On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, The China Game Industry Research Institute published the 2022 China Game Industry Progress Report on the Protection of Minors, the report concludes that Chinese minors' addiction to online games has largely been solved, reports Global Times. 

According to the report, the number of minors who spend less than three hours per week playing online games has grown to more than 75%.

Last year, China’s strictest regulations on minors playing video games were announced to combat gaming addiction, according to Xinhua. 

China’s National Press and Publication Administration told online gaming companies to limit the playing time of gamers under 18 to one hour per day on weekends and holidays. There’s even a specific time slot from 8-9pm when under-18s can play.

READ MORE: China's Youth Gamers Limited to 1 Hour Per Day

The report also added that they are currently concerned about the time that young children are spending watching short videos, such as the ones seen on WeChat Channels and Douyin (China’s TikTok). 

Global Times states that now 65.54% of minors are spending the time they originally spent on games on short video apps, up 7.81% year-on-year; 48.02% spend their time on online videos, up 6.06% year-on-year; and 9.04% spend their time on live streaming, up 6.06% year-on-year.

There was more bad news for China’s gaming community this month, as World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Diablo 3 are some of the Activision Blizzard video games that will disappear from the market in January 2023.

NetEase, which provides access to the games in China, has failed to renew its 14-year-old licensing agreement, the BBC reports. 

The Economist suggests that there are approximately 110 million under-18 gamers in the Middle Kingdom. 

[Cover image via @宵伽-/Weibo]