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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."
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.
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.
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 :/
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!
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
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).