Afraid Of Teenagers In His Country Addicted To Online Games, China Blocks Steam Global

The Chinese version of Steam is still accessible in China. (photo: Doc. Steam)

JAKARTA - China has again blocked the digital distribution platform for games that are not from their country, Steam Global. Only the Chinese version of Steam is still accessible there.

The Chinese version of Steam is indeed quite different in terms of capacity, which currently only offers 103 games, a small part of which Steam Global already has 110,000 games.

This blocking report stems from a tweet from reliable Fortnite leaker and data miner Ricky Owens (aka iFireMonkey) via a screenshot of a list of blocked websites in China, Steam's name on it.

However, according to The Verge's observation, Tuesday, December 28, the domain is still available in China. The ban of course leaves Chinese gamers with only access to Steam China, which first launched in February this year.

In addition to having far fewer games, Steam China also lacks any community features, including the Steam Workshop, Community Market, discussion forums, and an activity section featuring the latest broadcasts from users on Steam, recent screenshots of games, community-made game guides. , and much more.

Launching ScreenRant, game restrictions have become increasingly prevalent in China since the 2019 online gaming rules for minors were introduced. China's ongoing campaign against online gaming addiction limits the amount of time young gamers can spend playing video games using internet access.

That aims to reduce any potential impact the game might have on a younger audience. The Chinese Communist Party implemented stricter rules on playtime on October 1, 2021, banning game play on school days and allowing one hour of play per day on weekends.

The restrictions coincide with state reports comparing online video games to opium, amid ongoing controversy surrounding game addiction.

Steam isn't the only game service blocked in China. In July, Tencent launched facial recognition technology that scans children's faces to keep them in compliance with China's curfew to prevent children from playing late-night games.

Just one month later, China implemented a new rule that limits minors from playing games to more than three hours per week. China later banned Fortnite from operating in its country, although the game has been heavily modified to comply with China's strict rules.