FROM THE DATA MINE: CHINA TO IMPOSE FURTHER GAMING RESTRICTIONS?
I am pretty sure most of us remember the recent ban imposed by Chinese authorities on young gamers, which included an evening curfew and 3 single hours of play during weekdays, and though it seemed to me at the time that a little bit of “discipline” could never go wrong with the young ones (since I myself nearly failed 9th grade due to excess Mortal Kombat 3 play back in 1995), I am beginning to feel that Chinese intrusion into the life of gamers may be going a bit too far. Mmm… Maybe South Korea should try that, so other countries can have a chance at winning some Esports Tournaments… just saying 😉
According to the latest discoveries by dataminers on Fortnite’s latest update package, a sneaky warning message –intended for the Chinese market alone– may have found its way into the game’s files.
In the message, the player is “invited” to cease playing, as they have already exceeded three hours of play time, and that, from that moment on, in-game gains will decrease by 50% and challenge progress will be halted. Of course, the text also makes mention of the health-risk factor associated with excess gaming. (I don’t know about you, but, apart from sore thumbs, I never suffered any other physical mishap due to gaming… and I would go Full-Weekend mode! Sigh* Such good times people, Good Times!)
The Fascist Future of Online Gaming?
The news came via a leaker called FireMonkey, who -according to esports news site Dexerto, posted the very text of the supposed incoming warning:
“You have been online for 3 hours accumulatively. The in-game gainings will be lowered by 50% from now on and challenge progress has been disabled. For your own health, please log-off and get some rest. Appropriate physical exercise is good for your body.”
There is, however, no indication as to whether the restriction will apply as part of parental control measure or as something that could be enforced on the Fortnite community in the whole of China.
But then, learning about the Chinese government concocting some new way to clamp on the tiny liberties of its citizens hardly feels like a surprise anymore!
They spent decades restricting the number of kids any one citizen could have (more TV sets and video games at every home and issue solved!), and more recently, we saw the violent uproar in Hong Kong related to some very-controversial extradition laws being enacted, so, the likeness that China may be in fact looking to restrict the average Fornite playtime is very high indeed!
But Wait, There’s More you Filthy Addict!
Haha, ok, maybe that was a little bit over the top, but you see, the above warning is not where the supposed meddling ends. It seems that, if the player chooses to disregard the previous message (which I am sure will happen 99.9% of the time), they will be displayed with yet another friendly reminder, making double-point out of the whole “Your Health is at Risk” shenanigan, and threatening the player with additional in-game penalties. (Talk about controlling parents!)
So, to our readers in China… Binge on While you Can! Your days of excess may soon be at their end.
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