China Continues to "protect" gamers

[Red Charlie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6544759.stm

So if you are under the age of 18 now in china your game play is now controlled by the legal system and the game itself only gives you half points (XP or whatever) after 3 hours of consecutive play within a day.

I would say something about "Oh how terrible this is." or "People have a right to be stupid." but I have come to get used to the overbearing state of China on its people. Even with its modernisation it still finds away to still be 1960's communist China.

The only point I would make is the sheer lack of logic the Chinese government has:

13% of children under 16 are addicted -

So they impose these on all children who can have a healthy lifestyle and still play games. (I dunno about you but there are days where I can just spend the whole day playing games, day off work for instance, but that is one day out of three hundred and sixty five)

Boot-camps have been set up to provide military-style training in an effort to wean youngsters away from the net -

Wean? Military style? "training"?!

So what instead of them playing with imaginary guns you are going to teach them how to use real guns in an effort to bolster your already large army. Right...

Next it'll be anti-terrorist training. Do you think they'll get their jump wings too maybe?

What about setting up specialist centre to perhaps discuss the addiction and work it out, how to get over it or how to leave it entirely out of their lives instead of ACTUALLY training to be psychos with real guns.

It is unclear whether the Chinese authorities intend to extend the restrictions to games developed in the West. -

It already has. Eve Online developed the "Dragon" code for China specially. This new engine base allows them to add code with ease without causing major downtime or engine modifications. Last I heard they got more subscribers to their game in China in first 2 months compared to the 3 years their doors were open to the west. That is big bucks I don't think any game company is gonna pass that one up.


Anyway news related rant /off.

[Kawaiicaps]

That's funny, I totally agree with this law.

I think that anyone that falls in the addicion margin needs help. this law does not affect the people that are not playing games or that only play them some times.

This is the law beucase people are dying in asia. litteraly dying from playing videogames. there was a man in korea they found dead at an internet cafe playing counterstrike last year.
i do not see a problem with this.


-^_^-

[Alex Steacy]

I think it's more a symptom of a larger social problem than a fixation on Video Games.

You don't starve yourself to death playing CS without being really fucking screwed up to begin with.

Although... What with all the stuff we've seen with WoW over here, there could very well be a digital addiction problem among certain people.

I mean, I'm totally hung up on Final Fantasy 6 right now, but I feel like a retard after playing all day and go outside just to get fresh air after.

[emma]

i do that with movies, but not video games. I get bored of video games too easily.

But man, every time a new season of Angel came out? That was 22 hours, down the drain. Every time.

[DarkMidget]

Hmm. It's true. If a person is willing to starve to death to play, they are kinda fucked to begin with.

Like the kids who kill people and say video games made them. They were fucked to begin with D:/

Well, for the REAL hardcore people who luff games to death and won't stop, I don't think the half XP thing will stop them. They'll just play just as long and only get half as much XP.. I don't see the problem being solved. I say just let people do what they want, but give them lots of options to help them stop XD

[zombine]

Or play twice as long to catch up to the lazy Americans, who do 1/2 the work the hard working and industrious Chinese do.

[Patch]

This is the law beucase people are dying in asia. litteraly dying from playing videogames. there was a man in korea they found dead at an internet cafe playing counterstrike last year.
i do not see a problem with this.

This is the kind of mentality that is the reason why false medical practices are still popular (Chiropracty to solve a stomach ache?).

Despite that the people who have died "because of video games" actually died of causes directly linked to an unhealthy lifestyle, of which, video games are not directly to blame. Granted, video games are a tool of this unhealthy lifestyle, but they are becoming more and more of a scapegoat, the more they are accepted into mainsteam society (Despite the video games industry being a multi-billion pound industry, it's still not fully accepted yet). Same way as TV is being blame for lazy people, video games are being blamed for everything from obesity, anti-social behaviour, killing sprees, and now, medical complaints.

This guy dies of heart failure, in Korea. No biggie, people die of it all the time, even in Asian countries, where they're supposedly eating a better diet for their heart that the western "world" (Stupid yank-efied phrase...). All of a sudden, it is reported that he was playing Counter-Strike at the time.
Is this evil video game, played for a good 50 million man hours a week, suddenly a direct cause of a mans death? According to the press, it is. Regardless of whether he had been playing for a week straight, or only just connected to a server, he died when playing a game, so they're killers now?

Coming back to the point about false practices in medicine. I'm not saying that chiropractic measure are false, they can help legitimate problems in the back/neck. But they cannot be medically linked to relieving chronic stomache pains. It's whatever we can remember doing at the time that gets the credit for the "cure". Hell, I've had a headache, and taken a good long shit, and it was gone after that. Does going to the toilet and emptying your bowels cure headaches, or was it the 400mg of ibuprofen that I'd take 30 minutes beforehand that actually cured it?
The "alternative treatment" crowd would have you believe that my taking a crap cured it, instead of the drug that is KNOWN to cure the problem.

Surely by the same logic, if I'd've died on the toilet of heart failure, did my taking a shite kill me? Should I restrict my time on the toilet to less than 3 minutes?

Simple answer to that...

Hand me my book, I need a crap...

[emma]

Guys I think the point is that if people are spending less than 3 hours a day at video games that they are spending more time living healthy lifestyles or learning or working.

Patch, I really have to disagree with you. First of all, the guy in Korea thing - no one cited any article that mentioned it, Kawaii just said it. Maybe she just made a mistake?

They aren't saying that the video games themselves are causing people to die. But they are one of those things that keep a lot of people from maintaining healthy lifestyles or (as China wants them to do) making lots of money.

This is not a matter of 'oh man everyone hates gamers why do they gots to be like that', it's a matter of 'spending 10 hours a day in front of a television/computer screen is just not healthy or productive'.

I have no problem with video games. I am not one of those people who looks down my nose at people who play them. But if you are going to spend hours and hours a day playing, something is not right. It's a game. People who spend that much time playing really do need to go outside or have human contact or something. China limiting game play is just a tool to get people away from their technology and into the real world! Probably because it is a bigger problem than television, and easier to deal with. They're not attacking your culture.

That said, what the hell are you going on about with chiropractics? I would go into a whole debate about how you are incredibly wrong, but honestly, that is just so far off topic and not worth my time.

[Discomonkey]

This is retarded, giving them half xp just means they'll play for longer periods.

[Kawaiicaps]

Ah 3mm4, here are my sources

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4137782.stm



Here's another in Taiwan
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/ ... 56377.html


This one is in south Korea
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/ ... 60831.html

there are much more than this, just google "man dies playing videogames" and you will find a lot on reuters, google news, bbc news and the like. They are all basically the same story, man goes to Internet cafe, plays for 50-100-700 hours straight (okay im exaggerating with 700) and then collapses at the desk.... dead.

The first article like this I read, over a year ago, (I couldn't find the exact link, sorry!) mentioned that the guy was at the cafe, drinking energy drinks and playing games for like 40 hours, then went home and took a shower, changed his clothes but did not eat anything, went back to the cafe, drank more energy drinks and played for another 40 hours and was playing with so little energy his body was slumped over the desk and died there. it said that he was dead for like 3 hours before anyone noticed. This guy was obviously malnourished. So no the game did not really KILL him, but when someone drinks too much, vomits in his mouth and chokes on it, is he dying from the alcohol or from suffocation?



Back to what charlie said in the beginning of this thread, this is not even going to be the law everywhere, it is just at Internet cafes and only for underage people. I think there is a trend going on and they dont want people to get into the 72hour marathon of gaming at a young age, then there would be an even bigger problem 10 years down the line.





On a similar note, I also found this while searching the net
http://www.kahsoon.com/2005/06/17/infan ... line-game/
But that's not a real news site so im not sure I believe it, and the girl dies of suffocation because she was sleeping on her stomach. NEVER PUT A BABY TO SLEEP ON ITS STOMACHE. that just dumb to begin with. so even if they were home the baby probably would have died.



-T_T-

[emma]

Oh, I wasn't saying you were wrong or anything - but Patch was, and I wanted to tell him he was wrong. ^_^

Now you can do it! XD

[Kawaiicaps]

lol

I didnt think you were attacking me or anything, but after reading your post I realized I should post some links.

-^_^-

[Red Charlie]

Well a couple of points. The half xp. The idea is if they are playing for too long then their play "productivity is decreased" therefore making longer play sessions pointless/useless (after 5 hours of play they gain no advancement).

This all happens within a 24 hour period. So they can't really play longer to get more xp. But they could play more often.


The problem I have with this is from my perspective is. I don't play games on the days I work (or if I do its a 20 minute affair that I can just play and drop).

On my days off it will be a 6-8 hour grind session depending on what housework I have to do at the same time (washing, hovering, tidying etc). Its amazing what MMOs let you do afk from the PC whilst doing something productive in the game as well.

That’s my only problem, what about legitimate people with so called "lives" who just want to have a 1 day blow out because it’s a day off work? They screwed over because of the minority? (yes its china, yes its a dictatorship, yes I know, but work with me here)

Whilst this only affects under 18s I still feel that the fact they did not authorise any further cyber cafe/shops in the last year at all makes me worried they would have the intention to spread to even older ages...

[Kawaiicaps]

this only affects the cafes. not home machines.


-^_^-

[Red Charlie]

this only affects the cafes. not home machines.


-^_^-

MMO companies have to adhere to these rules as well therefore will affect those who do play at home.

And as far as I know there was discussions about steam being modified but the forum threads for that on the steam forums have been removed.

[Dr Frankenjam]

Worst i've got is my leg falls asleep. Then i get up and get something to beat the feeling back into it with. Usually my pen0r... then that leads onto a different kind of exercise...

I think i'm alright.

[Sieg Reyu]

I think it's more a symptom of a larger social problem than a fixation on Video Games.

You don't starve yourself to death playing CS without being really fucking screwed up to begin with.

Although... What with all the stuff we've seen with WoW over here, there could very well be a digital addiction problem among certain people.

I mean, I'm totally hung up on Final Fantasy 6 right now, but I feel like a retard after playing all day and go outside just to get fresh air after.

Yeah, me too. I play it all the time. Luckily for me everyone is working on Prom stuff for this Saturday so much that we are doing barely anything in any of my classes. How far are you? I just got all my characters back. I would have all my characters minus one if you didn't hae to get Celes. I really effing hate her.

And what kind of games are they talking about? MMORPGs or what?

And I think the whole thing is BS! People die from drinking too much water, why don't they prohibit that? A kid from a town near me died during sports practice from a lightning strike, why don't they prohibit wide open area or physical recreation. People die from swimming in the ocean, why don't they ban the ocean.

[zombine]

why don't they ban the ocean.

because its in international waters

[Kara]

I mean, I'm totally hung up on Final Fantasy 6 right now, but I feel like a retard after playing all day and go outside just to get fresh air after.

I agree in being FF6 addicted right now and the whole feeling like a retard thing.

I think the whole thing is actually pretty hilarious. Thank god I'm not in China.

[Sieg Reyu]

why don't they ban the ocean.

because its in international waters

We've worked together before! Just but a whole bunch of malnourished dead people and declare that the Atlantic is attempting Holocasut 2.0

[Citin]

Lots of bad things have been said about these laws but, in my opinion, this is a good thing. Imagine if these laws were to spread all over Asia.....

There'd be a lot less gold farmers

[Patch]

Lots of bad things have been said about these laws but, in my opinion, this is a good thing. Imagine if these laws were to spread all over Asia.....

There'd be a lot less gold farmers

Not really, just the prices of the gold would increase. Business wouldn't stop because of a little inconvience of lack of experience. Most gold farmers are level 70 WoW-deathmachines, or the equivilent highest level in whatever game they're farming for...

So, Emma, how am I wrong about the fact that people have claimed that getting someone sit on their back has resolved their chronic acid imbalances at the time?
Are you telling me that the spine is the cause of all diseases?
If so, plase, get the fuck out of the gene pool, you're not fit to be in there...
Show me PEER-REVIEWED MEDIAL EVIDENCE that it is so, and then you can be all high and mighty about saying anyone with a different (and realistic) opinion is wrong. Until then, you can go back to paying your chiropractor money for doing practically fuck all, except giving you a back massage.
Which means he's not a "doctor", but more a maseusse...

[Citin]

Not really, just the prices of the gold would increase. Business wouldn't stop because of a little inconvience of lack of experience. Most gold farmers are level 70 WoW-deathmachines, or the equivilent highest level in whatever game they're farming for...

Why must you crush my dreams so

[Red Charlie]

Lots of bad things have been said about these laws but, in my opinion, this is a good thing. Imagine if these laws were to spread all over Asia.....

There'd be a lot less gold farmers

Theres also the fact that in eastern europe gold farming is now the thing to do to get money also. So now their business would only increase from the loss of business from Asia.

On top of that. The Gold Farmers play American verisons of the games not the Chinese versions. Therefore the laws will not be applied to those games as they shouldn't offically have them in China at all. (Plus the people with the money to buy the gold are in America/Europe, not China/Asia (with exception to certain parts))

[Kawaiicaps]

WAit ... are we talking real gold or online gold...



-^_^-