I saw a post here (https://lemmy.ml/post/1179679) about some Chinese kid spending USD 64k on video games and I read the news article and found myself down a rabbit hole.
https://www.techspot.com/news/98980-13-year-old-spent-64000-parents-money-mobile.html
China has long held a dim view of video games, calling them “electronic drugs” a few years ago. It only allows those under 18 to play online games for one hour, between 8 pm and 9 pm local time, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
So basicaly, this article says that China (or more accurately the Chinese government) has a dim view of video games.
So I kept digging and found this article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/30/business/media/china-online-games.html
“I think this is the right policy,” she said. “It amounts to the state taking care of our kids for us.”
This phrase just screams “BAD PARENT” to me.
Why do you have to offload the responsibility of caring for your children to the government? You chose to bring them into the world, now you’re responsible for them.
Which brings me to my question… why does China’s government hate video games so much? Why would they want to impose such draconian restrictions on childrens’ free time?
Are you complaining about a government reigning in the worst aspects of video game culture? This is exactly what a government should be doing, regulating an industry that can be extremely addictive if left unchecked.
Another article on the topic
https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3156540/china-vs-video-games-why-beijing-stopped-short-gaming-ban-keeping
“The 2019 regulations also introduced spending limits for children, which have remained unchanged. Players between the ages of 8 and 16 can spend up to 200 yuan per month in a game and those between 16 and 18 years old can spend up to 400 yuan.”
"Also, while the time restrictions apply to all types of video games, not all games are created equal in the eyes of authorities. Two super genres of games have emerged in China based in part on government preferences: danji and wangluo.
Danji means single device, but the term is used for any game that does not need an internet connection (these titles can still be played with other people online). Wangluo means internet games, or those that require a server to be played such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft.
The main difference where the government is concerned is that wangluo games are considered addictive while danji games are considered athletic, according to Szablewicz, a distinction that aligns with China’s esports ambitions but that does not appear as relevant in the mobile age. The Chinese government officially labelled dianzi jingji, or esports, as the country’s 99th professional competitive sport in 2003."
I do fully understand why China has spending limits and I actually fully agree with it. After reading the articles you linked and what everyone else has been saying, while I still don’t agree with the time limits, I now understand why China would want to put them in place. Every country and government is different and they’re going to have their own ways of dealing with problems even if others may disagree.