China doesn’t want its citizens to become video game-playing zombies, so it’s going to impose restrictions on the amount of time gamers can play. This doesn’t just apply to Internet cafes, either, but will be a server-side ban that affects everyone. The government will give companies that host online games three months to install time-limiting software. Once installed, the software will automatically start sending messages to gamers who’ve played for more than three consecutive hours: stop playing, addict, or we’ll stop you ourselves. Well, maybe not that heavy handed, but there will be consequences.
Once the three hours are up, gamers will stop gaining points. So you can sit their all day and not gain a single level in Awesome MMORPG: China Edition. Truly terrible. At least China knows what it wants from its people.
China seeks to ‘limit game hours’ [BBC News]