China's Ministry of Culture has recommended 10 cyber games as
suitable for minors to play during part of its drive to purify the
online environment for the young.
The 10 cyber games published have been selected by the
ministry's on-line games censorship committee from scores of games
recommended by the Chinese public.
The games are all domestic products. They include five role
playing games (RPG), four recreation and chess games, and one
educational game, such as Warring States II Online,
Rainbow Island Online, and Wonderlands of Learning and
Games.
These games have made their way into the final recommendation
list because they are deemed "healthy" and can "enhance
intelligence," according to the ministry.
The ministry hoped the list could serve as a guidance for
parents to better direct their children in the winter vacation,
which usually lasts nearly two months from January to February each
year.
This was the third time for the ministry to publish recommended
cyber games list. The previous two were made public respectively in
January 2006 and August 2005 with a total of 25 games enlisted.
In the past few years, on-line games have become the favorite
pastime of young people. However, it is argued that such social
problems as game addiction, juvenile delinquency and the advocacy
of brutality and perversion among minors by on-line violence and
pornography have stemmed from an inadequately regulated
Internet.
(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2008)