Online game "anti-addiction" technology is not enough
To look at the game industry from a development perspective, it comprehensively utilizes a variety of cutting-edge digital technologies such as 5G, VR, big data, and artificial intelligence. It requires high innovation capabilities and can radiate cultural and creative, apparel, exhibition and other peripheral industries.
Therefore, a game industry with well-regulated, technology-driven, and active innovation has great market prospects.
Hu Qimu, chief researcher of digital economy think tank, chief researcher of China Steel Economic Research Institute
During the "October" holiday, many online game companies such as Tencent Games and Netease Games have issued notices that minors can only play for one hour a day, and have "adjusted time off" for minors to play games. .
This is the first "October" holiday under the New Deal for online games. The outside world is concerned about whether the over-regulation can prevent minors from indulging in online games?
"Most Forbidden Order" to promote the healthy development of the game industry
Prior to this, the National Press and Publication Administration issued the "Most Prohibited Order in History", requiring all online game companies to only provide one hour of service to minors from 20 to 21 o'clock every day on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and statutory holidays.
In other words, minor players cannot play more than 3 hours per week, and online game companies are not allowed to provide game services to users who have not registered and logged in with real names in any form.
On the eve of the "Eleventh" holiday, the National Press and Publication Administration officially launched the "Reporting Platform for Preventing Minors from Indulging in Online Games", which specifically accepts reports from the masses on issues related to game companies' anti-addiction.
In this regard, Zhu Keli, founding dean of the National Research Institute of New Economics and chief researcher of the New Economic Think Tank, believes that under the background of "double reduction", student groups have more free time, and many parents worry that this will give their children a chance to indulge in online games. There are more opportunities to take advantage of, and the timely introduction of game bans can be described as responding to public opinion, and it is just the right time.
Zhu Keli particularly emphasized that the "strictest game ban" was introduced to prevent minors from indulging in online games, not to suppress the game industry.
Of course, this may affect game user activity and game ecology, but for some game companies that do not pay for the core group of minors, the impact on revenue is limited.
"However, any industry must first be healthy and orderly before it can talk about long-term development."
“Furthermore, if the problem of minors’ addiction to games is not addressed as soon as possible, once serious social problems arise, I am afraid that the regulatory environment facing the game industry will be more stringent, and the development opportunity period may even be missed.” Chief Researcher of the Digital Economy Think Tank , Hu Qimu, chief researcher of China Steel Economic Research Institute, suggested that companies in the industry should take this opportunity to optimize user structure and improve service levels.
Immature and unsound supporting mechanisms for the game industry
According to media reports, online games have grown into a huge industry.
In 2020, the actual sales revenue of China's game market was 278.687 billion yuan, and Tencent Games, which occupies half of the industry, achieved operating revenue of 156.1 billion yuan.
Statistics show that currently, 62.5% of underage Internet users in China often play games online; 13.2% of underage mobile game users play mobile games for more than 2 hours a day on a working day.
Excessive investment in online games has a dual negative impact on the physiology and psychology of minors in our country. The harm of online games has been increasingly recognized by the society.
"It must be noted that the current supporting systems and mechanisms of China's game industry are immature and imperfect, and there are gaps in supervision in some areas or the implementation of supervision measures is not in place, causing some minors to indulge in online games." Hu Qimu said.
"But we still have to look at the game industry from a development perspective. It comprehensively utilizes a variety of cutting-edge digital technologies such as 5G, VR, big data, and artificial intelligence. It requires high innovation capabilities and can radiate cultural creativity, clothing, exhibitions and other peripherals. Industry. Therefore, a well-regulated, technology-driven, and innovative game industry has great market prospects.” Hu Qimu said.
"Anti-addiction" is not a purely technical issue
Since 2007, with the promotion of relevant state departments, major online game, video, live broadcast and other online platforms have begun to implement online game anti-addiction systems.
After entering the "Youth Mode", the user's usage time, online duration, service functions, etc. will be restricted, and they can only access the exclusive content pool for teenagers.
But even so, minors still cannot be guarded, and the Internet has even begun to rent and sell game accounts.
Zhu Keli bluntly said that account renting and selling seriously undermine the real-name system of games and the protection mechanism for minors. Some illegal platforms even provide technical means such as "replacement of human faces" to bypass the restrictions on minors' game addiction.
Next, on the premise of strictly observing the requirements of laws and regulations, all online game companies and platforms should further strengthen data analysis and identify more minors who are suspected of using adult accounts to play games.
At the same time, it also called on relevant departments to issue corresponding regulations as soon as possible to strictly control the behavior of account rental and sale.
Hu Qimu suggested that, on the one hand, new anti-counterfeiting technologies such as face recognition should be used to prevent minors from borrowing accounts in order to evade supervision and actively plug technical loopholes. On the other hand, to increase the cost of illegality, the illegal information of suspected accounts can be rented out. Enter the credit database and implement industry prohibition measures for illegal personnel.
"Of course, the problem of minors indulging in the Internet cannot be solved by a single social entity. It requires the joint efforts of schools, parents, society, enterprises, and the government..." Hu Qimu said.
"'Anti-addiction' is not a purely technical issue. We can learn from foreign experience. The first is to implement a game grading system. The second is to clearly define the boundaries of the rights and obligations of homes, schools, and enterprises. The third is to focus on legislation and supervision to ensure supervision. Predictability provides stable expectations for the development of the game industry." Zhu Keli suggested.