PUBG bans users below 13 years in China

SAN FRANCISCO: Online multi-player battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, popularly known as PUBG, has been imposed with a digital lock and now users under 13 years of age would have to ask their guardians to open the game for them.

The ban has been put in place only in China as of now.

"Tencent is continuing to double down on how it restricts younger players from accessing some of its games in China, this time with a digital lock system that will lock out players under the age of 13," gamesindustrybiz.com reported late on Friday.

Tencent has imposed the age restriction to support the Chinese government's crackdown on gaming addiction among the youth.

The gaming giant is using technologies like facial recognition and player ID checks to ascertain the ages and identities of those playing Honour of Kings and others in China.

In addition, it has already imposed limits on how long young players can play the game, and imposed rules for streaming its game content, prohibiting things like violence, information about gambling or pornography, national politics, or other "damaging behaviour", the report added.

The Chinese government's concerns about myopia in children also set off a nine-month-long freeze on new video game approvals in the country in 2018 that ended in December.

Launched in December 2017, PUBG is a multi-player battle game that connects users from around the world in real-time and allows them to fight missions, and is known to indulge players into long hours of gaming.