Chinese tech giant Tencent has announced that it plans to roll out a real-name verification system for its video games to prevent young people from spending too much time playing its popular Honor of Kings title, the Financial Times reports.
The move by Tencent comes amid huge pressure from Beijing to tackle gaming addiction and the overuse of video games by children. Tencent, as China’s leading gaming company, has borne the brunt of this regulatory push and has seen its share price reduce by more than one-third from its January peak.
The Ministry of Education has raised concerns over the effect of heavy video game usage on children’s eyesight, and has advised parents to only allow pre-schoolers to play for one hour a day, and only in 15-minute sessions on educational games.
Tencent has already taken steps to limit the time minors can play its games, and will now implement its real-name registration system from September 15, the company stated.
