Chinese govt fights online addiction

The Chinese government has issued a new regulation, which will come into effect on April 15, requiring "anti-addiction software" to be installed on the country's massively multiplayer online games. The move is designed to limit online play by under-18s, reports China Daily.

The move comes amid growing concerns in the region about the number of youngsters playing truant from school and turning to crime, which the government links to the growing popularity of online games within the age group. According to the newspaper, there are a massive 31.12 million online gamers in China, with approximately 10 percent of those aged under 18.

The new system will require all gamers to register using real names and identity card numbers to prove their age. Young users will be allowed to play for three hours per day, which is apparently considered the "healthy" limit, and full points will be allowed during this time period. Between three and five hours, gamers will still be allowed to play, although points will be halved. After five hours, a message will be displayed every 15 minutes warning players that they are risking their health and that their points will be reset to zero if they continue to play.

Games that have not embedded the system by the cutoff date of July 16 will be shut down.

Zhao Yurun, China spokesperson for the popular MMOG World of Warcraft, told the newspaper that the company was not concerned about the new legislation because the majority of its players were adults.