TENCENT Games announced Sunday that the launch of its game addiction prevention system, by far the strictest indulgence prevention system in China’s gaming industry, would be today, the Phoenix Technology reported.

The new system will impose restrictions on gaming duration according to a player’s age. Juveniles above the age of 12 are allowed to play for two hours a day, while those below 12 are allowed only one hour a day and are forbidden from logging in after 9 p.m. Players will be forced to log off once they exceed the time limit.

“Since the launch of King of Glory, it has garnered popularity among players. In the same time, we have noticed that the lives and studies of teenagers are negatively affected if they lack sufficient self-control over their gaming time,” said a spokesperson of the game’s developer.

“Games are supposed to bring joy, but excessive gaming does the opposite to both the players and their parents. Therefore, we urge that stricter methods be implemented,” the spokesperson said.

The system has been tested for a month and is expected to combine the existing methods with a feature to limit payments by juveniles, in order to restrain people under the age of 18 from irrational consumption.

In a story recently published by the Southern Metropolis Daily, a 17-year-old boy identified as Xiaohui spent more than 14,000 yuan (US$2,058) on King of Glory over the past year.

The father has been suffering from pneumoconiosis for years, and relies on the mother’s convenience store to survive.

Based on concerns of protecting the rights of juvenile players, Tencent responded to Xiaohui’s appeal and refund application by claiming that it was willing to cooperate with the player and make an appropriate arrangement.

Tencent introduced two other addiction prevention measures to its games earlier this year.

In February, Tencent launched a platform that is effective with more than 200 games so that parents can monitor their kids’ gaming, refill activities and ban them from logging in, if necessary.

In May, the company enforced real-name registration, which now is a mandatory procedure before users can be eligible to play King of Glory.

Both of the above-mentioned systems will be upgraded in the near future, according to Tencent.

“Tencent considers kids’ healthy Internet activity as a long-term and key part of the company’s projects. We will continuously explore better approaches and work with society towards a healthy online environment for teenagers,” said the spokesperson of Tencent. “In the meantime, we urge parents to spend more time with their kids so that children can feel more warmth growing up.”

(Zhang Yang, Lei Kaibin)