Live data from Hacker News

China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

reuters.com

781–790 of 1001 posts

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#781

Looking back at all the hours that I spent in Q1/Q2/Q3/BF2/BF3/BF4/CS/CSS/CSGO. Yeah, maybe I could've used that time better - But none of my friends did anything reasonable with that time and I don't think I am any more special than them. Still do the occasional session, still love the FPS! I find the reckless timewasting on social media, reddit, much more harmful in comparison.

Yeah, like what else should I have been doing with my free time in middle & high school? Smoking pot and sneaking out at night?

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#782
post #702

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a big double standard to call their flavor of restrictions "authoritarian", while being ok with (or even strongly in favor of) our flavor of restrictions, even though the two are objectively similar in nature. Our restrictions came about through a democratic process (example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_... ), not because our supreme leader decided he knows what's best for us. N…

Does that mean it's impossible, according to your definitions, for the U.S. Congress to pass any bill that is in any way authoritarian? Or, indeed, is it possible for the U.S. government to do anything authoritative, since it is ostensibly democratic?

No, but let's not pretend like they are the same degree of authoritarian.

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#783
post #745

Good. I ruined my damned brain playing stupid first person shooters for disgusting amounts of hours from like age 12-22. Aside from the social life i lost out on, I really think my brain is permanently deprived of chemicals.

You should see a psychiatrist & a therapist, if your brain chemistry is off then there are interventions that can be done for it.

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#784

I have mixed feelings about this. Younger me learned a lot of problem solving skills and most importantly spent a lot of time learning how to read by playing RPGs and games that required lots of reading. My reading skills would not have been as advanced if i wasn't playing text heavy games that had a lot of plot like Square Enix games and the CRPGs of the time. Modern games though are clearly designed to get you as a…

[deleted]

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#785
post #700

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say in both cases it's the government exhibiting control over its citizens lives under the notion that it's for their own protection. I think everyone has a point at which government control becomes tyranny. For some it's lockdowns during a pandemic, for others it's time-limits on video games. Seems like all apples, to me.

Your kid playing videogames 12 hours a day has no impact on my life. You giving me Covid does. These situations are not the same and the complete lack of nuance on when government authority is good and needed, and when it is bad and harmful is...well, I don't have the word(s), perhaps disappointing. I don't get the desire to see everything as black and white and boil everything problem down to a slippery slope fallac…

Authoritarianism often comes with a good reason, in a moment of crisis, such as war, ethnic tensions, etc. The problem is getting rid of it once the crisis abates. Power tends to work on a ratchet.

If you are only looking for a cartoon villain and not, say, yourself, you might be caught flat footed when it arrives at your door.

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#786
post #702

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a big double standard to call their flavor of restrictions "authoritarian", while being ok with (or even strongly in favor of) our flavor of restrictions, even though the two are objectively similar in nature. Our restrictions came about through a democratic process (example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_... ), not because our supreme leader decided he knows what's best for us. N…

> Our restrictions came about through a democratic process A democratic process where most of the people affected weren't allowed to vote.

Not sure how this is at all relevant? In both cases children under 18 aren't allowed to vote. Or do you mean they should be allowed to have a say in this?

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#787
post #725

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there is no extensive research on gaming, it doesn't mean gaming should not be limited. Since we don't know how harmful gaming is, keeping it widely available might be as dangerous as limiting it. Keeping games available is as much of a decision as limiting them. Why do you think picking the former option requires extensive research and the latter doesn't?

Because one is forcing people to do something while the other is letting people choose for themselves.

Does this mean its outcome is inherently better and it should be the default decision? I find this super questionable, especially when we talk about children.

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#788

I have mixed feelings about this. Younger me learned a lot of problem solving skills and most importantly spent a lot of time learning how to read by playing RPGs and games that required lots of reading. My reading skills would not have been as advanced if i wasn't playing text heavy games that had a lot of plot like Square Enix games and the CRPGs of the time. Modern games though are clearly designed to get you as a…

Someone needs to build a game that’s hidden inside of a normal looking webpage or app and then distribute to Chinese teens

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#789

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Video games work best as a lesser of many evils, and come with a few caveats: If you watch a lot of TV, it's hard to argue that video games are a worse use of your time. Video games do have some legitimate benefits, but it's probably hard to say that they are more beneficial than other things you could be doing with your time. (ie, reading difficult literature or articles vs. reading RPG text.) However, people aren't…

Sure but I’m not really comfortable with this level of government interference with peoples lives. No one ever stopped me from playing soccer for 5 hours a day when I was younger, and in high school sports practice was a 3 hour minimum. This restricts game play to 3 hours per week. That means essentially you can’t play video games for leisure … while at the same time you are forced to do a minimum of 40 hours a week…

Soon video game maybe be restrictive like sex to avoid the citizen went out of control.

Re: China has forbidden under-18s from playing games for more than three hours/week

#790

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Australia seems to be rushing toward that future at an out of control pace.

You're not kidding. Notice the language they're using and how the government is granting "new freedoms". "From September 13, NSW residents that are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be given new freedoms . Residents of hotspots can leave home for an hour of recreation on top of their exercise hour , while people in other areas can meet five others outdoors. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the vaccination milesto…

> how the government is granting "new freedoms".

Freedom is never granted, only earned.

Post reply on HN