Chinese Children's Addiction To Gaming 'Resolved', Says Industry Body

China's top gaming industry association declared that the problem of children's video gaming addiction has been 'resolved,' the clearest signal so far that Beijing will ease its curbs on the approval of new titles. From a report: China's Game Industry Group Committee, which is affiliated with the government's gaming regulatory body, released a report on Tuesday that found 70 per cent of minors played less than three hours of games a week. 'Minors' gaming addiction has been basically resolved,' the body wrote in a report co-authored by Beijing-based research body CNG. Any easing of China's crackdown on online video games would be a boon for industry leaders Tencent and NetEase, which have borne the brunt of the restrictions.

Beijing sent a shockwave through the gaming industry in August 2021 when it restricted children to only playing online games for one hour on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The move came after state media highlighted the mental and physical health toll gaming addiction was having on China's youth, labelling online games a form of 'spiritual opium.' The time spent by children on Chinese internet giant Tencent's games has plummeted since the regulation change and was down 92 per cent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year. During an earnings call with investors last week, Tencent said it had become 'fully compliant' with Chinese regulations on gaming for minors and expected 'more licenses will be forthcoming in the future.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.