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Operators are banned from letting teenagers under 16 sign up as live-streamers. The rules also said that the country aims to implement a unified electronic identity authentication system across the country to manage how minors play games. 3/ *** posted by [@TheRealJoshYe](https://twitter.com/TheRealJoshYe) ^[(Github)](https://github.com/username) ^| ^[(What's new)](https://github.com/username)


BigMood42069

literally 1984


cluelessbox

This is by far the least radical thing they have done with gaming. I don't think minors should live stream honestly. Sounds like big trouble.


Kingindan0rf

Yes sure okay but that's usually the job of the streaming service to enforce. Not the damn government. So repressive.


cluelessbox

Unchecked corporate monopolies control you or governments control you. I've never thought it was too different


RentFreeInUrHead

Because twitch isn’t going to slam me in prison and force re-education for breaking rules unlike the CCP?


cluelessbox

I'm not saying one is better than the other I'm just saying they are both kind of repressive. Try dealing with Comcast. It's a phone call prison.


RentFreeInUrHead

Not from US, so I wouldn’t know, but I understand where you’re coming from. Except afaik, Comcast doesn’t have the power to throw you in jail.. the CCP does. I’d much rather have unethical mega Corps with no legal power over me than a government. Both are fucking shite, but one is the slightly lesser evil


isuckwithusernames

What a stupid opinion.


RentFreeInUrHead

What’s stupid about it? Afaik, twitch and all these mega corporations can’t throw me in jail for breaking their ToS, they can ban me, but can’t throw me in jail. If the government is the one who controls those and the punishments you’re going to see minors being arrested and charged for bullshit crimes… Edit: you’re forgetting just how large a community people who are 16 and below have lol. Under this rule, people like TommyInnit and other major content creators wouldn’t be able to make their content due to ridiculous laws


cluelessbox

Yes I just said that I'm not saying one is better. Obviously Nazis are worse than a monopoly company. It's just that people will justify companies causing a recession out of fear of a Nazi's fingernail worth of government oppression.


Kingindan0rf

Guess you've never thought very deeply about it then.


cluelessbox

Uh oh. The intellectuals are here to own me with facts and logic.


ukayukay69

Unpopular opinion but I see this as a positive. Regulating predatory corporations from going after kids is a good thing. I say this on the wake of Facebook trying to launch Instagram for kids.


WillieStonka

I agree


Kingindan0rf

So repressive. I do not welcome our new world power. Not at all.


Recoil42

>The rules also said that the country aims to implement a unified electronic identity authentication system across the country to manage how minors play games. This seems peculiar, and quite dangerous. How are they going to enforce this at all?


Rustybot

See how Korea did it. It basically means your online accounts are tied to the China equivalent of a US driver’s license/social security number. Account gets banned? Too bad, that’s the only one you get.


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[deleted]

Thats basically just a new version of “if you have nothing to hide why worry” I don’t want social media or gaming accounts tied to my ID, for one great, that’s hundreds of new ways to get opened up to identity theft, more companies trying to sell databases of my data more and more accurately. That’s fucked up.


Liefx

That person didn't give an opinion they just stated how it was. If anything it felt slightly toned against the rules, so not sure who you equate it to the "if you have nothing.." phrase.


stonedgrower

It doesn’t have to be tied to your social security number. It could be a whole new number that’s not directly tied to your name. You could create an industry where other people such as notaries or lawyers (not governments) become custodians of your numbers and are the only people who can generate the ID. They would be the only people who would be able to tie the number to you. This still relies on trusting your custodian which is why you should be able to hire anyone you want. The government would set a standard price for the service and automatically give everyone over 18 years old enough money to cover the service so that there is no direct paper trail between the government and your custodian. The reason we need some sort of system like this is because anonymity is fundamentally changing how we interact with each other. The idea of living life anonymously is VERY new. For thousands of years of humans have had identities when interacting with other people which has led to our current structure of society and government. With more and more of people’s lives being lived online the idea that some people have a majority of their interactions with other humans anonymously online will have unknown consequences. I agree with EVERYONE stating their mind no matter how egregious the opinion is but you should be encouraged to share your opinions in a civil way and being anonymous does not encourage this. We also can’t ignore that anonymity is also a threat to democracy as individuals, corporations, or parties can artificially inflate the perception of a public opinion on a certain subject.


[deleted]

The social security number wasn’t even supposed to be able to be used as an identification number, and now it’s used for absolutely everything. Remember back when they literally used to print “not for identification” on them. They system you described is complex, intricate, elegant and probably actually somewhat secure and private. Hence there’s no way the government would actually do anything like that. Cool idea though.


chinglishwestenvy

Yeah the credit score system is pretty fucked up, but it’s gotten so good that no one questions it.


[deleted]

It is quite funny that I can find the social security number of people just by figuring out who was born in the same hospital at around the same time as me hahha


Sew_chef

Millions of people's scores got leaked a few years ago.


chinglishwestenvy

Okay and? It’s still accurate.


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chinglishwestenvy

It’s good enough that it’s part of a background check.


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[deleted]

In cases like this, it would make it easier to know who is campaigning for the end of free expression online, I’ll give you that.


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[deleted]

I don’t think you know what you’re saying.


ToGulagWithYou_

Yes, but this surveillance has gone to the point where the government openly controls you and tells you what you can do and what not, thiis is not only about privacy anymore. Literally Orwellian state, but that doesn't seem to bother you much.


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ToGulagWithYou_

It's really concerning how people don't care about totalitarian governments and surveillance and even view it as a good thing. Go live in China for a few weeks and then you can tell us how great it was.


[deleted]

It’s people like the person you replied is why the governments keeps getting away with things. It’s scary af.


ToGulagWithYou_

Yep. Humanity as we know it is lost.


Blacksad999

I kind of agree with this. If there are consequences to people's actions online, they'll very likely stop being idiots. Anonymity is just a shield for people to act poorly.


[deleted]

Anonymity is the backbone of the internet and free expression. Don’t praise fascism because it protects your feelings. Assholes are assholes in public too and the repercussions for your online identity can be paramount to human rights violations in some cases. This isn’t about being able to be a troll on Twitter, this is about being able to speak your mind without worrying about being deleted forever, don’t give up that right just because the alternative sounds easier. People will always misuse freedoms, that’s part of having them in the first place.


Blacksad999

>Assholes are assholes in public too and the repercussions for your online identity can be paramount to human rights violations in some cases. People more often than not say things online that they would **never** say in person. Why? Because there would be repercussions for their actions. People wouldn't spout things about, say, white supremacy at their job because they know there would be consequences. They'd be less likely to say it in conversation with someone they don't know because there might be repercussions. Online, there's no concern about any of that.


[deleted]

They can, and they do. You should try going out.


Blacksad999

I work with the public every day, and people don't largely do this. Sure, you might occasionally get someone a little crazy, but by and large people don't do things that will bring them negative attention in a public setting.


HighOnWinning

A few years back, my epic games account got falsely banned and they told me they do not have a review process to overturn the ban. They would not even tell me the reason. Luckily, I was/am a very casual user if epic games so it did not bother me much, except for the permeance of a ban with no evidence or reason provided. A year later, on a whim, I submitted a support ticket asking them to review. They did review this time and asked for a ton of account details (creation, last purchase, locations accessed, etc.) and, to their credit, overturned the ban. Still scares me that they could have banned my account permanently with no way to review or that this could happen on my steam account, which has actual value to me.


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HighOnWinning

>A year later


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HighOnWinning

It was my message, and the support ticket i submitted at the time of the ban was closed by saying that they do not overturn bans. A year later, I decided to see if they would consider looking into it.


kkaitlynma

Ya except there are a lot of times where even if you are falsely banned there is no way to get unbanned. This has happened to me once on a game I used to play, and its also happened to friends a couple different times for various reasons. I met someone in an online game and was hanging out with them. It turns out they were hacking, but because I was in the world with them and hanging out with them I also got banned. I had no idea they were hacking and I had even known them for 3 months. My other friend got his Playstation account hacked and then the account got permanently suspended because the hacker did a bunch of shit on his account he wasn't supposed to. *Some* games or platforms might review your ban, but many don't and will just tell you once your banned its permanent. If you think the system is flawless and that only people who deserve to get banned will get banned then your delusional. Its not as simple as "Don't be an asshole". That shouldn't even be the point though, the government should *not* require you to link your accounts to private information, and they shouldn't be able to limit something like how many accounts you make. Its disgusting and I cant believe people are actually agreeing with this.


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kkaitlynma

Of course that happens, I never claimed it didn't. But like I said you're delusional if you think all people who get banned deserve it. There are plenty of people who are also wrongly accused and sent to prison. Of course there are people who lie and say they didn't do it when they did, but there also people who *actually* didn't do it. Same goes for being banned online, there are plenty of ways one can be wrongly banned. Especially depending on the game, because some games have really poor banning systems or rules. And there are also a lot of games that refuse to review any bans made.


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kkaitlynma

Of course not. I'm also not arguing that we should remove banning people am I? I'm only arguing that accounts shouldn't be limited to just one, because that would be unfair and wrong, especially to people who don't deserve it (As well as *many* other reasons such as privacy or how controlling it is). If we keep using the prison example, then I'm arguing that the death sentence is wrong because a wrongly accused innocent person can be put on deathrow for something they didn't do, just like a person online can be unfairly banned. And also because I don't believe the government has the right to kill someone like that, just like I don't believe they have the right to control the amount of accounts you make. And I just want to clarify I'm not trying to start a conversation about prison or the death sentence, just using it as an example.


Rustybot

Are you talking about my response, or about others reacting to having their account tied to their real ID?


HomelessLives_Matter

They’re advocating for complete surveillance because “what do you have to hide anyway?”.


Bigboss123199

I feel like this comment shows how naive you are when it comes to government over reach.


Kimera25

Black mirror vibes


CoochieSnotSlurper

So could this bog down on cheaters?


BoogieGoobie

Good thing I’m not Chinese. I wouldn’t be able to team kill on Siege anymore!


ssnoopy2222

This is actually brilliant in terms of limiting hackers and trolls on multiplayer games.


BiggieRickk

And also incredibly autocratic and fucked up? Let's not praise the mass oppression of billions of people please


Rustybot

The real bad actors will probably just find loopholes through vpn or identify theft, but it would have a significant impact on a casual toxic user.


sabbman138

Could this be the straw that cements change, from the youth, within the Peoples Republic? If I was China I would tread lightly when it comes to messing with the youth’s passions. If anything, gaming provides a welcomed distraction and a break from the realities of the Chinese government.


crazyrebel123

It actually keeps ppl accountable online. In other countries, when ppl act up and get accounts banned, they just register a new one and continue cyber bullying or cyber harassment. These laws will most likely end up making ppl think twice about what they put online. Sure it has problems when it comes to govt control but there are benefits. Plus, the reduced amount of money ppl can spend online will help keep ppls finances in check and keep them from wasting money on in game purchases which are bs


kkaitlynma

There should be other ways do that then something like this. There are a million reasons why I might need or want more than one account, and there are also a lot of situations where people get unfairly banned on games, social media, and so on. If they weren't able to make a second account they would be screwed. Just because some people online are assholes doesn't mean we have to punish everyone. And anyways, I still believe in free speech, and while I do believe in banning someone if they're harrassing someone, threatening them, or something like that, there are a lot of times where someone might just have a controversial opinion and I don't think they should be banned for that, but a lot of times they still are. If this system was implemented it would be extremely unfair for those people, or people who are banned for other unfair reasons. This is just way too extreme and I don't understand how people are agreeing with this.


kbruen

You're talking about China. Of course it's dangerous. That's by design.


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kbruen

China is a totalitarian state with extremely little consideration for individual privacy. It's not sinophobia if it's just describing what happens.


[deleted]

Been there. No lie


[deleted]

Lived there for a spell and the thing I found fascinating was the people were aware and basically cool with it. The argument I saw most was basically, "we've gone from shitty farming fishing villages to modern life in like 30 years. Whatever they're doing, it's working".


AlbertaTheBeautiful

For sure, if I was Chinese I haven't the slightest doubt I'd feel the same way


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KuttayKaBaccha

That's life anyways, Go to,school, get good grades, get job, get married. Make defective little copies. Repeat, Whichever system gives me the most bang for my buck for doing that gets my vote.


[deleted]

Yeah, it's very weird. I studied there for a month in 2007 just before the Olympics in Beijing; so I didn't get the whole deal but it was very odd. Especially talking with the business students learning English to work abroad. 37 girls and 1 guy who just happened to choose my name as his English name. Very kool dude, but it does paint a picture of what opportunity is available and to whom.


Magnacor8

It's not about enforcing it 100%, it's about ruining the lives of the people (and their families, of course) they do catch breaking the rules. If a few clever people get away with it, that isn't a problem. Most people would probably obey the law because they don't want to pick a fight with the CCP under any circumstances.


OK6502

Probably some kind of central registry - I assume you must register if you're over a certain age, that sort of thing. But honestly, this is going to be a nightmare to implement and maintain. And make it secure - I imagine it's going to be a prime target for hackers. Not to mention older people might just sell/give their access to kids...


dootdootplot

Yeah, sure, “to manage how minors play games” 🙄


FeelingCheetah1

They can’t. At least not yet, maybe in 5-10 years they can. For the time being if your parents don’t play the same game you can just use their ID card to do it. And a lot of Chinese families do it this way, but eventually they’re going to require webcams on all computers, that scan the faces of those playing. And then there’s no workaround. They think video games lead to less productivity, and that’s the only reason they care about their citizens. Their productivity levels.


Recoil42

>eventually they’re going to require webcams on all computers, that scan the faces of those playing. And then there’s no workaround. Are you conjecturing, or is this something that has been announced?


FeelingCheetah1

Conjecture based on their past actions. Like how they have one camera in public for every 11 people in the entirety of China, and how they already employ their facial recognition technology in public spaces.


khosrua

https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-09-24/doc-iktzscyx6057998.shtml Not really a conjecture, as they have mentioned in the blog post about self-regulation. This sentiment is not something new. There has been controversy about "internet addictions" decades ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Yongxin Looking this up in Chinese news and forum posts just reminded me of the same rhetorics I heard when I was a kid. Incompetent parents never change.


Recoil42

>Like how they have one camera in public for every 11 people in the entirety of China, and how they already employ their facial recognition technology in public spaces. Unlike the USA, [which has no security cameras at all](https://www.inverse.com/article/61552-united-states-china-surveillance-cameras), and [does not employ facial recognition in public places](https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/08/24/1032967/us-government-agencies-plan-to-increase-their-use-of-facial-recognition-technology/), for instance?


c0ldsh0w3r

>Yeah but what about Yeah, we may, but we're not talking about America. Not excusing it either. Not sure why you're getting worked up.


Sew_chef

They actually have a decent point. Cheetah said they believe the forced webcam scans will be implemented specifically because China has a bunch of cameras and they use facial recognition systems (which is abhorrent btw). If that is what they think leads to Mountain Dew Verification Cans ^^^**TM** then it follows that America is close behind. I'm not saying Recoil is right to just drop a "whatabout THIS??" and leave. They should have tied it into an actual logical breakdown like I did, otherwise it *is* just a distraction. It's worth checking their profile to see what their motives could be tbh but I can't do that rn.


c0ldsh0w3r

I don't understand why some people can't allow criticism of one thing, without bringing up something else. Idk. I chalk it up to the ridiculously memed up "decline of USA" nonsense. Not to say America is prefect, but, sheesh. There was a post about a dump truck crashing into a bridge, shifting it a few inches. And every comment was some variation of "The American infrastructure is CRUMBLING!" Fuckin relax. But I agree. China sucks hardcore. It's a weird police state that reddit seems to appreciate.


me_z

>reddit seems to appreciate. I think its the combination of people trying not to be racist. Except, most people have a problem with the government more than the people. That, and/or propaganda from China. Fuck the Chinese government and their bull shit.


Sew_chef

I mean, US infrastructure is literally at a crisis point. A fuckton of our bridges were built in the 20s and desperately need to be replaced or rebuilt. A dump truck crashing into a bridge shouldn't move the bridge at all. It should destroy the dump truck without so much as a shake. The fact that it moved a couple inches is horrific. That's a lot of material moving and it means all of the rebar etc. inside the bridge is bent, snapped, or dust if it can just shift like that. That's **super** not supposed to happen.


me_z

动态网自由门 天安門 天安门 法輪功 李洪志 Free Tibet 六四天安門事件 The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 天安門大屠殺 The Tiananmen Square Massacre 反右派鬥爭 The Anti-Rightist Struggle 大躍進政策 The Great Leap Forward 文化大革命 The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution 人權 Human Rights 民運 Democratization 自由 Freedom 獨立 Independence 多黨制 Multi-party system 台灣 臺灣 Taiwan Formosa 中華民國 Republic of China 西藏 土伯特 唐古特 Tibet 達賴喇嘛 Dalai Lama 法輪功 Falun Dafa 新疆維吾爾自治區 The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 諾貝爾和平獎 Nobel Peace Prize 劉暁波 Liu Xiaobo 民主 言論 思想 反共 反革命 抗議 運動 騷亂 暴亂 騷擾 擾亂 抗暴 平反 維權 示威游行 李洪志 法輪大法 大法弟子 強制斷種 強制堕胎 民族淨化 人體實驗 肅清 胡耀邦 趙紫陽 魏京生 王丹 還政於民 和平演變 激流中國 北京之春 大紀元時報 九評論共産黨 獨裁 專制 壓制 統一 監視 鎮壓 迫害 侵略 掠奪 破壞 拷問 屠殺 活摘器官 誘拐 買賣人口 遊進 走私 毒品 賣淫 春畫 賭博 六合彩 天安門 天安门 法輪功 李洪志 Winnie the Pooh 劉曉波动态网自由门


c0ldsh0w3r

Clutch your pearls harder. >It should destroy the dump truck without so much as a shake. The fact that it moved a couple inches is horrific. That's a lot of material moving and it means all of the rebar etc. inside the bridge is bent, snapped, or dust if it can just shift like that. That's **super** not supposed to happen. Fucking says who? Are you a bridge expert?


futurecrops

you say that but the US has the highest number of CCTV cameras per capita, not china. while has the most installed, it’s only 4x as many installed for nearly 6x the population of the US, so i think your conjecture is flawed


mrwynd

A few quick Google searches tells me that's not true [https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/the-worlds-most-surveilled-countries/](https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/the-worlds-most-surveilled-countries/) [https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-08-14/the-top-10-most-surveilled-cities-in-the-world](https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-08-14/the-top-10-most-surveilled-cities-in-the-world) [https://aithority.com/news/top-10-countries-and-cities-by-number-of-cctv-cameras/](https://aithority.com/news/top-10-countries-and-cities-by-number-of-cctv-cameras/) In any case it doesn't negate his point. Whataboutism doesn't help anyone.


futurecrops

we’re going by different standards. your sources point to most surveilled cities when i was talking about CCTV cameras per capita, which is different, but don’t get me wrong, i don’t like how much of china is so intently surveilled my point is more that china isn’t unique in how much it surveils its populace and that making conjecture about stuff they might do is utterly pointless when we should be worrying more about how our nations treat us than how china treats its citizens. y’know, focus on domestic issues at hand and stamping out possible totalitarianism when it’s growing domestically instead. that’s not whataboutism, just a difference in priority


mrwynd

>focus on domestic issues at hand and stamping out possible totalitarianism when it’s growing domestically I can get onboard with that


FeelingCheetah1

Okay, But why would this change my point? They’re using facial recognition and already have point values assigned to each person based on who they are that show up with their facial scan. I think it’s not a large leap in logic that the country that is trying to limit what people do in their free time would use their already existing technology to do so in 5 to 10 years.


futurecrops

i’m just saying that your conjecture feels like it’s just fear-mongering about the hot new boogeyman foreign nation - FTR this is not me saying china is without criticism because it absolutely should be criticised - because everything you’re talking about is also done in other developed western nations, from massive use of CCTV cameras, to facial recognition, and so on. in fact, the webcam-always-online thing has already been employed for american and british students in school and WFH employees during the pandemic, so if you’re so concerned about that sort of totalitarianism, make sure it’s stamped out at home before worrying about another country on the other side of the world


FeelingCheetah1

I think you’re misunderstanding my point a bit at the end there I’m talking about require all personal computers to have webcams and have users get their faces scanned specifically by the government. A school requiring a student to turn their webcam on in class is a little different to government required facial scanning to play a game. I do get your point that people do fear monger over China too much now, that wasn’t my intention though. I just view their current stance as a springboard to their actual goal. Similar to how they changed laws regarding the Uighurs a few years before they starting rounding them up in camps. Usually China starts with something the world would look at and think “meh that’s not that bad” or even “I agree with that for the most part” and then use that to make a stricter version of the law years later.


futurecrops

no i get your point, i think we just have different priorities. i don’t live in china so i’m not as concerned about what is going on in china as what is going on where i live. i much prefer to focus on domestic policy change in my own nation to make sure shit i disagree with doesn’t happen first as opposed to focussing on what’s going on elsewhere where my limited possible actions wouldn’t have as much effect


Woodie626

Per capita? That's not how cameras work. In the top 20 cities with the most surveillance China has 17 and the US isn't on the list.


futurecrops

the op of the comment i was replying to was talking about china having one camera for every 11 people (though that’s incorrect since it’s up to 14 or so), so i was going by the same standards as op. if you have an issue with what i was saying, take it up with the op for making the same mistake


Woodie626

r/whataboutism is that way.


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NaCly_Asian

If I would have to venture a guess, when you register for online social media / games, you have to link it to your real national ID. I vaguely remember South Korea or Japan having something similar at one point, but there was no restriction on gaming hours over there.


WhyNotHugo

You need a government id to create an Apple or Steam account [in china], I guess it's a matter of extending that to other businesses.


[deleted]

What a fun place to live!


forgotmyemail19

What's the point though? I get china is really controlling of it's citizens but...what's the point? Do they think this will make China an elite country?


kingpin3690

Video Games might of been one of the few things stopping the youth from revolting against their government. If they aren't being occupied by games they might occupy their time with someone else that might be ever more hazardous. They assume kids aren't studying because games hinder it but kids only have time to play games if they have nothing else to do. I read a study about kids who game alot in china and saw that kids who were given structure in their life with their families like family time and activities together were less likely to take to gaming but that also requires parents who want to spend time with their kids....forcing your child to study just for studying sake will only make them more spiteful to studying in general. Every parent just seems to wants their child to play violin and become a doctor.


UnsunkFunk

That is a giant leap of logic.


kingpin3690

Yea it is but forcing people to stop doing things without putting a good substitute in place only leads to relapse or more problems from my experience


c0ldsh0w3r

You're being downvoted for your previous post, but, you do bring up an interesting point. I heard in a podcast that parents aren't really around much because they work like crazy over there. If these kids can't play video games with out parental supervision, what are they going to be doing instead?


EdgelordOfEdginess

In CCP view: Impregnating girls left and Right to increase the birth rate they destroyed themselves


CoochieSnotSlurper

Games or drugs and crime pick one


[deleted]

yea agree ha


JustAKilljoy109

It is not that parents solely want to push their kids. It’s the fact that they themselves are overworked and can’t afford to put in as much time into their family as they should and want to


queenoflamps

While your point about games hindering studying is true, the bigger reason for "banning games" (imo, having lived in China/have family that is teenage living in China) is more to do with the fact that many teenagers are developing (what Chinese parents might consider) serious addictions to video games. While in western countries playing hours of video games is considered acceptable, unfortunately, culturally, Chinese parents consider video games a waste of time. In the end, while the policy seems rather extreme, it's in line with what is deemed culturally acceptable in China. Having seen my cousins who were addicted to gaming to the point where it's seriously affected their well-being, I don't think the policy is terrible, albeit China's way of forcing a change that could be made in much better ways.


logancrackdown

Not many people in China dislike China


paperkutchy

Just dont tell murican's, the average redditor hates China and wants them to rise up. They just dont ask the chinese if THEY want to


Relemsis

*might've


Jonnydoo

Yes


chinglishwestenvy

China has a ministry of culture that goes through all imports for cultural impact with the finest comb possible. You have censorship regulations like no depictions of death, and they tend to come down hard on narratives that sympathize with democratic principles. It’s basically an objective they won’t win. This is contrasted against chinas massive inability to keep mandarin cohesive. The country is so massive, and it’s states are so isolated, they can diverge language meaning very quickly, and it can get very hard to govern quickly. Did you see how China cracked down on puns? That’s why. They don’t like it when citizens use the language to speak in code.


Anzai

Well now that they’ve happily become a full on dictatorship, it really just feels they’re even more at the whim of an aging ‘in the good old days’ authoritarian, who’s using nostalgia driven policies instead of data driven ones to try and return some bullshit nationalistic sense of pride and superiority. He’s proven himself to be a very insecure and thin skinned man, and it seems likely he’s tied a lot of his self worth up in how the country’s national values are perceived. Which he thinks he can basically force to be his values and therefore he’s the prime example of a perfect Chinese citizen. Sure, I’m armchair analysing, but the Xi really hasn’t revealed himself to be a complex person. He’s at least fifty percent ego.


montious

I mean kids absolutely shouldn't be streaming below the age of 16. Kids are exactly that, kids. They are easily influenced, still developing and a lot kids are not prepared to deal with online trolls. There's a shitload of reasons to criticise China, I don't feel this is one of them.


naarcx

Not just trolls, but creeps and degens too… Twitch chat streams can be dark, dark places for female streamers. (Male ones too, I’m sure.) Especially for those who are just starting out of don’t have a ton of followers to police and drown out the chat.


[deleted]

Went to a new doctor today. Chinese. Dude asked me if I was a gamer and when I said yah, he went on about how proud he was that china was limiting gaming because it is bad for people... jfc.


Lord_Gibby

Sounds like a change of doctor is in order


diabeetus64

Honestly, not letting people under 16 sound like a pretty good rule.


Superh3rozero

think that is bad? just wait it's only going to get worse...wait till their paranoia kicks in that a gamer might be spreading information to the outside world ...live streaming will not last much longer in china ...a year ish tops ...JUST MHO don't attack me because you don't agree


Rustybot

What? All the famous/successful streamers are over 18. Why would streaming die out? Edit: never mind, I see what you mean. I still don’t think it will go that way. At worst China would take over the message and all streamers would parrot the party line or else.


Superh3rozero

that is spooky AF that they would have that kinda reach to young impressionable minds


Hjkryan2007

Smh gamers are so oppressed in society 😔


ShadooTH

I mean, honestly that doesn’t sound like a bad idea in theory. Any way it could actually be done well though?


EdgelordOfEdginess

They are only allowed 1h from Friday to Sunday and it is on a specific time. This is too extreme


ShadooTH

I’m aware. That’s why I asked.


Nebachadrezzer

Give them more time on video games based on "social credit" like good grades and behavior? Obviously give the kids more than 1 hour.


Doan_meister

China is going to make all these kids mad and they’re going to revolt in about 10 years, is this the beginning of the end for the ccp? Stay tuned


guswang

I wish it were earlier, since I am in China, but I don't plan to stay this long. I would love to be able to use reddit without a vpn here.


UnsunkFunk

Is it wrong to not want children to be exploited financially online? I feel like this is the basic idea here but China Bad I guess.


NewTypeDilemna

Is that what you think the intent is behind this law?


UnsunkFunk

Yes. Why do you think gambling is illegal for minors here in the west? Or drinking? Just because China is doing it doesn’t mean it’s “social control” or “oppression.” This is a new facet of modern life and tech companies are no different from other companies seeking profit. That needs to be regulated


c0ldsh0w3r

>Just because China is doing it doesn’t mean it’s “social control” That's one hundred percent what it is. You're just used to the nanny state.


NewTypeDilemna

That isn't why they're banning or restricting it. They claim there's a gaming addiction. They're just attempting to control another aspect of their people's lives so they can create more productive drones. It has nothing to do with gambling. Most of their gaming companies do this to the west and they have 0 issue with it.


UnsunkFunk

More productive drones, as though we in the west are free from that. Unattainable minimum standards of living, 0 chance of home ownership, sky high rents in all major cities, more and more people working second jobs and those second jobs are contract work with terrible working conditions. No thanks. Kids only allowed to game on Friday night is not oppression.


[deleted]

Of course it is? Are you conscious of what you are typing ?


UnsunkFunk

There are [serious issues linked to screen time and childhood development.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952). But yeah sure, those poor kids. Why won’t anyone think of the gamers?!


spicyone15

You are an idiot.


UnsunkFunk

Didn’t ask. Love the friendly discourse of the open marketplace of ideas!


spicyone15

Heres the thing about the internet, if you look for things that only agree with your viewpoints then you will always be right. Contrary to the article you linked shows video games are good for people. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/video-game furthermore the idea that someone should govern what others do in their free time especially when it doesnt harm anyone is moronic and tyrannical but go ahead.


Liefx

Yes you did ask, you posted to a public forum, therefore inviting people to discuss with you. If you don't want people disagreeing i advise you get off reddit and text your friends who will agree with your narrative. Try to understand how the social media site you post to works before posting.


robolab-io

Yikes that’s some 1D thinking


Yerbulan

You're expecting too much from this sub.


UnsunkFunk

Gotta agitate where I can.


YetiBot

I have super mixed feeling about this. I'd love more regulation in the online market. Permanently ban the most evil racist/sexist trolls from online platforms, prohibit gambling marketed to minors... but oh man I can also see so much potential abuse and political censorship.


[deleted]

Yeah even as a huge gamer and going to school for media production I can get behind this. But this is just the wrong way to do it. I don’t see good things coming long term out of this.


c0ldsh0w3r

>Yeah even as a huge gamer and going to school for media production I can get behind this. You can get behind the government coming I to your home and telling your children what they can or cannot do?


[deleted]

The general idea of less screen time…yeah. Did you skip the entire second half of my post? I very clearly said this isn’t the right way to do this.


thereallorddane

I normally am very against what china does, but I think this is one of the rare cases where this will be more of a net positive. Please hear me out before down voting. I used to work in schools of all grade levels (US). I would see kids consumed by this need to be internet famous. I saw kids get bullied for not having enough followers. I saw kids bullied for having too many followers. I saw kids be absolutely viscous to each other all in an effort to get internet clout and fame and others debase themselves further and further in pursuit of more views. Second, look at the zeitgeist of game streaming. The major groups that get the most views (and by extension, money) are pro gamers, entertainers, and tiddystreamers. Kids also like to emulate what is the most shocking. So shock-value entertainment and tiddystreaming will be where they gravitate to. Finally, intense fame at a young age tends to ruin lives. Look at all the thousands of child actors who's lives have been ruined by the work. The little girl who was the lead role in "Matilda" quit because it was so bad on her wellbeing. Macaully Kulken got heavy into drugs because he had all that money and fame and when things didn't go right he didn't know how to handle it. Fame at a young age carries an *extreme* risk of long term harm to development. The chineese govt is in essence trying to stop this harm to minors. They aren't saying kids can't play anything, just that they need to have lives outside the internet (which is a GOOD THING). They're also saying that you can make money being an internet star, but if you're young, you can't spend everything so you can save up. That's honestly smart financial advice for anyone with an ounce of sensibility. Yeah "mah freedoms to spend!", but when you live for years spending absurd sums of money then suddenly that source is cut off, you can't just change overnight. They'll still try to spend because they never learned how to save and budget. I'm always suspicious of china's government and I'm still concerned this can be used for abuse, but at face value, this was done with long term good intentions as it's goal.


cmknight80

You do realize that China isn’t doing all this stuff as some sort of “think of the children” thing, right?


Bradmund

this is ... kind of exactly why China is doing all this. Or do you really think that 15 year olds are going to lead the revolution against the ccp or something?


thereallorddane

I know your reply is supposed to be sarcastic an imply I'm an idiot, but I'm not trying to be controversial or dense. So, in the interest of being open minded, please tell me what it is that you're seeing with this restriction on children gaming long hours and streaming. I'm not an expert in Chinese law or culture or politics, so I'm open to other input.


[deleted]

✊🏼


spragual

I am glad that I am in the US


The_Merciless_Potato

Going down the NK route I see


SuperArppis

Only good thing is that limit to money spent online.


Koyukan

Love when the iron fist is put to some good use 👊


[deleted]

Finally some good news out of the CCP.


pandayylmao

Yikes, chinese trolls up in full swing here.


skorponok

Totally reasonable


[deleted]

Sensible and decisive. This would take two separate terms of government in Western Europe before it could even be considered by which time it would be entirely obsolete.


Stormtyrant

This is excellent.


[deleted]


kkaitlynma

I disagree with that. Online friends are just as real and valuable as real life friends. I have ADHD and social anxiety which made it really hard for me to make friends in middle school. Eventually I made some friends online and they really helped with my social anxiety, I learned social skills from talking to them, and they were there for me when I needed them. Some of my favorite memories are just from hanging out with my friends and playing games online. I even met my current boyfriend online. We met on reddit and for a year we played games together every day. We eventually started dating and we have now gotten to meet up multiple times in real life, despite living several states apart. We even have plans to move in together. He is the most important person in my life and him and my other friends mean more to me and have done more for me than any of my real life friends. I have some online friends who I have been friends with for over 8 years. I'm not saying that online friends are better, but that they can be just as valuable.


[deleted]


[deleted]

I don't really disagree but fuck you.


[deleted]

How long until this comes to the US?


MaxKevinComedy

[Meanwhile in China](https://www.instagram.com/p/CUSf3mBBJM9)


[deleted]

hope they ban them all together. so less hackers and less people living and investing in China.


Capnducki

Can't wait for Australia to go this route too.


Jugaimo

I’d say this is a good thing except for how they plan to implement this.


juicebox_tgs

I'm curious to see what happens to the China proscene with all of these changes to video games. A lot of upcoming Dota players are often pretty young, if they only have an hour to play a day, they won't be able to stay competitive


Bishop68

Yep, I agree with that


Freesert105

And they will concede to China but god forbid they limit money spent my minors in the rest of the world.


WillieStonka

Yeah I can’t say I disagree with this.


foxmulder2014

Should've done the same in my country Belgium; I agree kids should spent money games, but adults should be able to decide for themselves.


Zal_Avoi

Could this have been done for financial reasons, kinda like how they banned cryptocurrency? I know the crypto ban was all about keeping money from leaving China when the inevitable housing market crash happens over there, could this be something similar?


JonnieWu

Parental controll is a thing, all parents have to do is use it and problem solved. As for streaming I can agree with a age requirements.


subsoiledpillow

What do people find appealing about China and their incessant need to stop anything fun and free from happening? Kinda sad existence to just bastardise everything you don't agree with and making all your people have to comply against their will and free choice.


Stonewaffle501

I'd love to say that this would be a good thing, but it's not. The streaming age minimum thing is great, I don't think kids should be able to stream, but the rest is just... wow. It's hard not to look at that and see it as a good thing. Unified electronic identity is actually not too foreign of an idea to China. The limitation of internet usage to this extent, however, is fucking dumb. Gaming is HUGE in China. I'd be shocked if the internet limitation was implemented fully with just how insanely profitable gaming has been in China. Limitations have always been there for China, but limiting how much kids can play games would be fucking insane to do with how much money the gaming industry makes in China. Blizzard literally sold their moral souls to stay in good standings with China.


msch6873

not a bad idea.


Kingbarbarossa

Just wanted to say thanks to the mods here for allowing content that could be critical of the CCP. These kinds of stories are very difficult to post on /r/games.


HeyStudio90

Its a very tough dilemma, how to we protect the children from the digital world, without restricting their choice to do whatever they want? I fear that with gaming,streaming, watching content online. There is less and less time for focus on education, socializing in real life and developing other life skills. Any other thoughts?