Recently, Xinhua News Agency reported that the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) of China has issued a decree regarding new regulations for online gaming addiction, stating that starting this week, minors under 18 in the country will only be allowed to play online games for one hour (from 8 PM to 9 PM) on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
According to a statement from the NPPA, the new regulations were issued “in anticipation of the new school year, providing specific requirements to prevent gaming addiction and protect the healthy development of minors.”
Following the issuance of the new regulations, a multitude of Chinese media outlets have reported on the dangers of online gaming addiction among minors, warning that this is a serious issue affecting the development of the younger generation in the country. Among them, China Central Television (CCTV) has also directly addressed this issue.
Specifically, CCTV presented several arguments and evidence based on scientific research regarding the harmful effects of online gaming habits on minors:
“Research reports have shown that children under 18 who are addicted to online gaming for extended periods have brain structures similar to those of elderly individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (a memory impairment condition in the elderly). Experts explain that this is due to the fact that when a person becomes too immersed in online games, they will be in a state of passive information reception, and their imagination and coherent thinking skills cannot be developed. If this continues, it will severely damage intellectual development.”
According to CCTV’s analysis, long-term online gaming addiction will lead to aging in brain structure, affecting the information processing and thinking abilities of gamers, based on scientific perspectives.
Currently, many mainstream media outlets in China consider gaming addiction as a form of “national crisis” for the country, due to the reality that children are exposed to technological devices too early, leading to gaming and addiction from a young age becoming deeply rooted in many future “seedlings,” especially in urban populations.
After the new decree was announced, many esports organizations in China have committed to strictly adhering to the gaming restrictions for individuals under 18. The organizer of the League of Legends tournament in China – LPL, has also taken similar actions, removing player OMG Creme from the nomination list for “Best Rookie at LPL 2021” due to not being 18 years old yet.
This also indicates that the aforementioned law will significantly impact the esports industry in China in the future, as young talents under 18 will likely have no opportunity to try-hard.