This Chinese MMO cap

Pretty amazing idea, this. Not only must MMOs in China not have "people" killing, or other-Player Killing available to minors (PK-ing, happens in any player vs player, server, and even on the non PvP you can still PK if both parties set themselves to PvP status, which is as simple as typing slash pvp... in sum, game redesign necessary ), but now they're capping any MMO play to 3 hours.

As Cory points out, this could produce interesting results - more room for more games? I haven't touched Star Wars Galaxies since World of Warcraft came out - no time!, and I feel guilty sometimes, like an old friend is languishing, unloved. That won't necessarily be the case in China though, where there is clearly huge appetite for MMO type games.

Curious though, isn't it? No-one's ever capped television-watching, or moviegoing, or music-listening. Games must be beyond entertainment, somehow.

A new thing entirely.

Comments

[WandringSoul]

"Games must be beyond entertainment, somehow."

I love this quote...it's remarkable how it seems to capture the whole gaming explosion, currently kids are out there playing 18+ rated games, then there's a national uproar in the US cos of 'sex' in the game!! OMGWTF etc, blah, blah, blech.

So - Mr and Mrs Parent, would you go out and rent 'Debbie Does Dallas' let little Johnny watch it for his eleventh birthday and then scream 'Oh My God, it's got sex in it!?! Oh no - he's corrupted, and it's all YOUR fault Mr Movie-Maker'

Didn't think so.

Why should a game be treated differently? Cos it's a 'game', the very word is now it's biggest handicap. These things aren't games - they're ways of life! Hell - look at Warcraft - people on there are spending 14 hours a day EVERY day in that world...trust me, I know a couple! (and no, not me, though stifling the addiction is tough)

And these parents buying these 'games' aren't much older than me...so why are they SO blinkered? It says 18+ for a reason...though it amuses me that the violence, the beating up innocent pedestrians, killing, burning, maiming them is no problem - but consensual (and farcical non-explicit) sex in the game causes it to be pulled off the shelves...