Vietnam to Block Online Gaming After 10pm

Post by trog @ 11:33am 22/02/11 | 15 Comments

Despite the often draconian-seeming lack of an R18+ rating for video games that we struggle with in Australia, we often get off lightly compared to some countries.

Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communication has decided the social threat of video games is too great and as such is in the process of asking ISPs and gaming cafes to block access to online games:

"Provincial departments of information and communication will inspect on-line games activities nationwide and deal with organisations that violate regulations by cancelling their services," said the ministry's Deputy Minister Le Nam Thang.

Internet management should be improved in a way that both meets the demand for information and ensures internet security while not affecting the lifestyle and customs of young people, said Thang.

The request follows numerous stiff measures by the ministry to tackle the issue, including cutting internet access to agents at night beginning last September.

The article goes on to state that Vietnam has some 23 million Internet users (so roughly the entire population of Australia), and though there's no estimate about how many of those are gamers, it seems safe to assume there's quite a few of them that'll be affected by this decision.

vietnam r18+ rating internet banned

Latest Comments

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Vash
Posted 11:42am 22/2/11

How would they enforce people playing online games after 10PM except for net cafes?

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scuzzy
Posted 11:48am 22/2/11

I wonder if they'e blocked Battlefield Vietnam.

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kirkoswald
Posted 02:07pm 22/2/11

What a fantastic country....

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kappa
Posted 02:11pm 22/2/11

You can do your shopping at home or play Mortal Kombat with a friend in Vietnam!*

*before 10PM

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m3nt4l
Posted 02:13pm 22/2/11

Poor bastards getting home from work at 9, 9.30, yay game time, oh dammit.

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J
Posted 02:31pm 22/2/11

Lol @ scuzzy
I thought that's what it was about for a moment turns out it's even worse for the poor bastards.

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teq
Posted 04:53pm 22/2/11

yeah right, this is going to work flawlessly
because there is no technology out there which would allow someone to bypass a stupid filter

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3dee
Posted 05:00pm 22/2/11

What has 10pm got to do with anything?

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Sc00bs
Posted 05:09pm 22/2/11

its when the crazies come out.

so everyone that does shift work or works different hrs from the normal 9-5 just misses out on playin games during the week. f*** yeah, nice work...

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rrrocket
Posted 09:17pm 22/2/11

That's not a bad idea....

online gaming addiction is retarding society

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Vash
Posted 09:24pm 22/2/11

i doubt this will have any impact. Visit vietnam and you'll see not many follow the laws to the letter... Traffic rules, for example.
There law is to wear a helmet. I'd say only half of them do

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rrrocket
Posted 09:28pm 22/2/11

if they somehow disable mmo's they'll have no choice

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Vash
Posted 09:38pm 22/2/11

i condone the action of a MMORPG curfew... those games are too addictive and i blame them for my lack of education:P
still, having stronger self control or more strict parents would be better.

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HeardY
Posted 11:36pm 22/2/11

Well some dude in China died after gaming for 3 days straight....

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/chinese-man-dies-after-web-gaming-binge-report-20110222-1b3oo.html

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