Just this past week, China released new rules regulating how much time minors are allowed to play video games. People under the age of 18 need to log off their game by 10 p.m. Gamers can play 90 minutes on weekdays, and a maximum of 3 hours on the weekends and holidays.
In addition to time restrictions, minors are restricted to purchases of up to $28 through $57 a month depending on age. The New York Times featured several articles this week related to China's new regulations. [CLICK HERE to read the latest story.]
China claims that playing video games is to "blame for a rise in nearsightedness and poor academic performance across a broad swath of society." They also want to censor any games that are too violent or explicit. In additions professional gamers are being censored for speaking out against the Chinese government.
We recently read a story about people who are dissenters. The term "dissent" means "to hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed." The New York Times article noted that Chung Ng Wai, a professional gamer, was recently suspended for voicing support of "antigovernment demonstrations in Hong Kong." This reflects being a dissenter since he is going against the Chinese government who is known to suppress peoples' views.
The issue at stake is not simply a crackdown on video gaming but potentially a crackdown on individual rights. Should a government set limits on how many minutes one can spend on a video game? Is this an infringement of rights or simply a preventive measure to move minors away from addictive video games?
Get out the timers . . .
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Personally I think this is just an addition to the long list of ways the Chinese government limits its citizens individual rights. Video games can be very addicting but I think a much better solution would be to teach people how to manage their time and create a healthy balance in their lives instead of just restricting how much they can play games.
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