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China Designates Online Boys-Love Games for Banning
posted on by Alex Mateo
TV Asahi reported on September 9 that the Chinese Communist Party's Central Public Relations Department instructed online game companies the day before to strictly prohibit boys-love content and other "content that contain false values or illicit material." Chinese officials have designated content with boys-love and "effeminate men" as "inferior culture" and are demanding its unequivocal banning. The department warns that companies that do not comply will be severely punished.
China's government banned television content with "effeminate men" earlier this month in an attempt to enforce "official morality" and "revolutionary culture." The regulators' concern is that Chinese pop stars who look and act effeminate are not encouraging China's young men to be masculine. President Xi Jinping called for tighter Communist Party control of business, education, culture, and religion.
China's National Press and Publication Administration ordered in August that game companies can only offer online game access to players under 18 years old on Friday-Sunday and national holidays between 8:00-9:00 p.m. Companies must also make sure players are using their real names and must prevent those who do not use their true identity from logging in.
In 2019, Chinese officials had ordered that online games would only be playable for a maximum of 90 minutes per day and three hours per weekend, and those hours could not be between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Authorities claimed that the restrictions would prevent young people from becoming addicted to video games. In addition, officials limited the monthly amount that minors could spend on microtransactions.
