The Chinese government has implemented a new rule that drastically limits the amount of time young people can spend playing games. Online gamers under the age of 18 will only be allowed to play for an hour on Fridays, weekends and holidays, China’s video game regulator has said.
The new law has put forth stricter restrictions to game time in order to combat video gaming addiction among young people, South China Morning Post reported.
Previously, young Chinese gamers were able to play for a total of 90 minutes each day and three hours during legal holidays. Now, players below 18 years of age will only be able to play games between 8pm and 9pm from Fridays to Sundays as well as holidays, according to a report published by China’s National Press and Publication Administration.
Competitive esports games take considerable amounts of time to learn and even longer to master. To compete at the highest levels, players must spend long hours practicing and gaining experience. The new rule will prevent players under 18 from honing themselves until they reach the legal age.
Invictus Gaming became the first Chinese team to become the world champions of League of Legends back in the 2018 season. The team’s AD carry, Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo, was only 17 years old at the time, and he played a critical role that led to the team’s success in the tournament.
The new gaming restrictions in China may potentially lead to fewer young players like JackeyLove, assuming that the population’s perspective on gaming doesn’t dwindle in the first place.
Will China’s new gaming restrictions reshape the country’s esports scene?
