China Cracks Down on Video Games

CLAY: So China is now cracking down. This is amazing in terms of the authority that the Chinese government is undertaking. They are limiting everyone under the age of 18. They are making them register to play online, and they are allowing only three hours of video games over the weekend. And they aren’t allowed to play video games at all, during the week, because they are convinced that kids in China are spending too much time on video games.

That’s how Draconian their control is now, Buck. They’re not allowing kids under 18 to play video games, basically, during the week at all online where you have to register with your real name. This is, I think, an interesting larger societal story about what’s going on in China, the amount of control they’re exerting over their people.

BUCK: I’m amazed in some places, including the U.S., there is this whole culture of — and I admit it. I had to like stop playing the video games, get to the gym more, get more sleep, important things post covid, post lockdown. But there are of people that are celebrities from playing video games, and people in large numbers — and for people listening to this, I’m sure a lot of them didn’t know. I didn’t even know this until the last couple of years.

CLAY: Oh yeah. Esports is monstrous.

BUCK: The viewership of other people playing video games, I guess, at a very high level. We probably should start a Clay and Buck Call of Duty team, because we could have a lot of fun with that.

CLAY: Yes!

BUCK: You have these massive multi-player games. I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty handy with the shotgun, folks. But nonetheless, it’s one of these things where the Chinese government is clearly cracking down as part of a policy to make their kids do more homework, I guess. Right? That’s really what this is about.

CLAY: It’s true. And what’s funny, I know there are a lot of people out there who are like me, and you’re like, “Man, I hate everything that China represents.” But then you see this story and then you’re like, “Hey, you know what? Kids not playing video games and instead learning their “times tables,” and not focusing on that idiot L.A. school union who came out and said:

“Oh, we don’t worry about our kids being in school, because they learned what a riot was and they learned what an insurrection was,” and you’re like, “Are you kidding?” China, at least when it comes to education, is not screwing around, and I just think this is an interesting subset here. Because to what extent is there going to be a rebellion against control like this that is existing inside of China?