Society

Gamers back real-name registration: Poll

By Qiu Bo (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-18 06:51

Beijing - A majority of netizens polled "unconditionally support" the real-name registration system for playing online games, according to a recent survey.

The Ministry of Culture issued the "Interim Provision of Real-Name Registration of Online Gaming" earlier this month in order to prevent minors from getting addicted to cyber warfare.

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According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of China's online gamers had reached 105 million by April.

Of the 12,714 netizens from all over China, who responded to the China Youth Daily's online survey last week, more than half hailed the new measure. Half of them claimed to be online game players. Among them, 63 percent were in favor of real-name registration.

The survey also indicated that more than 60 percent felt the current real-name registration system "lacks details and will be difficult to implement".

Zhu Hai, a 19-year-old gamer from Chongqing municipality, said: "Game players could register more than twice for a particular game. For instance, I have another game account under my brother's name. So you can't really prevent addicts.

"(But) I agree more regulations should be introduced to control the industry."

Only a third of the respondents believe the new regulation would successfully prevent minors from getting addicted to online games. Two thirds said minors could easily spot the loopholes in the system.

A 14-year-old boy, surnamed Xie, from Cangzhou, Hebei province, said many online games don't have any restrictions for minors.

And for the games that require identification, players can figure out their own solutions. "Some of my classmates use their parents' identities or obtain an ID number online to play any online games they like," Xie said.

Xie's father said he controls his son's game time rather than simply banning it.

An academic reading issued by the CNNIC in July indicated that 39 percent of parents encourage their children to surf the Internet, which can inspire the minors' curiosity to learn, but can also increase the chances of Web addiction.

Liu Kun, 26, a white-collar in Beijing who regularly plays "World of Warcraft", said: "I've seen a lot of minors spending a lot of time in cyberspace."

The new regulation only permits minors, who are under 18, to play online games for two hours each day. However, no one follows the rule, for there's no one to keep a check.

More than 65 percent polled suggested departments involved should strengthen industry regulations and improve the games by pumping in more interesting and educational content.

Shao Dehai, an expert from the China Youth Internet Association, said the current technical glitch on the real-name registration system "cannot keep minors away" from games meant for adults.

Shao suggested relevant departments shut down all illegal websites that provide minors with forged identity numbers.

He also advised the government to "encourage and offer monetary incentives to cyber gaming companies to strictly implement the regulations".