Tencent Game announced a pilot program to combat game addiction among underage gamers.
By comparing user registration information with the police database, the system will determine a user’s age and then automatically lock out young players under the age of 16. Playtime will be restricted to two hours per day for players between 16 and 18.
Tencent said this will only affect one (yet to be named) new game in its pilot program for now.
The program is another “trial” after the launch of its digital parental lock system last month, according to Tencent. The digital parental lock requires players under the age of 13 to ask their guardians to unlock popular games.
It is no surprise that Tencent has upgraded its game addiction prevention system yet again, Beijing-based gaming analyst Liao Xuhua told KrASIA. “The regulations regarding underage gamers are still in the making,” he said.
Test-driving game addiction prevention systems will help Tencent better understand the potential impacts of future restrictions on underage gaming, Liao said.
The Shenzhen-based company is under scrutiny from the public and the authorities after heated debates on game addiction among school students.
Editor: Nadine Freischlad
