The Communist Party in China declared gaming as “digital opium” in 2018, claiming that the youth needed protection from it. Otherwise, they would damage their eyes. Harsh restrictions for gaming were imposed. Four years later, the gaming association reports: The problem is “almost solved.” The government also seems to be okay with gaming again.
This is how it was for a long time in China: For years, PC and mobile gaming in China grew like crazy. Especially the company Tencent (League of Legends) became huge, earning billions and investing everywhere in the West.
China sees gaming as “digital opium”
That was the turning point: In August 2018, the Communist Party of China turned its attention to gaming. They branded games as “digital opium”.
It was noted: Too many young Chinese would suffer from myopia. The state apparatus believed this was because children were addicted to video games and were damaging their eyes on mobile devices because they played like crazy.
A vision of a gaming-addicted, weak youth was painted. That was simply unacceptable.
They recommended:
Parents should minimize the use of electronic devices when they are with their children.
After 15 minutes, it should be over. Children should rather go outside and play.
In China, very few games have been approved in recent years:
Strict time limits for minors under 18 years
How was this implemented? In November 2019, strict rules were introduced:
- Minors under 18 were only allowed to play for 1.5 hours during weekdays.
- On weekends and holidays, they were allowed to play for 3 hours.
- Between 10 PM and 8 AM, playing video games was generally prohibited.
To enforce this, it became mandatory for gamers to identify themselves via facial recognition when they wanted to play a video game.
Additionally, China took action against video games, blocking important licenses, simply preventing games from being released at all, and severely restricting gaming.
“Problem essentially solved” – 70% of minors hardly play anymore
This is the current situation: As PC Gamer reports, a gaming association in China has now published a report stating that the problem of gaming addiction among Chinese youth is “essentially solved.” (via scmp.com).
Statistics from China show that now more than 75% of minors play less than 3 hours a week.
A government-affiliated newspaper, People’s Daily, also published an article stating that China can no longer afford to ignore video games, as Europe and the USA gain so much economic, technological, cultural, and even strategic value from them.
This suggests concerns that games like Call of Duty might give the American military an advantage.
It sounds as if the very worst time for video games in China is over. The markets are also breathing a sigh of relief: Last month, Tencent’s stock rose by 33.42%.
In the last 3 years, the climate for gamers in China has been quite harsh:
China bans the global version of Steam – The ban was implemented on Christmas Eve.
