China says youth video game addiction ‘solved’

China’s top gaming industry association says that the country has “solved” youth video game addiction following harsh restrictions on play time

A new report out of China has claimed that the country has “solved” its youth video game addiction problem, after strict regulations on gameplay time were introduced last year.

The report comes from the China Game Industry Group Committee, who say that recent restrictions have all but eliminated what it calls video game addiction in players under the age of 18. The restrictions prevented anyone under the age of 18 from playing games for more than three hours a week, after video game addiction had been called “spiritual opium” by Chinese regulators (thanks Reuters).

The strict regulations required Chinese games companies to implement systems that would prevent minors from playing more than three hours of video games a week, with companies like Tencent, NetEase, and Perfect World all contributing to the effort. It also required that gaming time for under-18s be restricted to no more than one hour per day, and only on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays.

Blizzard Entertainment revealed that it will no longer be selling games in China, after it could not reach a licensing agreement with Chinese company NetEase. Photo: CNS / AFP

Data provider CNG said that the systems put in place by these companies meant that more than 75% of young game players now played games for less than three hours a week, suggesting the measures have been largely successful.

It comes during a massive tightening of restrictions for the Chinese technology and gaming sector, which has suffered from a lengthy freeze on title approval. All video games intended to release in China must go through a rigorous vetting process to ensure they follow a strict set of rules in terms of content, theming, and player interaction. The process is said to be next-to-impossible to navigate for foreign companies, who often partner with large Chinese companies like Tencent to seek approval on their behalf.

Chinese gaming giants have been investing heavily in Western developers, in an effort to diversify their holdings and reach in an increasingly hostile local industry. Tencent recently announced a $450 million investment in French company Guillemot Bros., which is the controlling company behind Assassin’s Creed developer Ubisoft.

Chinese company Tencent has invested massively in Ubisoft, the developers of the popular Assassin’s Creed series. Picture: Ubisoft

But not everything is going perfectly well for Ubisoft either, as the company had to refund players for a missing Prince of Persia remake. The game was intended to be a remake of the fan-favourite Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, but has been in development for years with no sign of a release date.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.