Tencent cuts kids’ playing time on flagship game Honour of Kings to appease Beijing
- Gamers under the age of 18 will have their playing time limited to one hour on regular days and two hours on public holidays
- Honour of Kings was the first video game in the world, on any platform, to average more than 100 million users a day
Gamers under the age of 18 will have their playing time limited to one hour on regular days and two hours on public holidays, according to new rules announced by Tencent that come into effect from Wednesday. These minors were previously allowed to play Honour of Kings up to 1.5 hours on a regular day and three hours on holidays, which followed a government directive issued in late 2019.
Teenagers will also be prohibited from playing the game between 10pm and 8am, a move that goes beyond the central government’s mandatory limits for minors to engage in gaming.
Tencent said the new measures are designed to “further enhance protection of minors”.
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“We hope we can help children develop a healthy gaming habit, and we are doing our best to reduce family problems stemming from kids’ gaming activities,” the Shenzhen-based internet giant said.
