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Updated: 2007-04-11 17:20

Chinese online game operators have come out in support of a new anti-addiction system, which they are required to install in their games before July 15.

Zhuge Hui, spokesman of Shanghai-based Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited, the largest online games provider on the Chinese mainland, told Xinhua the system would benefit the long-term development of the industry.

"Young people are our future customers. If they play games in a more healthy way, we will have more long-term users," he said.

He said the system was good for the online gamers, companies and society.

"We will do everything we can to develop and promote the system," he said.

Zhao Yurun, public affairs manager with The9, which runs World of Warcraft in China, said the system would have little impact on his company because most of its players are adults.

"It, along with the real name registration system, will enhance the sustainable development of the industry," Zhao said.

In an effort to reduce online addiction among young people, all game operators in China are required to deter minors from playing their games for more than three hours a day, according to a government circular issued on Monday.

The circular says online game companies must develop a system that restricts a minor's playing time by canceling half their earned credits if they remain online for more than three hours a day. If the child plays for more than five hours a day, all of their gaming credits will be lost.

Most online games encourage contestants to keep playing by rewarding them with more credits and virtual goods. "The system will only target minors who lack the self-discipline to control their playing time," said Kou Xiaowei, an official with the State Press and Publication Administration (SPPA).

Online gamers will also be required to register using their real names and identity card numbers which will indicate if they are under the age of 18.

The companies will have until June 15 to develop an anti-addiction system which must be fully tested by July 15 and implemented thereafter, according to the circular.

The circular was co-issued by eight government departments, including the SPPA, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Security.

In early March, China banned new Internet bars from opening in 2007 as part of the government's campaign to combat the rising problem of Internet addiction. Some Internet bars in China contain hundreds of computer stations surrounded by a high-tech decor where users play throughout the night.

Over the past few years, China has seen an alarming rise in the number of teenagers addicted to Internet gaming.

A report released by the China National Children's Center claimed that 13 percent of Chinese Internet users under the age of 18 were addicted to gaming.

The number of Internet users in China reached 123 million in mid-2006. About 15 percent -- or 18 million -- are under the age of 18.