Advertisement
China’s tightened playing restriction for young video gamers may ruin country’s esports ambitions
- The latest restriction would make it nearly impossible for the country’s esports sector to form and train groups of players under the age of 18
- China’s esports market revenue is projected to surpass US$25.5 billion this year
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
China’s new three-hour weekly video gaming restriction for players aged under 18 could potentially kill the country’s ambition to become a global powerhouse in esports, experts warned.
The National Press and Publication Administration, China’s top watchdog for gaming and other forms of online media, issued on Monday a new rule limiting gaming time for players under 18 to between 8pm and 9pm only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays.
That would make it nearly impossible for the country’s esports sector to form and train under-18 groups of players, as well as sustain its growing domestic fan base. The restriction comes as esports will make its debut as an official medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
The latest restriction is not only expected to disrupt, but potentially damage the development of esports in mainland China, according to Warren Lee, technical director at esports company Hexing Global.
“Under this new regulation, there is pretty much zero chance to train the next generation of [esports] competitors,” Lee said. “Personally, I can’t imagine what this means for [esports] team owners in China right now.”
01:43
China’s esports industry offers training to ease talent shortage
China’s esports industry offers training to ease talent shortage
The stakes are high for China in esports, a market with projected revenue surpassing 165.1 billion yuan (US$25.5 billion) this year. That includes income generated from games, tournaments and merchandising.
Advertisement