An officer in the Chinese military’s Rocket Force unit was demoted after he missed an important phone call from his superior because he was playing a mobile phone game in the toilet.
The staff officer, Liu Bin, was still playing the game in the lavatory when his commanding officer came down to find out where he was, the official military website 81.cn reported.
A file picture of a member of staff playing a game developed by the Hong Kong firm Celestial Digital Entertainment. Photo: Handout
Liu has been demoted to assistant engineer and moved to another company.
No details were given of what Liu’s duties were in the PLA Rocket Force.
The report said the case has prompted a debate among officials in the People’s Liberation Army over whether troops should be allowed to play video games.
The article said one instructor in the air force encouraged military personnel to play the games against each other in their spare time as it relieved stress and helped build team spirit.
