People in China under the age of 18 will only be allowed to play video games between 8pm and 9pm on Fridays, weekends and on public holidays, under new rules introduced this week. China’s state media service says the rules aim to curb gaming addiction
China has a history of making dramatic moves aimed at cutting down children’s gaming time, which have included a cyber curfew set in 2019 restricting game play at night, to forcing players to make their real names and identification numbers visible when playing. Some parents have sent kids to military-style anti-gaming camps.
It’s clear China is associating time spent gaming with addiction; that more time gaming equals addiction
However, the way the World Health Organization defines addictive gaming disorder is different. It’s not about time, it’s more about the attitude and intensity a person brings to the gaming. Addiction means being obsessed to the point where other things in life are falling down due to the gaming.
My research, which has involved speaking to many children about their gaming, suggests most kids are drawn to gaming chiefly because it is a way to hang out with friends. And even when strict rules are introduced, many kids will try very hard to find a way around them.
True gaming addiction is like gambling addiction; it goes beyond a fun to a no-holds barred intense approach.
People might stop showering, they may lose friends, they may find themselves thinking about it day and night, watching as their grades go down
The WHO says to be diagnosed with gaming addiction, a person needs to demonstrate all three of these symptoms for at least 12 months:
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losing control over how much you’
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game despite negative effects on school, family life, work, health, hygiene, relationships, finances or social relationships.
There is a big difference between being an enthusiastic gamer and being addicted to gaming. So as long as these things aren’t happening, spending time gaming isn’t found to be harmful in the long run. In fact, some studies are showing the benefits of gaming on children’s well-being.
True gaming addiction affects only of people. The American Psychiatric Association estimates that around 0.3 to 1% of the population will be diagnosed with this condition.
When I heard about these new rules, I thought: to an average, three hours a week is not a lot. Many would clock that up in an average day. So for many kids in China, this will feel like a big change.
If players all game at the same time, there will be a lot of pressure on the servers and a lot of lag time. Many games will not function properly, which will be very frustrating for players. In response, the gaming industry may develop games that can be completed in a shorter amount of
Gaming could also shift to other kinds of platforms that are not official video game platforms, such as unlicensed games accessible on foreign platforms such as Steam, or gaming on virtual private
But I would urge parents worried about their children’s gaming to really sit down and ask their child why they are drawn to gaming so much. Not in a“Why are you always on there? Why can’t you give it a break?” way, but in the spirit of true curiosity.
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