New China restrictions limit minors to three hours of gaming a week

AppleInsider

China has implemented strict new regulations that only allow minors in the country to play video games for one hour a day on the weekends and holidays.

Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

The new restrictions, announced by China's National Press and Publication Administration, will ban minors from playing videos games at all between Monday and Thursday. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, minors will only be allowed to play video games between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., Bloomberg has reported.

China's National Press and Publication Administration announced the regulations on Monday, claiming that they will curb what Beijing describes as youth video game addiction, which authorities say cause a range of societal ills on video game addiction.

Although the regulations don't name a specific age range, past rules placed on minors have targeted those under the age of 18.

It isn't clear how Chinese authorities will enforce the new regulations. However, China has made previous moves to limit gaming -- back in 2019, it banned users younger than 18 from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. To enforce those rules, companies like Tencent Holdings have used real name registration and facial recognition technology to limit game playing.

Tencent President Martin Lau cautioned investors in an earnings call earlier in August that Beijing would implement fresh restrictions on video game playing. However, the company also said that minors only represent about 2.6% of its gaming revenue in China.

China represents one of the world's largest video game markets, and has an estimated 110 million mobile game players under the age of 16, according to game analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Gaming is a critical source of revenue and engagement for Apple's App Store. Documents revealed during the Epic Games v. Apple trial indicate that Apple makes up about 23% to 38% of the total gaming transaction market.

Throughout 2020, video games were the biggest sellers on the App Store, representing $47.6 billion of revenue. For reference, Apple took in an estimated $72.3 in the calendar year.

Read on AppleInsider

the1maximus

That’s harsh, I loved playing games as a kid, and I would go as far as saying that games are why, I’m so perceptive to my environment and my general hand/eye coordination. 

sdw2001

the1maximus said:

That’s harsh, I loved playing games as a kid, and I would go as far as saying that games are why, I’m so perceptive to my environment and my general hand/eye coordination. 

Um, of course it's harsh.  It's Communism.  

mknelson

sdw2001 said:

the1maximus said:

That’s harsh, I loved playing games as a kid, and I would go as far as saying that games are why, I’m so perceptive to my environment and my general hand/eye coordination. 

Um, of course it's harsh.  It's Communism.  

Authoritarianism.

Fascists like this kind of controlling 💩, too.

It seems like generally unenforceable nonsense!

lkrupp

sdw2001 said:

the1maximus said:

That’s harsh, I loved playing games as a kid, and I would go as far as saying that games are why, I’m so perceptive to my environment and my general hand/eye coordination. 

Um, of course it's harsh.  It's Communism.  

And the beneficent Communist government is now also graciously allowing their citizens to have a third child if they so choose. What a kind and caring totalitarian government the CCP is!

Raise your hand if you would like to see this kind of caring government here in the U.S. I know some of you do.

seankill

mknelson said:

sdw2001 said:

the1maximus said:

That’s harsh, I loved playing games as a kid, and I would go as far as saying that games are why, I’m so perceptive to my environment and my general hand/eye coordination. 

Um, of course it's harsh.  It's Communism.  

Authoritarianism.

Fascists like this kind of controlling 💩, too.

It seems like generally unenforceable nonsense!

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

GeorgeBMac

This is interesting...

But, what I find far more interesting is their pulling back on education:

They are restricting tutoring by private companies as they can only be non-profit now and not accept any western money.  Plus, they are prevented from tutoring on weekends or on subjects taught in school.

But this week they took it a step further:  They eliminated testing entirely for early grade school kids and limited it to one (or maybe two?) tests a semester for the rest.   Plus, they are eliminating advanced classes for high performing students.  One report said that they want to return a happy childhood to kids.

For a country that is leading in technology and innovation in so many areas, plus, where their students have out performed most western countries, it seems like they going in exactly the wrong way:   where  they are downgrading the education system and trying to equalize all students (as opposed to promoting the best & brightest).

Their reason for restricting the private tutoring companies was that it was becoming too expensive for parents to be able to afford raising their kids (plus, I suspect, it was breaking down into class struggles between the haves & have-nots).

But emphasizing happy childhoods over performance...   My best guess is they're returning to the roots of communism where all were (theoretically) happy laborers....   But that's pure guess on my part.

"At a Monday conference, the ministry said that first and second graders should not be given written examinations. For other grades, schools should give only one final examination every semester, compared with previous routines for schools of jamming multiple exams into a semester.

Education officials on Monday reiterated a ban on schools setting up "priority" classes for gifted students. 

The ministry added that difficulties of exams should be set within a reasonable scale, and any question beyond the normal teaching schedule must be avoided. Midterm and final exam results should be given by grades instead of scores. 

The ministry said excessive pressure on students from a young age "harms their mental and physical health."

"Too many exams and too much burden for young children damage their eyesight, and are unnecessary because young kids sometimes don't even understand what the exam papers say. Restricting exams can give them back their happy childhood," Li Yu, a mother of an elementary school student in Beijing, told the Global Times."

sunman42

seankill said:

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

Well, “generally” leaves out Dubcek’s government in Czechoslovakia, which was trying to establish “socialism with a human face” in 1968…. until the Soviet tanks rolled in.

Most other cases, yes, authoritarianism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat,” usually run by an elite) was a central feature. As was state terror, an invention of Lenin and his cronies.

I have to say, nothing about the current Chinese government resembles communism in any way. It’s a party of, by, and for the extremely wealthy, with dictatorial powers to enforce their will.

rcfa

They obviously don’t want to breed a generation of lazy youths with attention deficit issues…

…when parental responsibility doesn’t work, government intervenes in China 🤷🏻‍♂️

GeorgeBMac

sunman42 said:

seankill said:

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

Well, “generally” leaves out Dubcek’s government in Czechoslovakia, which was trying to establish “socialism with a human face” in 1968…. until the Soviet tanks rolled in.

Most other cases, yes, authoritarianism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat,” usually run by an elite) was a central feature. As was state terror, an invention of Lenin and his cronies.

I have to say, nothing about the current Chinese government resembles communism in any way. It’s a party of, by, and for the extremely wealthy, with dictatorial powers to enforce their will.

You said:  "It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism."

Communism without authoritarianism is "socialism".

But China, like the U.S. is now a mixture of socialism and capitalism -- with all the benefits and drawbacks of each.

They are difference mixtures of each, but still, a mixture.

And, since last November or so, China has been reining in its capitalist corporations -- essentially to assure that they are serving the greater good and also not abusing their power.

rcfa

Their changes to the education system make you wonder if it’s safe to wear eyeglasses there in a few years…
…guess back to the cultural revolution where intellectuals were considered dangerous reactionaries.

sdw2001

GeorgeBMac said:

sunman42 said:

seankill said:

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

Well, “generally” leaves out Dubcek’s government in Czechoslovakia, which was trying to establish “socialism with a human face” in 1968…. until the Soviet tanks rolled in.

Most other cases, yes, authoritarianism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat,” usually run by an elite) was a central feature. As was state terror, an invention of Lenin and his cronies.

I have to say, nothing about the current Chinese government resembles communism in any way. It’s a party of, by, and for the extremely wealthy, with dictatorial powers to enforce their will.

You said:  "It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism."

Communism without authoritarianism is "socialism".

But China, like the U.S. is now a mixture of socialism and capitalism -- with all the benefits and drawbacks of each.

They are difference mixtures of each, but still, a mixture.

And, since last November or so, China has been reining in its capitalist corporations -- essentially to assure that they are serving the greater good and also not abusing their power.

Socialism is authoritarianism.  It's a must-have.  The U.S. is not a mixture of socialism and capitalism.  Socialism is the government controlling the means of production.  That is why those Democrats who claim to want "Scandinavian-style Democratic Socialism" are either ignorant or lying.  Maybe both.  Those countries are not socialist.  They have big social programs supported by high individual taxes.  But they are fundamentally capitalist, even pro-business (business taxes are lower than ours).  

There are no benefits to actual Socialism.  It destroys liberty and prosperity wherever it's tried.  

waveparticle

AppleInsider said:

China has implemented strict new regulations that only allow minors in the country to play video games for one hour a day on the weekends and holidays.

Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

The new restrictions, announced by China's National Press and Publication Administration, will ban minors from playing videos games at all between Monday and Thursday. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, minors will only be allowed to play video games between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., Bloomberg has reported.

China's National Press and Publication Administration announced the regulations on Monday, claiming that they will curb what Beijing describes as youth video game addiction, which authorities say cause a range of societal ills on video game addiction.

Although the regulations don't name a specific age range, past rules placed on minors have targeted those under the age of 18.

It isn't clear how Chinese authorities will enforce the new regulations. However, China has made previous moves to limit gaming -- back in 2019, it banned users younger than 18 from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. To enforce those rules, companies like Tencent Holdings have used real name registration and facial recognition technology to limit game playing.

Tencent President Martin Lau cautioned investors in an earnings call earlier in August that Beijing would implement fresh restrictions on video game playing. However, the company also said that minors only represent about 2.6% of its gaming revenue in China.

China represents one of the world's largest video game markets, and has an estimated 110 million mobile game players under the age of 16, according to game analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Gaming is a critical source of revenue and engagement for Apple's App Store. Documents revealed during the Epic Games v. Apple trial indicate that Apple makes up about 23% to 38% of the total gaming transaction market.

Throughout 2020, video games were the biggest sellers on the App Store, representing $47.6 billion of revenue. For reference, Apple took in an estimated $72.3 in the calendar year.

Read on AppleInsider

My understanding is this news rule applies to gaming companies only. Since it is impossible to ban individual kids from playing. Many games are now played online through a server. If the server does not function, the game cannot be played. One notable example is Pokemon. 

igorsky

rcfa said:

Their changes to the education system make you wonder if it’s safe to wear eyeglasses there in a few years…
…guess back to the cultural revolution where intellectuals were considered dangerous reactionaries.

Yep.  Time to roll in the People's Tanks.

waveparticle

GeorgeBMac said:

This is interesting...

But, what I find far more interesting is their pulling back on education:

They are restricting tutoring by private companies as they can only be non-profit now and not accept any western money.  Plus, they are prevented from tutoring on weekends or on subjects taught in school.

But this week they took it a step further:  They eliminated testing entirely for early grade school kids and limited it to one (or maybe two?) tests a semester for the rest.   Plus, they are eliminating advanced classes for high performing students.  One report said that they want to return a happy childhood to kids.

For a country that is leading in technology and innovation in so many areas, plus, where their students have out performed most western countries, it seems like they going in exactly the wrong way:   where  they are downgrading the education system and trying to equalize all students (as opposed to promoting the best & brightest).

Their reason for restricting the private tutoring companies was that it was becoming too expensive for parents to be able to afford raising their kids (plus, I suspect, it was breaking down into class struggles between the haves & have-nots).

But emphasizing happy childhoods over performance...   My best guess is they're returning to the roots of communism where all were (theoretically) happy laborers....   But that's pure guess on my part.

"At a Monday conference, the ministry said that first and second graders should not be given written examinations. For other grades, schools should give only one final examination every semester, compared with previous routines for schools of jamming multiple exams into a semester.

Education officials on Monday reiterated a ban on schools setting up "priority" classes for gifted students. 

The ministry added that difficulties of exams should be set within a reasonable scale, and any question beyond the normal teaching schedule must be avoided. Midterm and final exam results should be given by grades instead of scores. 

The ministry said excessive pressure on students from a young age "harms their mental and physical health."

"Too many exams and too much burden for young children damage their eyesight, and are unnecessary because young kids sometimes don't even understand what the exam papers say. Restricting exams can give them back their happy childhood," Li Yu, a mother of an elementary school student in Beijing, told the Global Times."

China stole the ideas from US!  American universities are abandoning SAT scores. Rockwell High School in SF is admitting new students without the merit system. Some California legislatures try to pass laws ordering UC Universities admitting students based on racial quota not GPAs. LOL

GeorgeBMac

sdw2001 said:

GeorgeBMac said:

sunman42 said:

seankill said:

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

Well, “generally” leaves out Dubcek’s government in Czechoslovakia, which was trying to establish “socialism with a human face” in 1968…. until the Soviet tanks rolled in.

Most other cases, yes, authoritarianism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat,” usually run by an elite) was a central feature. As was state terror, an invention of Lenin and his cronies.

I have to say, nothing about the current Chinese government resembles communism in any way. It’s a party of, by, and for the extremely wealthy, with dictatorial powers to enforce their will.

You said:  "It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism."

Communism without authoritarianism is "socialism".

But China, like the U.S. is now a mixture of socialism and capitalism -- with all the benefits and drawbacks of each.

They are difference mixtures of each, but still, a mixture.

And, since last November or so, China has been reining in its capitalist corporations -- essentially to assure that they are serving the greater good and also not abusing their power.

Socialism is authoritarianism.  It's a must-have.  The U.S. is not a mixture of socialism and capitalism.  Socialism is the government controlling the means of production.  That is why those Democrats who claim to want "Scandinavian-style Democratic Socialism" are either ignorant or lying.  Maybe both.  Those countries are not socialist.  They have big social programs supported by high individual taxes.  But they are fundamentally capitalist, even pro-business (business taxes are lower than ours).  

There are no benefits to actual Socialism.  It destroys liberty and prosperity wherever it's tried.  

That all sounds like ideology rather than reality that is likely (I think) based on two misconceptions:

1)  That all government is autocratic.  Autocratic is when only a few have a say.  Here we elect -- and fire -- our government.

2)  That socialism is 100% socialism where everything is controlled by government or nothing is. 

But, in the end you come around when you admit that "they" are capitalist with socialist programs -- in other words, a mix of both -- which is pretty much where the whole world is headed.  That is, countries are realizing that neither pure capitalism works well just as pure socialism doesnt' work well either.   But, the right mix of both is the best.

GeorgeBMac

waveparticle said:

GeorgeBMac said:

This is interesting...

But, what I find far more interesting is their pulling back on education:

They are restricting tutoring by private companies as they can only be non-profit now and not accept any western money.  Plus, they are prevented from tutoring on weekends or on subjects taught in school.

But this week they took it a step further:  They eliminated testing entirely for early grade school kids and limited it to one (or maybe two?) tests a semester for the rest.   Plus, they are eliminating advanced classes for high performing students.  One report said that they want to return a happy childhood to kids.

For a country that is leading in technology and innovation in so many areas, plus, where their students have out performed most western countries, it seems like they going in exactly the wrong way:   where  they are downgrading the education system and trying to equalize all students (as opposed to promoting the best & brightest).

Their reason for restricting the private tutoring companies was that it was becoming too expensive for parents to be able to afford raising their kids (plus, I suspect, it was breaking down into class struggles between the haves & have-nots).

But emphasizing happy childhoods over performance...   My best guess is they're returning to the roots of communism where all were (theoretically) happy laborers....   But that's pure guess on my part.

"At a Monday conference, the ministry said that first and second graders should not be given written examinations. For other grades, schools should give only one final examination every semester, compared with previous routines for schools of jamming multiple exams into a semester.

Education officials on Monday reiterated a ban on schools setting up "priority" classes for gifted students. 

The ministry added that difficulties of exams should be set within a reasonable scale, and any question beyond the normal teaching schedule must be avoided. Midterm and final exam results should be given by grades instead of scores. 

The ministry said excessive pressure on students from a young age "harms their mental and physical health."

"Too many exams and too much burden for young children damage their eyesight, and are unnecessary because young kids sometimes don't even understand what the exam papers say. Restricting exams can give them back their happy childhood," Li Yu, a mother of an elementary school student in Beijing, told the Global Times."

China stole the ideas from US!  American universities are abandoning SAT scores. Rockwell High School in SF is admitting new students without the merit system. Some California legislatures try to pass laws ordering UC Universities admitting students based on racial quota not GPAs. LOL

I think the new rules are about grade school through high school rather than college and college entrance exams.

But, giving kids one test a semester has the same basic weakness as the SATs: 

--  If the kid has a bad day it can impact the rest of his life.   For the SAT I did the opposite:  the night before the test my friends all stayed out having a good time.   I went to bed early and my score got me into a school I probably would not have qualified for otherwise.

--  Particularly in China, schools and tutors were set up to not only couch kids how to pass that one test but, in some cases, even gave them the answers!

While American students may be over-tested, there is a balance.

GeorgeBMac

rcfa said:

Their changes to the education system make you wonder if it’s safe to wear eyeglasses there in a few years…
…guess back to the cultural revolution where intellectuals were considered dangerous reactionaries.

Good point!

Although some in the U.S. -- the anti-intellectuals -- feel the same.

Either way, it's generally not smart to be dumb.

crowley

sdw2001 said:

GeorgeBMac said:

sunman42 said:

seankill said:

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

Well, “generally” leaves out Dubcek’s government in Czechoslovakia, which was trying to establish “socialism with a human face” in 1968…. until the Soviet tanks rolled in.

Most other cases, yes, authoritarianism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat,” usually run by an elite) was a central feature. As was state terror, an invention of Lenin and his cronies.

I have to say, nothing about the current Chinese government resembles communism in any way. It’s a party of, by, and for the extremely wealthy, with dictatorial powers to enforce their will.

You said:  "It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism."

Communism without authoritarianism is "socialism".

But China, like the U.S. is now a mixture of socialism and capitalism -- with all the benefits and drawbacks of each.

They are difference mixtures of each, but still, a mixture.

And, since last November or so, China has been reining in its capitalist corporations -- essentially to assure that they are serving the greater good and also not abusing their power.

Socialism is authoritarianism.  It's a must-have.  The U.S. is not a mixture of socialism and capitalism.  Socialism is the government controlling the means of production.  That is why those Democrats who claim to want "Scandinavian-style Democratic Socialism" are either ignorant or lying.  Maybe both.  Those countries are not socialist.  They have big social programs supported by high individual taxes.  But they are fundamentally capitalist, even pro-business (business taxes are lower than ours).  

There are no benefits to actual Socialism.  It destroys liberty and prosperity wherever it's tried.  

No government has ever held 100% of the means of production, so your distinction is pretty facile.  There are certainly examples where government running certain industries for social benefits rather than profit has proven to be very effective at their goals.  So while you might argue that the large nationalised energy, transport and public broadcasting companies of northern Europe may have destroyed some freedom and prosperity, they've given back so much more, and extreme positions like yours are pretty laughable in those countries, which are still very free and prosperous, and perhaps more importantly, happy.

larryjw

Probably not enforceable, and never was meant to be,  but likely might give parents more leverage with their kids. "Because I said" is typically not persuasive anywhere. 

The extent to which the Chinese trust their government, and have good reason to, this policy will be successful. 

fastasleep

sdw2001 said:

GeorgeBMac said:

sunman42 said:

seankill said:

It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism. 

Well, “generally” leaves out Dubcek’s government in Czechoslovakia, which was trying to establish “socialism with a human face” in 1968…. until the Soviet tanks rolled in.

Most other cases, yes, authoritarianism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat,” usually run by an elite) was a central feature. As was state terror, an invention of Lenin and his cronies.

I have to say, nothing about the current Chinese government resembles communism in any way. It’s a party of, by, and for the extremely wealthy, with dictatorial powers to enforce their will.

You said:  "It’s almost as though authoritarianism is communism isn’t it? Because you generally can’t have communism without authoritarianism."

Communism without authoritarianism is "socialism".

But China, like the U.S. is now a mixture of socialism and capitalism -- with all the benefits and drawbacks of each.

They are difference mixtures of each, but still, a mixture.

And, since last November or so, China has been reining in its capitalist corporations -- essentially to assure that they are serving the greater good and also not abusing their power.

Socialism is authoritarianism.  It's a must-have.  The U.S. is not a mixture of socialism and capitalism.  Socialism is the government controlling the means of production.  That is why those Democrats who claim to want "Scandinavian-style Democratic Socialism" are either ignorant or lying.  Maybe both.  Those countries are not socialist.  They have big social programs supported by high individual taxes.  But they are fundamentally capitalist, even pro-business (business taxes are lower than ours).  

There are no benefits to actual Socialism.  It destroys liberty and prosperity wherever it's tried.  

Yes, it’s impossible to separate the desire for universal healthcare and education and lifting people out of poverty with outright authoritarianism. Clearly.

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/black-or-white