The regulations, which also require online game companies to self-censor, will come into force on August 1 and apply to all domestic and imported role-playing and social networking games, the official China Daily said.
The measures, launched by the Ministry of Culture, aim to curb soaring rates of Internet addiction in China, particularly among minors.

According to the new rules, online users who want to play a game will have to go through a registration process with a valid ID, and game providers will also be banned from offering unsuitable games to minors, the report said.

China’s online population reached 404 million earlier this year, official data showed, and the number of young Internet addicts was estimated at around 24 million last year.

In a move seen as further tightening control of the Internet, state media reported last month that authorities would introduce a system requiring web users to provide their real names before posting comments online.

Source : Konaxis