A Chinese video game company has been ordered to erase blood stains appearing in a game and change terms that contain the character for “blood” into something else, a move it claimed will protect the “healthy growth” of teenage players.
The game, Identity V, is a survival horror game launched by Chinese Internet technology company NetEase. The company said on Wednesday that in response to the country’s regulations to prevent teenagers from getting addicted to online games, it has sought to optimize game scenarios, including erasing blood stains and changing names that contain the character for “blood” to something else.
It claimed this is to ensure healthy growth of teenagers and cultivate the right behavior in playing video games.
The move drew a mixed reaction from netizens, with the majority questioning what is wrong with the character for “blood” and why it might affect teenagers’ growth. “If the word blood can have a negative impact on children, we might as well delete it from the dictionary,” said a user on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform.
Those who supported the move said that nowadays the bloody scenes in video games can make some children more prone to violence and other extreme behavior, so it is a good sign that the company took notice and made modifications for teenage players.
In November 2019, China’s National Press and Publication Administration issued a notice on preventing minors from becoming addicted to online games.
The document emphasized the shared responsibilities of online game providers, government agencies and social forces in jointly managing the issue, according to the administration.
The document asks all online game users to register with their identification information and orders strict limits on the total length of time for minors to access online games on a daily basis.
A man takes part in a competition during the Festigame 2019 video game festival in the Espacio Riesco convention center in Santiago, Chile, on August 2. Photo: IC
