China to control online gaming for young people
Why do
you think China stops online gaming?
What
is bad/unhealthy about online gaming?
The
government of China is imposing a curfew on online gaming for young
people.
Gamers under 18 will be banned from playing online between 10
p.m. and 8:00 a.m. They will only be allowed to play for 90 minutes on
weekdays. And they can only play for 2
hours on weekends and holidays.
This is because the Chinese government
wants to curb video game addiction. The government says it is
dangerous to people’s health.
There will also be spending limits.
Gamers 8 to 16 years old can spend up to
200 yuan ($29) per month. Those 16 and 18 years can spend up to 400 yuan ($57).
China has said many times that gaming is
hurting young minds.
In 2018, China stopped new video games
being made. This was for 9 months. It hurt the gaming industry significantly.
Before this change, some gaming companies
made an age verification process.
But it was too little too late.
Tencent – the world’s largest gaming
company – limited time to one hour per day for users under 12 and to two
hours per day for users between 12 and 18. They also made users prove their age
and identity by using government identity.
Some countries have said that too much
gaming as a major health problem. Many have private addiction centers to help
gaming addicts.
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
imposing
|
A
|
1
|
A time when not allowed to be outside, a time
not allowed to do something
|
curfew
|
B
|
2
|
To prove by using an identity card or other
information to prove something
|
banned
|
C
|
3
|
Can’t stop doing something/some action
|
curb
|
D
|
4
|
Something good/positive done finally but not
enough
|
addiction
|
E
|
5
|
To not allow, regulations
|
significantly
|
F
|
6
|
A very big amount
|
verification
|
G
|
7
|
To decrease
|
too little too late
|
H
|
8
|
To force thinking or actions onto another
person
|
A=8, B=1, C=5, D=7, E=3, F=6, G=2, H=4
Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the
meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.
He is imposing his ideas on other people.
The soldiers have a curfew between 10pm and 6am.
Fishing is banned from this river because it is dangerous.
If you want to lose weight you
need to curb your eating.
He is addicted to gambling? He goes to the casino anytime he has money.
The winter this year is significantly colder than last year.
Before I will see you alcohol
you need to verify you are 19.
Please show me your ID card.
He stayed up all night
studying, but it was too little too late.
He had not studied all semester.
Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the
words/phrases in your answer.
Do you agree with the Chinese
government imposing these rules on
gamers? Why or why not?
Was a similar gaming curfew successful in Korea? In Korea,
gamers had to verify their age to play online games. Was this successful?
Do you think it is enough to ban something to make people change
their actions? What more actions can a government take to curb things like smoking and gaming?
What kinds of people become addicted easily?
How significant is the gaming industry in your country?
Give an example when you might
say ‘too little too late.”