The Chinese government has banned under-18s from playing online games for more than an hour a day,

Online gaming companies will force users to register to play under their real identities and under-18s will only be allowed to play between 8pm and 9pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

The Chinese government has banned under-18s from playing online games for more than an hour a day, and then only between 8pm and 9pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

The ban will be enforced by online gaming companies which are now required to strictly enforce rules requiring users to register accounts with their real identities in order to play.

The new restrictions were announced on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by The People's Daily - the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party - and came from General Administration of Press and Publication.

It follows shares in China's biggest online gaming companies slumping after state media branded their products "spiritual opium" and compared them to "electronic drugs" earlier this month.

The reference to opium is charged in China, where European powers, including Great Britain and France, hobbled the Qing dynasty in the mid-19th century through heavy imports of the drug, ultimately leading to Hong Kong being given to Britain as a sovereign territory before it was returned in 1997.

The crackdown on gaming companies was sparked by an article published by the state-run Economic Information Daily that warned teenagers were addicted to online video games and called for the industry to be curbed.

The newspaper particularly appeared to criticise Tencent's flagship game Honour Of Kings, which it is reported is sometimes played by students for up to eight hours a day.

"No industry, no sport, can be allowed to develop in a way that will destroy a generation," the newspaper wrote, comparing online video games to "electronic drugs".

The newspaper called for "mandatory means" to force online gaming companies to prevent addiction among young players.

Tencent - which was behind the development of the latest Pokemon game released last month - responded by saying it would introduce new measures to limit access to its games and the time spent on them by children.

Following that criticism Tencent imposed restrictions on its Honour of Kings game, limiting under-18s to playing only an hour a day normally and two hours a day on holidays, but the new edict from the General Administration of Press and Publication goes much further.

Comments

Clashes in Montenegro as the Serbian Orthodox church installed a new leader

Montenegro clashes as Serbian Orthodox Church leader installed a new leader Police used tear gas against protesters who threw rocks and bottles in the city of Cetinje. Montenegro split with Serbia in 2006 but its church remains under the Serbian Orthodox church. Some, including Montenegro's president, see it as a symbol of Serb influence. President Milo Djukanovic had urged protesters to disrupt the inauguration of Joanikije II to the top clerical position, known as the Metropolitan of Montenegro and Archbishop of Cetinje. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters set up barricades to block access to Cetinje and the demonstrations spilled into Sunday when the ceremony took place. Police arrested more than a dozen people, including an advisor to the president. At least 20 people were injured, AFP reported. "We're on the barricades because we're fed up with Belgrade denying our nation, and telling us what are our religious rights," protestor Andjela Ivanovic tol

Talibans in Afghanistan now implementing manhunt to find targets

It said the militants have been going door-to-door to find targets and threatening their family members. The hard-line Islamist group has tried to reassure Afghans since seizing power, promising there would be "no revenge". But there are fears the Taliban have changed little since the brutal 1990s. The warning the group were targeting "collaborators" came in a confidential document by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, which provides intelligence to the UN. "There are a high number of individuals that are currently being targeted by the Taliban and the threat is crystal clear," Christian Nellemann, who heads the group behind the report. "It is in writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute, interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals." He warned that anyone on the Taliban's blacklist was in severe danger, and that there could be mass executions. The Tal

A spoken word artist and a rapper a Multi versatile artist Qweku Chinese showcases his poetic talent.

Qweku Chinese , a spoken word poet known for his musical talent as a rapper specifically, performed some of his latest work in a video which he posted on his TikTok account. The poem which entitled , “A letter to my future,” talks about how he dreamt about life as a child and now facing the reality as an adult. When asked about his new found talent he says “I am always excited about anything art and I continue to be excited by my works and that people continue to be excited to hear my music and poetry.” Qweku said he is frequently asked about his writing process and difficulties he faces as a writer. he often jokingly answers with wisdom to people. “A talent is like a character. If the talent is inside you, it has to come out,” Qweku said. You can watch and follow him on his TikTok account @ qweku_chinese.

Onuroic

Search This Blog