Chinese gaming companies and firms are going belly-up, and others are heading overseas, as the Chinese government continues their crackdown on the gaming industry, freezing new video game licenses extending into 2022.
Since the end of July 2021, The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), who handles the licensing for video games in the nation, have not published a new approved list of titles. This is the country’s largest delay of issuing new licenses.
For context, the Communist Party has been working to mitigate how much time Chinese citizens, particularly the younger generations, play video games. According to The South China Morning Post, the government has openly called online gaming “spiritual opium.”
A contributor for the outlet explained what happened in late-summer of last year, and the new regulations the NPPA implemented:
[On August 30th] … The NPAA announced that players under the age of 18 can only play games for about three hours a week.And more significantly, a [specific] window of time during which you can play, which is between 8 o’ clock to 9 o’clock. Beyond those times you are limited. It goes to show that they are really serious about cracking down on minors, you game addiction […].
The enforcement of it lies primarily in the gaming companies. Gaming companies are put on the hotseat to do this. Technologically, the way they apply it is through real name registration.
In order to access the games you will have to log into with an account that is tied with the police database which has all your information and such.
The media contributor noted that this crackdown has loopholes, as data showed influxes of VPN’s being downloaded, more parents stating their children will bother them more often to play games on their account, a rapid increase of the gaming black market, and more Chinese youth playing on Western servers.
So now that licenses are not being renewed and issued, 14,000 gaming firms have deregistered since July according to state-ran outlet Securities Daily.
Larger firms such as ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, have cut their losses by laying off staff that are involved in gaming divisions. Other companies are heading overseas to recoup their losses.
‘The recent company closures and lay-offs show the increased regulatory uncertainty in China, which ranks as the world’s largest and most lucrative video gaming market. That has made it increasingly difficult for companies to invest and draw up new video gaming projects in the domestic market,’ wrote The South China Morning Post.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
I found it interesting that the government called video games “spiritual opium.” As blunt as that sounds, they are correct.
In Galatians 5:19-21, one of the works of the flesh is “witchcraft,” and video gaming certainly classifies, due to it’s addictive nature and influence it has on people, and the lives that have been ruined because of them. They are nothing more than a vice.
Obviously China’s approach is rough and strict, but it is easy (right now) to find loopholes. But, this is an attempt from the government to make their future children as smart and physical as they can be, and not waste their time on video games that amount to nothing. Video gaming has ruined the younger generations in South Korea and Japan, but the West has all been ruined because of them.
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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Japan which is the birthplace of video games, is especially ruined. They play video games for hours upon hours in internet lounges and cafes and then they wind up dying because of over exhaustion and they develop blood clots and when they stand up the clots shoot it to their brains or hearts and they fall over dead.
I heard of an account of a man in Japan who, I am not exaggerating, he played video games for 73 HOURS!!’ That’s 2 days and 1 hour! He died from over exhaustion, lack of sleep, and heart failure too, I believe.
I’m going to admit because I’m not proud and I want to avoid that pitfall as much as possible: I have a bad habit with playing apps here and there, but as for consoles or computer video games, no more!
I guess we can call this the only good thing coming from China recently. Though they shouldn’t control people like that…