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China's online game regulations relaxed

Fatigue system to prevent marathon gaming sessions sees its scope reduced, adults now exempt.

According to reports from Pacific Epoch, Chinese controls to prevent addiction to online games were greatly relaxed this week when the government announced adults would be exempt from the regulation. Last August the Chinese government's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) announced plans to install a fatigue system in online games. After a rash of fatal marathon gaming sessions in Southeast Asia, the GAPP said it would require massively multiplayer online games to punish gamers who played for more than three hours at a time by cutting their ability or level by half and reducing them to the lowest level possible after five hours. Gamers would need to take five-hour breaks between playing sessions to avoid the system's punishment. The system started trial implementation on certain servers for a handful of games back in October. The government is currently planning to implement the system in earnest this year.

61 Comments

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Feb 5, 2006 12:27 pm GMT

    i take it nobody read my comment...

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Feb 1, 2006 9:17 pm GMT

    yeah that would suck being limited though!

  • DFTricks

    Posted Feb 1, 2006 12:34 pm GMT

    Thoses Comi BASTARD! XD

  • Bobdole_has_egg

    Posted Jan 31, 2006 6:59 pm GMT

    and 5 hour break before playing again?! so you only get like 2:59 hours a day!ok..go to school...get home at bout 3 play till 6 at 11 5 hour time break is over by that time ur in bed!

  • Bobdole_has_egg

    Posted Jan 31, 2006 6:56 pm GMT

    they better not do this to the us...just plain wrong...how thinks i'm right?!

  • Bobdole_has_egg

    Posted Jan 31, 2006 6:52 pm GMT

    i think that is wrong!cutting down somebodys lvls for playing to long?if people play to much and get brain dead its their fault.cant their parents or something tell them to get off?because some people that may be doing a quest or busy fighting some big monster that may take hours to beat so they forget bout how long they are play.i hope they dont do this is the us...this is an outrage!!!

  • Seobazz

    Posted Jan 31, 2006 7:41 am GMT

    What a sad for chinesse play limit up to five hours and we in America play anytime anywhere cause it is FREEDOM!!! anything we want to play but in chinesse limit due to communison what a duh!!! Sorry for them!!!! I am sure they are envy of us being capable to play anything we want ever up to 24 hours ever up to 365 a day to play contiune!!!!! Thank god I am not live in china!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 10:41 pm GMT

    i hope someone actaully reads all of that!

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 10:35 pm GMT

    hmm...okay we are all gamers here and that shows, along with the fact that we have our own opinoin but let me tell you all something about govrnment. ITS MIXED, meaning its not fully a communism or fully a capatalist. To break it down even farther, its not completely free market, and not completely controled market. The difference however is that china is more of a controlled market which makes more capatalist countries disagree becuase they are on a different side. Communism would be perfect if it could be perfect. think of it- a place where everything is in harmony where everyone is equal, has the same rights, etc. The problem is some people are just plane better then others. (i know that sounds harsh but its true) for example whos more reliable a hobo or a lawer? Not everyone has equal attributes so unless seriuos genetic control goes into order...like hitler tried... the world can not be equal. For more of an example: an olympic runner and a mathmaticain wont make the same difference to the world. They have different brains and different body conditions. Whos better- argue over this one. I say the mathematian(becuase he makes a difference as a whole to the world). But argualitevly the oylmpic runner could be better becuase he is more fit and probably has a more relaxing and entertaining life. Another why communism fails is in work ethic. The lazyer people will get away with doing what they do and get paid. The go-getters will work themselves to death and get paid the same amount. Until they relize that they make the same, then they will care less. Eventually, nothing can be completed. The third problem is that if everyone has the same money and power and everything else makeing them equal then, WHO WILL MAKE SURE COMMUNISM RUNS SMOOTHLY? Nobody, plane and simple a communism is basically a lack of government to itself. There would be no point in ruling over something that you dont really rule over. Lets put this in another way. Its in the early centuris, and a King that decides to make communism. He orders all of the land to start growing food on land, so they can all live. As soon as he puts everyone on equal levels, then he too would have to grow crops. Everyone farming in the feild, the same product becuase they cant be better than others. Which means everyone would get used to it, no big deal. Say good by to your favorite things your relaxing moments, becuase everyone has to be the same. Everyone goes along slackingly not caring just farming. Make enough food to live, and thats it. Nobody has fun, at all. People would very quickly destroy it. Fights would occur to see who is the better, and the one ruler effect would be back in. So that is why communism will never work. Capitalism isnt perfect either though, because people will not care about the less fortunate and expect them to go do things themselves. Which would kill them off. As bad is this may seem this would encourage them to try harder and make themselves a better life. Which haveing the oppisite effect of communism and make society become a more working one. To produce ideas in order to become wealtheir. The only problem is monopolys would occur and it would come done to a few wealthy men ruling the land. Thats why the best system is a mixed one. We can not have people become lazy and we cannot have the masses of people suffer. So thats there is NO PERFECT GOVERNMENT. So let there be peace and stop arguing at each other who is better. That will get the world nowhere, except in conflict.------wow that was huge i hope you all liked it. im saving this and maybe turning it in to my Govrn. teacher and see what he says!

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 10:34 pm GMT

    ok guys sorry for the double delete post i had a problem, im going to send the really big paragraph now. sorry!

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 10:33 pm GMT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • chaoviceroy

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 10:30 pm GMT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • overachiever92

    Posted Jan 26, 2006 7:44 pm GMT

    That's a good idea. To attack gamers in places where they'll actually feel it. I do think that video games have the potential to be dangerous, and this is a solution that could be effective, if it were enforced properly.

  • anubis8515

    Posted Jan 24, 2006 1:32 pm GMT

    well i dont really care what happens over there... because are country is so messed up we have no right to say anything to other people... we should worry only about us and no one else

  • Game13a13y

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 7:07 pm GMT

    well, im chinese living in LA, and i think this idea isn't too bad, its like putting restriction on porno, kids would still find ways to get their hands on it anyway. i think the chinese gov't just afraid of the young generation turned into game addicts and not good at anything or something.

  • InfectiousDust

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 2:54 pm GMT

    Hmm I was wondering how they inforced these game regulations. Lowering character stats after an extended period of gameplay? It's a novel idea, I gotta give them credit for that. I believe adults are informed enough to make their own life decisions, but I definitely don't want to see any more young people dying from gaming.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 4:31 am GMT

    i guess adults will be exempt until more people die from playing 80 hours straight?

  • teknicz

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 4:25 am GMT

    To those of you who have never been to China, you ought to shut up. To publicly post that "government controls all aspects of life/media" bullcrap shows your ignorance of what's really going on, and your laziness to go and find out. Go ahead and quote gov't and NGO sites with their own motives and movies like Equilibrium, I'm sure that they will tell you more of the story than actually getting off your lazy asses to learn the truth about who's telling you what and for what reason (sarcasm intended). For those that prefer to attack the speaker and ignore the suggestion, I'm Chinese-American, and have lived in both China and the US for many years and I find it offensive just as you might find it offensive to hear something of a similar nature said about the US.

  • Pharoah6

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 3:51 am GMT

    Amazing how so many of you of the american brain trust can so quickly turn to xenophobia in order to totally miss the point. *applauds*

  • MeTaL-HeaD

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 3:15 am GMT

    YaY

  • Redhunt_86

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 2:53 am GMT

    heard from somewhere that shanghai,beijing and other major cities in china enjoy greater freedom because they are capitalist ventures of the communist central. Read somewhere that they could go the extreme after some cause-and -effect and then decide to close China up again. what i am sure is the encrochment of communist values in the semi-democratic hong king and taiwan. MAcau??

    the best way to solve this problem would be to educate them!! and create attractive alternatives past times. Get their parents to give them some spanking, NIce to see that they respect the rights of adults. ( malaysia, u seriously need to decrease the age limit to 18 from 21)

  • Stiltzkin5000

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 1:14 am GMT

    I'm a little annoyed at how fat-headed some of you are.

  • jerico6

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 10:58 pm GMT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • okcomputer666

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 10:23 pm GMT

    Chinese gold farmers ftw!!!!

  • warstomp

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 10:02 pm GMT

    If Hilary Clinton is elected president she will soon make things like these. Mabye more like no games over the rating T or something but still bad stuff she would do.

  • imkowgame

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 5:38 pm GMT

    Im chinese. Through i dont really like many stuff our gov has done to us people. i'm also afraid we will become like you americans, we have our value of life. Compared with all other parties in china, the comunists are doing the best. we never want throw out our current gov and welcome a new rising political party or something mentally religious like falun gong, we are really crowded and dont need them, just take them all back to your country, feed them if you have extra money. so that those democratical groups can stimulate our gov becoming better. That is the best to mankind.

    And for the mentioned regulation, its good for the mentally-weak-and-easily-becoming-addictive kids of the poor familly and bad for the new rising money-robbing businessmen of online games. There will be more people benefited from such a regulation than ones who not... This is a fact..and should we call this democracy?

  • scstephens

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 12:56 pm GMT

    Communist government at its best. If people can't hang doing 72-hour gaming sessions, then maybe they don't deserve to remain in the gene pool.

    "Only the strong survive." The quote migrates into pretty much any walk of life, including video games.

  • VeXeN

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 10:05 am GMT

    Anyone that dies due to overplaying a game should just die..

  • red_devil52

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 5:54 am GMT

    All you guys think that America is the greatest etc etc and since capitalism (barely) works for you guys then it doesn't mean it will work for the CHinese. The system of government they have now is one that works best for them. America has some of the poorest people in the world because there are is such a huge gap between rich and poor. The government should take more control because some things that happen in America are stupid like one man suing another person for insulting him over an internet chat room. I'm glad that China implemented this because likeGungrave said, it will help people do more productive things with their lives.

    If this gets deleted then it just shows that i'm right in that no one is allowed to 'diss' the US and get away with it.

  • GungraveZero

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 11:35 pm GMT

    that is a great idea, if you think its a bad idea im sorry, but it could help kids get more active and pick up new hobbies

  • capthunt

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 11:03 pm GMT

    The new laws China imposes on its ppl and keep them in the dark just pisses me off everyday. I cant believe their ppl take so much crap from their government. The Poeple's Republic of China my ass

  • yanbo

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 10:39 pm GMT

    "all i can say is that you do not understand or have ever experienced communism.. To you it might just sound like a good idea for games but in china the goverment controls all content of any media. They control all actions and most spects of ay persons life.. have you ever seen equilebrium???? Well its kinda like that but obviously not to that extent.. people should be shocked that this is allowed to happen.. "

    What a load of crap! You obviously have read too many George Owells books. I've gotta tell you, I'm from Beijing and I know the city life in China (i've never been to countrysides), and IT'S NOTHING LIKE EQUILEBRIUM!!! Stop being a Ignorant ass just because you have heard some aspect of China or some hollywood crap, that's called STEROTYPE!! We obviously don't have any voting rights, we see false media and yes, we do see inequalities between poor and rich, but WE DO HAVE FREE CHOICES OTHER THAN THOSE! China is a economically rich and politically poor Country, and it's changing! Seems like deadone1000 has been living there for a while and have been mistreated? Well, someone as ignorant and arrogant as you should be mistreated, even in America.

    Say, you actually believe everything CNN tells you? If you really do, i doubt if you have graduated from highschool.

  • nytrospawn

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 2:47 pm GMT

    I blame the makers of MMORPG's for makeing grinding replace gameplay. People want to use their money to their fullest , and unfortunately, that creates the grinding mentality that many gamers are prone to. Untill MMORPG developers figure out how to make a REAL game, with gameplay as opposed to umpteenth hours of leveling, the problem that the Asians have will not go away. Which is why Im glad I dont play Asian games.

  • Aifaib

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 2:00 pm GMT

    Well this only applies to people under 18 right, and even America tells people what to do when they're under 18.

  • JasonQ87

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 11:27 am GMT

    "in China communism prevents people from really having any other forms of entertainment. they are so restricted, it sometimes causes people to go insane and do nothing but play for days on end. I think the cause is the government, and while they may think this will help, communism just isn't a good system."

    Actually, communism can be actually good if it's used properly.

    Communism was introduced to have the government own everything and distrubute everything equally. China currently is screwing over their people from sweat shops etc and forcing them to have no life. That's why that country has the highest population.

  • JasonQ87

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 11:24 am GMT

    People in China needs to pull their heads out of their asses and turn to democracy.

  • mat7907

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 10:11 am GMT

    I live in Shanghai, im an american, and im really mad about this.

  • cloudstrife75

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 8:27 am GMT

    gotta love their communist ways

  • XlpranksterlX

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 8:12 am GMT

    This was discussed before. Im sure that if you have multiple accounts on different credit cards or something you can get around it. Anyway i dont really understand this too much and it seems crazy to think that something like this could really be happening.

  • Viquist

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 8:04 am GMT

    Thank God for the Freedoms in America.... play as long as I want.... and have the education to know that I need a break every-so-often

  • ulrikz

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 7:01 am GMT

    When you are paying for a game monthly, you don't want to take 5 hour breaks for 3 hours of gameplay. Especially since MMORPGs often are long and you do long quests, it should be like you have to take a 30-60 min break, more reasonable

    And you bought the product, it's your life, your way, but yeah, as deadone1000 mentioned, China is ruled with an iron hand, and alot of news sites and etc are banned in Chinese internet cafés, and also alot of games who go back on chinese history or have the chinese as a "evil faction" or etc, like Project IGI where you go against the chinese at some point.

    Still, it's your life, you should be able to choose what to do with it as long as you don't hurt anyone in the process.

  • deadone1000

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 6:53 am GMT

    to all those people who think its a good idea for a goverment to put restrictions on how much time u can spend playing a game, all i can say is that you do not understand or have ever experienced communism.. To you it might just sound like a good idea for games but in china the goverment controls all content of any media. They control all actions and most spects of ay persons life.. have you ever seen equilebrium???? Well its kinda like that but obviously not to that extent.. people should be shocked that this is allowed to happen.. Why does the UN allow a goverment to misstreat human rights or just completaly ignore them.. Why do they not only ignore it but increase their trade with that country.... But they launch wars on countries that can barelly support themselves!

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 4:57 am GMT

    i wish i was in china.....

  • cikame

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 4:43 am GMT

    i agree with carabetta, despite it sounding harsh, if you want to die playing wow why not? its your life.

  • AceRampage

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 3:39 am GMT

    Interesting way... Must be due to that guy who died while playing long hours of diable 2....

  • carabetta

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 3:16 am GMT

    hey, if they want to play, let them play. if they die playing, let them die.

  • Xandrilios

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 12:27 am GMT

    Well, it would suck a lot if you can't just play for 5 hours sometimes (in which you obviously take at least 1 pit stop at the nearest toilet), but about communism, china isnt really communism, communism is perfect, but is just practically impossible because we humans just want to have a better life then others. but again, the chinese monarchist communism shows again that just as in democracy people who know nothing about something always make up the most stupid rules just to make sure people don't have too much fun (anybody notice that you could play for 9 hours per day at most if you plan it very carefully?) thats pretty much, of course, but hey, you got those days right, way too simple law for a very complicated problem

  • GHOSTRyDr

    Posted Jan 20, 2006 9:50 pm GMT

    heh....communism......

  • Lex_Luthor_XLII

    Posted Jan 20, 2006 9:35 pm GMT

    It should be very effective. (not to mention amusing)

  • VGMusicFreak

    Posted Jan 20, 2006 8:54 pm GMT

    pshh anyone who isnt working or going to school and just playing games all day for months i can see as a problem but when i get addicted to mmos i spend all my free hours playing because its fun and once you are addicted you want to spend all your free hours playing. The people who have a problem though are those morons who think that buy playing for 3 days straight they are going to somehow do any better then if they take a break to sleep. Id start losing any fun i have after i get that tired although they prob just drink energy drinks.

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