Chinese gamers protest imposed time limit for MMOs

by James Ransom-Wiley { Aug 30th 2005 at 1:30PM }

World of Warcraft protest A number of Chinese WoW players have signed a growing petition to protest China's plan to limit online gaming to three-hour sessions in 2006. Truth be told, the petition has only collected 1,000 signatures—only a fraction of the 1.5 million Chinese WoW subscribers—but it's showing signs of growth. In addition, protesters have been using their online monikers instead of their real names.

A handful MMOs in China already have anti-addiction (time limit) systems in place, which leads several game operators to believe that the proposed system won't have a huge impact on the online market. Still, is MMO-addiction becoming a serious problem? How long before we have MMO therapists, detox clinics, and anti-gaming prescription drugs?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dave @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"Okay... Those of you who object to the three hour limit please stand in front of this tank."

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Everything is good in moderation.

"MMO therapists, detox clinics"
Pretty sure they already have these here. Support groups and people to see for quitting MMOs. Even 12 step programs for quitting. Mostly thanks to that mother of the dude who killed himself on thanksgiving "because of EverQuest".

Notice the quotation marks before you kill me.

Minks @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I'm split on this one. I am a huge CounterStrike fanatic. CS is an addicting game, as I'm sure many other MMO games are. I had to uninstall it from my laptop to make sure that I didn't let it take over. I mean seriously, I would stay up all night playing this damn game when I had to work the next morning. I've got a family and a business and I can't let it out weigh my priorities. On the other hand, the game is so damn fun. The replay value is never ending and once you get good, you don't want to stop. If people are seriously dying because of these games - or worse - letting their own children die because they play these games - then something does need to happen. I'm just not sure what. I personally don't like the 3/5 hour limits but it could be just what I need to trust myself to install CS again. :)

Minks @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Oh - and don't ream me for my thoughts! I'm sure many of you gamers are 'in control' and can 'quit at any time'. Some of you though, will soon be standing in front others in a full cafateria saying 'Hi, my name is _____ and I am addicted to...'. Only to hear someone from the crowd yell 'WoW? Have you ever sucked dick for Wow?'. I'm finished

Eagle @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Minks: Yes, but why should the rest of us have to sufer because you can't control yourself?

Lost_Canadian @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"Just one more thing that gamers have to be aware of,cant even play freely..OMG"
Play offline games if you want an unrestricted gaming experience. If the social aspects are what's attracting you to the game, go outside.

Seriously...people have died playing MMORPGs...I'm not trying to blame the games themselves, but for people that can't bear to leave a video game the time limits should be a good thing. 3 hours seems too short though, especially on rainy days! I like the idea where it gets harder and harder to gain experience and move on in the game unless you allow your character to get some rest. Doesn't WoW do that? I played the beta, thought it was WAY too addictive, and didn't let myself buy the game.

Time limits make sense on games that never end.

arraksman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Hook the game to an exercise bike. Kills two birds with one stone.

Andrew @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Morgon:

The draw in many of these MMORPGs in poorer asian countries is the profit and "gold-farming".

It might even work as a second income for many of the chinese. Considering that Americans will pay $80 for a rare sword, thats more than most chinese make in a month!

The Chinese gov't is a fascist state. Although it lives under the name of communism, it is fascist. Period. So they can do whatever the hell they want.

Plus.. do I really care what laws the Chinese have? I don't think so.

David @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

People have died playing video games? Well, people have died having sex, too--perhaps that should be legislated. Oh, wait--China's already done that.

It's funny how so many people take government control for granted--to the point that whether or not the three hour limit is fair or not, or whether a slightly longer limit should be imposed, is actually debatable. The Chinese government sucks--and this one isn't far behind.