During the meeting, companies were urged to stop focusing on the solitary focus of seeking profits or attracting players and fans, according to the report. They were also told to modify the rules or design elements of the games that could be seen as “inducing addictions”.
Discussions included representatives of four government agencies: the Advertising Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the National Press and Publications Administration, the Office of the Central Commission on Cyberspace Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, according to Xinhua.
“Companies that do not meet the requirements will be severely punished,” the state news agency reported.
Shares of Chinese gaming companies fell in response to the news. Shares of NetEase closed 5.2% in New York on Wednesday after the state media report was released, and Tencent shares fell 6% in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Last week, China banned online players under the age of 18 from playing on weekdays and limited their gaming to just three hours most weekends, marking a major escalation of restrictions on the mass industry. of country games.
The move represented a huge tightening of the previous limits set by the agency in 2019, which had already restricted play to 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on weekends for children.
Authorities said last week that new restrictions were put in place to prevent young people from becoming addicted to video games.
On Wednesday, they reminded companies of this mandate, saying that game providers should “fully and faithfully impose the time limit” on minors.
“Online gaming companies and platforms … should strengthen political positions and take responsibility,” Xinhua wrote.
He said authorities had instructed companies to crack down on content that promoted “wrong values” or an “unhealthy culture” such as obscenity, violence and “money worship.”
Live gaming platforms were also told to step up oversight, “including a ban on big rewards” for underage players.
Companies are heeding the warning.
“We believe in healthy play and take the physical and mental health of minors very seriously,” Tencent said in a statement.
“We appreciate the guidance and instruction of the relevant regulators and will work hard to fully comply with all rules related to youth gambling addiction and content regulation.”
NetEase also pledged to “strictly follow the rules and instructions.”
“We will continue our efforts to provide higher quality games and promote a healthy and responsible gaming environment for younger players, while trying to build and promote a healthy gaming environment in China,” it said in a statement.
The news comes when some critics have pointed out possible loopholes in the latest restrictions.
Some stores even advertise that they are not part of the “addiction prevention” campaign, according to CCTV.
– CNN’s Beijing office contributed to this report.