Tencent slashed playing time for minors under 18 on its flagship game Honour of Kings in order to pacify the local government's gaming addiction concerns, according to South China Morning Post citing a company statement posted on its official WeChat account. The new rules are effective from 3 August.
Gamers under the age of 18 will have their playing time cut to one hour from 1.5 hours on regular days and two hours on public holidays from three hours.
Teenagers are not allowed to play the game between 22.00 and 08.00 hours, a move that goes beyond the central government’s mandatory limits for minors to engage in gaming.
Tencent’s new measures also ban players under the age of 12 from spending money to top up in the game. Gamers between 12 and 16 are only allowed to spend up to CNY 200 (USD 31) per month, with a single charge capped at CNY 50. At the same time, 16 to 18 year old teens are limited to CNY 400 per month, with a single charge capped at CNY 100.
At the start of July, Tencent Games launched a time-sensitive facial recognition system called “Midnight Patrol” that’s meant to curb excessive play time among children and teenagers, according to online publication Sixth Tone.
