China is cracking down on something it views as a national problem that is plaguing its youth population: video game addiction.
According to a new directive being handed down by the Chinese government office known as the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), minors in China (basically anyone under the age of eighteen) are about to have a very hard time relaxing with video games because, under the new rule, minors will only be allowed three hours of video game time per week.
Now, you might hear that and think it’s a smidge harsh, but it’s actually worse than you think because kids and parents aren’t allowed to choose which three hours they want their kids to be able to play. In actuality, the new rule states that children are only allowed to play video games from 8 pm to 9 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Video games at any other time will be forbidden. If you think this is just going to be some loose guideline that no one is actually going to follow, you’d be wrong again because according to one Japanese source, the wording of the new directive is carefully crafted to make it sound like game publishers who allow minors to skirt around the new ruling might face penalties if caught.
The main idea behind this directive is to strengthen family life and prioritize education. It comes after an article published by the state-run Xinhua News Agency referred to video games as ‘spiritual opium’ and also stated that “No industry, no sport, can be allowed to develop in a way that will destroy a generation.”
Now, I’m all for curbing children’s screen time and encouraging them to interact more with their studies and families. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but limiting video games to three hours per weekend is extreme. While it’s been a couple of decades since I could call myself a minor, I remember the intense stress of those days, and being able to escape in a fantastical video game really helped take the edge off real life.
If nothing else, this bit of news makes me glad that I live where I do.
Sources: SoraNews24, Kotaku
