China restricts online gaming, The island-life simulation game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, has been banned in China, being removed from sale on all websites. The game gives players the ability to decorate their virtual environments, which many players have used to support the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong (that has been underway for several months) and protest against the central government. High profile activist, Joshua Wong, recently shared a screenshot on Twitter of his own in-game island with a banner reading “Free Hong Kong, revolution now”.
Other measures under the law include an online gaming curfew for teens and a limit to spending money on video games online. One-player online games will also be subject to surveillance, as a new real-name mechanism is going to be implemented in China. Also, the new law will not allow for zombies and plagues, map editing, roleplaying, as well as organizing a union in games
China restricts online gaming, The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that the measures are aimed at combating internet addiction. But it is believed that these measures are aimed at preventing the spread of pro-democracy sentiment and dissent among Chinese citizens, and free-information exchange with foreign bodies, as China has been rumoured to be covering up information related to the Coronavirus.
Krishaang Kohli
Grade XII, Manav Rachna International School, Gurgaon
Krishaang is a curious and ambitious young man who wants to make a change in the world and leave his mark. He is a published writer and has taken part in and won many debate and group discussion competitions at all levels (from school to international).
