Regulation skeptics

Many are worried that the real-name registration system might end up being another failed attempt to combat video game addiction in China.

In 2007, China developed a computer program to prevent game addiction. Gaming for more than three hours a day was deemed "fatigued," and for more than five hours "unhealthy." Under the two situations, players will have only half or none of their gains in the virtual world of gaming, be it bosses defeated or money earned, counted during the specific gaming periods, respectively.

But the situation was slightly improved as almost all game operators, who accepted the arrangement, installed the program only into servers hosting several free games. The so-called "old" servers hosting games for the largest population of gamers did not use the program.

Even if online game operators comply with the new regulation, the query system will pose a major threat to privacy. Who will shoulder the responsibility in the event of file thefts if game operators are required to save personal information on their servers?

In addition, minors with technology savvy have had no trouble getting around previous, or current, systems. They could easily attain ID numbers from parents or relatives without their knowledge, or find these numbers with help from Internet café owners.

"You can get people to register their information, but you can't confirm that the person sitting behind the computer is really that person," Cao Di, an analyst with iResearch, told PC World.

The Internet also gives gamers numerous tools to evade the regulation. Programs that help create all kinds of ID cards are already available online. Anonymous dealers sell ID numbers, copies of ID cards and gaming accounts bundled with ID numbers online. A new business based on the scarcity of ID numbers for online gamers is taking shape.

While many doubt that the real-name system will help minor addicts abstain from online games and embrace the real world again, minors voiced their objections, too. Some said they play games to relax and have fun, and it will be a heavy burden against these intentions if they have to register and accept surveillance requirements before playing a game.

When the Chinese Government prepared to draft the regulation in March 2006, the social research center of China Youth Daily and the news center of Sohu.com conducted an opinion poll on the real-name system for online gaming. More than 43 percent of those surveyed objected to the regulation, 33.3 percent supported it, and 23.2 percent said they didn't care about it.

While talking about their worries, 20.1 percent were skeptical about its effects in curing minors' gaming addictions, 17.2 percent thought the system would fail with no substantial effects, 15.5 percent said the real-name registration is against the recreational nature of video gaming, and 14.1 percent were concerned about gamers' personal information being leaked.

Time to implement

The MOC, foreseeing these problems and concerns, released a notice on the implementation of the regulation two days before the official introduction of the real-name regulation. The authorities and game operators will have three to six months to address problems surfacing during the grace period, said the notice.

Cultural administration authorities and market supervisors at all levels should supervise and urge online game operators to rev up the reengineering of existing registration systems, the notice said.

The operators are required to adopt a standard real-name registration system for new games and new users within three months, and for existing games and users within six months, said the notice.

"Starting from August 1, game operators are allowed a grace period of three to six months. The arrangement is aimed to allow game companies enough time to save and update gamer-related data, and operators failing to comply with it will be subject to punishment," said Rong Yingjie, a member of the drafting team for the regulation and an expert on China's cartoon industry.

Gaming Facts

China had 499 online game companies by the end of 2009, which reaped a combined income of 25.8 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) from offering games online to players that year (excluding income from exports or other businesses), up 39.5 percent year on year. The market for homegrown video games reached 15.78 billion yuan ($2.3 billion), up 41.9 percent and accounting for 61.2 percent of China's gaming market.

By the end of 2009, China had 361 major online games available for testing or commercial operation, 68 more than the previous year. A total of 115 major games were approved or recorded by the Ministry of Culture in 2009, of which 80 were homegrown and 35 were imported.

                                                                                                        (Source: CNNIC)