Chinese Government to Put a Time Limit on Gaming

Flyph writes "The Chinese Government unveiled a new online gaming timer mechanism that will try to prevent gamers from playing online games for more than three hours at a time. From the article: '"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.' Maybe this is a way to prevent the goldfarming that goes on in MMORPGs." Of course, China may just want to avoid a tragedy similar to the recent South Korean man's death covered on Slashdot.

Comments

Re:China's priorities....

[Bios_Hakr]

Human rights and environmental concerns slow the economic growth of any country.

It is extremely hypocritical of Europeans and Americans to point a finger at China. Much of the European growth came from the fact that they raped Central America of gold. The US railway system was built on Chinese slave labor.

If you are living in the US or EU, you are reaping the benifits of hundreds of years of human and environmental plunder.

I'm not saying it isn't wrong. I just think that China will see it for what it is and tell us to get stuffed.

Multiple publishers

[tepples]

probably 99% of the MMORPG players play with a single account, thus the discouraging effect should work on them.

So do you claim that fewer than 1 percent of MMORPG customers play more than one publisher's game? Three hours on EverCrack, three hours on World of WarCrack, three hours on Guild Wars, and you can still feed your addiction. Or are you counting on some government-backed federated identity system to enforce a cumulative limit of three hours per day across all games?

Just a Thought.

[MrCopilot]

Wouldn't a better solution be to limit the amount of time per day everyone can play?

Follow me here. Online Gaming is always reduced to the guys who spend 18hrs a day sniping at newbs. Pick any game, its always reduced the same, if you didn't buy it in the first 6mos, by the time you get in you are a serf to a hundred jobless LVL32 (insert Superior Class here). To give everyone a fair shot, maybe developers should limit online time to say 6 "in world" hours a day, Extend other (Under-utilized at present) areas of gaming for the interested. Character development and customization, Economic commerce decisions, etc.. all that stuff that drags us out of the immersive feel of the game. Instead of layering "windows" and text on-top of the 3d world, move it all out of the world. Library, Hospital, Commerce, School, Chat & Socializitation, Story & Quest Info. All these would benefit from being free of 3d paradigm (except Combat school).

Seems like it would go a long way to extend the funlife of the game. The truly addicted will all be off by 6am. Take a lot of work to pull it off well.

Any Takers?
SourceForge is waiting....
Think about it, we already have a captive chinese audience, what is that 1..2.. billion?.

As a parent I wouldn't mind seeing a max hrs listed on the box. As a player, hmmm the extra stuff would have to be done very well, you know with Professional Writers and Artists. What? It could happen.