In March, the Chinese government announced plans to expand restrictions on online gaming for minors to include live streaming and social media. At the time, the government was seeking public feedback on a draft document on proposed changes, but it seems that some aspects of the crackdown are now being accepted: A Reuters report says the country's National Radio and Television Administration has banned live broadcasts of unauthorized video games.
According to the report, the new regulation applies to video games that have not been approved for release in China, as well as game streams and esports competitions from outside of China. In addition to imposing limits on game content that can be streamed on Chinese platforms, it urges publishers to avoid "traffic-driven" aesthetics and other "undesirable" behaviors and engage with viewers in a "civil and healthy" online environment.
The new restrictions are part of China's ongoing efforts to combat perceived gaming and online addiction among minors, a point made clear in the first paragraph of the new guidelines: “Issues such as online live-streaming chaos and youth addiction to games have received widespread attention. There is an urgent need to take effective measures to regulate them tightly.”
One of the driving factors behind the change is that while video games must receive official approval for release in China, unapproved games are often promoted on platforms like Huya, DouYu, and Bilibili. One of them, unsurprisingly, is Elden Ring, which analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners says has been a huge hit among livestream audiences, despite not being confirmed for airing.
“Earlier this year, Elden Ring was a hit game, reaching an average daily viewership of 17,1 million on Chinese gaming live streaming platforms, despite not holding a license.
The new regulations come just a day after Chinese gaming conglomerate Tencent announced it would take steps to block access to unapproved foreign games on its platforms. Ironically, both moves come just days after Chinese authorities issued the first approvals for new video games in almost a year.
