overseas, will be blocked from 10.00pm to 6.00am daily from July 15 to Sept 30,
Without the annoying game traffic, it means more bandwidth available for surfing pr0n sites.
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass