Government Regulation of Online Game Addiction

While the Internet has changed the world with online knowledge, communication, and collaboration, it has also introduced online addiction. Online game addiction can be severe with tragic outcomes. Most governments and organizations are yet to recognize the severity of online game addiction and the need for intervention. We briefly review the literature on online game addiction. We also summarize the limited attempts of governments to develop regulations aimed at preventing online game addiction. Special attention is paid to China and its efforts to reduce the number of hours that young people can play online. We present evidence suggesting that online game addiction is an issue that should be considered by governments everywhere and that information systems researchers can play an important role in analyzing the impacts of government regulation of online addiction and shaping regulation improvements

Anti-Indulged System(防沉迷系統) in China

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 행정대학원 행정학과(정책학전공), 2022. 8. 구민교.21세기 초, 중국의 온라인 게임이 발전하기 시작했고, 게임 산업의 규모와 사용자 수는 계속해서 증가했다. 온라인 게임은 많은 수의 10대 플레이어들을 끌어들였고, 일부 미성년자들은 '온라인 게임 중독'의 주요 피해자가 되었다. 정부가 일련의 온라인 게임 청소년 보호 정책을 도입했는데, 그 중 가장 중요한 것이 온라인 게임 방침미체계이다. 본 연구는 방침미체계를 연구대상으로 삼고 정부 관료주의에 의해 조정된 이익집단(게임기업과 미성년자 부모) 정치에 초점을 맞춰 체계의 진화를 분석한다. 본 연구에서는 방침미체계의 진화 과정을 바탕으로 콘텐츠 분석과 프로세스 추적 방법을 사용하여 윌슨 규제정치 모형 하에서 3개 시기로 구분하여 논의한다. 체계 공식화 및 시범 운영 기간(2005-2007): 덜 조직화된 부모 집단은 미디어의 도움으로 더 조직화된 게임 기업들과 두 개의 반대되는 이익 집단을 형성했다. 그리고 정부는 게임 기업과 부모 사이의 갈등을 규제하기 위해 상대적으로 중립적인 입장을 유지하였고, 이로 인해 이익집단 정치 모형이 생겨났다. 이 모형에서는 방침미체계의 규제 정책 형성 과정이 매우 투명하고, 이 정책은 허점이 많은 게임업체와 학부모가 타협한 결과다. 공식 운영 기간(2007-2019): 규제의 인식 비용과 인식된 편익 모두 집중에서 확산, 다시 집중되는 과정을 거쳤다. 규제에 적용된 윌슨의 정치모형은 우선 이익집단 정치모형에서 특정 이익집단이 규제를 지지하거나 반대할 강력한 동기가 없는 대중 정치모형로 전환했고, 온라인게임 중독 문제는 다시 정치 의제로 올려지지 않았고, 방침미체계는 이런 미묘한 균형 속에서 안정적으로 유지되고 있다. 그 후 규제에 적용된 윌슨의 정치모형은 다시 대중 정치모형에서 이익집단 정치모형으로 바뀌었고, 대중 정치모형의 균형에서 방침미체계에 의해 유지되는 안정성은 더 이상 유지될 수 없었고 변화가 촉진되었다. 더욱 엄격한 규제기간(2019~2021) : 방침미체계는 2019년과 2021년에 각각 강화 및 업그레이드된다. 정부는 이 시기에 강력한 역할을 맡았고 더 이상 중립적이지 않다; 윌슨의 규제 정치 모형은 더 이상 적용되지 않는다. 부모그룹과 게임기업 등 두 이익집단의 조직력은 정부가 주도하는 규제 형성에 미치는 영향력이 제한적이다. 오랫동안, 미성년자들이 온라인 게임에 중독되는 문제는 잘 다루어지지 않았다. 일방적으로 방침미체계를 강화하고 게임업체에 '일률적인' 규제를 가하는 것은 긍정적인 역할을 하기 어려울 뿐 아니라 연쇄적인 역효과까지 낳는다. 온라인 게임 중독 문제 해결에는 사회, 가족, 교육 등의 다양한 측면을 고려한 보다 효과적인 정책 설계가 필요하다.At the beginning of the 21st century, online games in China began to develop, and the scale of the game industry and the number of users continued to rise. Online games have attracted a large number of teenage players, and some minors have become the main victims of “online game addiction”. The government has introduced a series of online game youth protection policies, the most important of which is the online game anti-indulged system. This study takes the anti-indulged system as the research object and analyzes the evolution of the system with a focus on the interest group (game enterprises and parents of minors) politics moderated by the government bureaucracy. Based on the development process of the anti-indulged system, this study divides it into three periods and discusses them separately under Wilson’s regulatory politics model using content analysis and process tracing methods. Formulation of the system and the pilot run period (2005-2007): The less organized parents group, with the help of the media, formed two opposing interest groups with the more organized game enterprises. And the government maintained a relatively neutral position to regulate the conflicts between game enterprises and parents, which gave rise to the interest-group politics model. In this model, the process of forming the regulatory policy of the anti-indulged system is highly transparent, and the policy is the result of a compromise between game enterprises and parents, with many loopholes. Formal operation period (2007-2019): both the perceived costs and perceived benefits of regulation have gone through a process from concentrated to diffused to concentrated again. Wilson’s political model applied to regulation first shifted from the interest-group politics model to the majoritarian politics model, where specific interest groups did not have strong incentives to support or oppose regulation, and the issue of online game anti-addiction was not put back on the political agenda, and the anti-indulged system was able to remain stable in this delicate balance. And then Wilson’s political model applied to regulation shifted again from the majoritarian politics model to the interest-group politics model, and the stability maintained by the anti-indulged system in the balance of the majoritarian politics model could no longer be maintained and a change was ushered in. Further strict regulation period (2019-2021): the anti-indulged system is enhanced and upgraded in 2019 and 2021, respectively. The government takes a strong role in this period and is no longer neutral; Wilson’s regulatory politics model no longer applies. The organizing power of two interest groups, parents group, and game enterprises, has limited influence on the formation of regulation, which is led by the government. For a long time, the problem of minors being addicted to online games has not been well addressed. Unilaterally strengthening the anti-indulged system and imposing “one-size-fits-all” regulations on game enterprises are not only difficult to play a positive role but even lead to a series of counterproductive effects. The solution to the problem of online game addiction requires a more effective policy design that takes into account various aspects of society, family, and education.Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Background 1 1.2. Research Plan 2 1.3. Overview of Research Methodology 2 Chapter 2. Literature Review and Conceptual Framework 4 2.1. Online Games and Internet Addiction 4 2.2. Online Game Anti-Indulged System For Adolescent 6 2.3. Literature Review 10 2.4. Wilson's Regulatory Politics Model 12 2.5. Conceptual Framework 15 Chapter 3. Formulation Period (2005-2007) 17 3.1. Game Enterprises: Rapid Development with Policy Support 17 3.2. Parents' Concern: Adolescent Online Game Addiction 19 3.3. Development and Implementation of Anti-Indulged System 24 3.4. Interest-Group Politics Model 27 Chapter 4. Implementation Period (2007-2019) 32 4.1. Game Enterprises: From Client Games to Mobile Games 32 4.2. Parents' Predicament: Losing Public Support 35 4.3. Majoritarian Politics Model 38 Chapter 5. Enhancement Period (2019-2021) 42 5.1. Parents' Concern and the 1st Enhancement of the System 42 5.2. Parents' Concern and the 2nd Enhancement of the System 46 5.3. Game Enterprises: No Bargaining 50 5.4. Interest-Group Politics Model 54 Chapter 6. Conclusion 58 Bibliography 62 Abstract 65석

Regulating Habit-Forming Technology

Tech developers, like slot machine designers, strive to maximize the user’s “time on device.” They do so by designing habit-forming products— products that draw consciously on the same behavioral design strategies that the casino industry pioneered. The predictable result is that most tech users spend more time on device than they would like, about five hours of phone time a day, while a substantial minority develop life-changing behavioral problems similar to problem gambling. Other countries have begun to regulate habit-forming tech, and American jurisdictions may soon follow suit. Several state legislatures today are considering bills to regulate “loot boxes,” a highly addictive slot-machine- like mechanic that is common in online video games. The Federal Trade Commission has also announced an investigation into the practice. As public concern mounts, it is surprisingly easy to envision consumer regulation extending beyond video games to other types of apps. Just as tobacco regulations might prohibit brightly colored packaging and fruity flavors, a social media regulation might limit the use of red notification badges or “streaks” that reward users for daily use. It is unclear how much of this regulation could survive First Amendment scrutiny; software, unlike other consumer products, is widely understood as a form of protected “expression.” But it is also unclear whether well-drawn laws to combat compulsive technology use would seriously threaten First Amendment values. At a very low cost to the expressive interests of tech companies, these laws may well enhance the quality and efficacy of online speech by mitigating distraction and promoting deliberation

Game Time: Not Too Much, Nor Too Little

The amount of time young adults spend on online gaming has drawn attention from governments and academics. While these concerns posit a spatial separation between the game world and reality, they fail to understand the gaming activity in relation to individuals’ overall life. An alternative framing of gaming as leisure activities can yield greater insight. This research examines the temporal experience and the meaning of playing online games within a community of Chinese full-time college students. Observing their gaming routine, I try to answer: how do college students interpret the time they devote to gaming? In addition, how does the calculation of time for gaming differ from time in the game? Based on the research, I find that although the participants devote a significant amount of time on gaming, they are capable of prioritizing school obligations, making efforts to achieve a balance between work and leisure. Essentially, they regard gaming as a serious leisure and desire better performance through practicing. The findings suggest that the moral panic against online gaming, particularly in the Chinese society, is shaped by the interaction between the central regulation on internet use, the fear-delivering media representation, and the transformative work-leisure relation

PERLINDUNGAN TERHADAP ANAK KORBAN KECANDUAN GAME ONLINE: Studi Kasus di Kota Makassar

Children are an integral part of the younger generation and the potential of the nation's human resources in the future. Efforts to foster and protect children are a shared responsibility in ensuring physical, and mental growth and development. This research is a qualitative research field. The results showed that regulatively, the Makassar City Government already has regulations related to child protection, namely Makassar City Regional Regulation Number 5 of 2018 concerning Child Protection, but technically, the regulation has not regulated the protection of children from online game addiction. Efforts to protect children from the negative influence of online games are not only the responsibility of the government, but the role and commitment of the family and the environment are also determining factors, especially the presence of online games related to information technology which has become a primary need.Anak merupakan bagian integral dari generasi muda dan potensi sumber daya manusia bangsa di masa mendatang. Usaha pembinaan dan perlindungan bagi anak menjadi tanggung jawab bersama dalam menjamin pertumbuhan dan perkembangan fisik, dan mental. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif lapangan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara regulatif, Pemerintah Kota Makassar telah memiliki peraturan yang terkait dengan perlindungan anak, yaitu Peraturan Daerah Kota Makassar Nomor 5 Tahun 2018 tentang Perlindungan Anak, tetapi secara teknis, beleid tersebut belum mengatur mengenai perlindungan terhadap anak dari kecanduan game online. Upaya perlindungan terhadap anak dari pengaruh negatif game online tidak hanya menjadi tanggung jawab pemerintah, tetapi peran dan komitmen keluarga dan lingkungan juga menjadi faktor penentu, apalagi kehadiran game online bertalian dengan teknologi informasi yang telah menjadi kebutuhan primer

A Global Lottery and a Global Premium Bond

Proposals are evaluated, from both an economic and an ethical viewpoint, for development funding through a global lottery, along with a complement to this: a global premium bond (a loan instrument in which the interest takes the form of a lottery prize, the capital being repayable on request, so that it has the characteristics of a savings product, which makes it potentially attractive to ethical investors). The chapter starts by looking at how a global lottery might work, evaluating the issue by discussing lottery operators and their regulation, the market for lotteries, competition between the global lottery and national lotteries, the challenge posed by Internet gambling, revenue-raising potential, cross-county equity, distributional and welfare effects, ethical issues, and development education. The potential for a global premium bond is then analysed, summarising the UK premium bond scheme as a model for a global version, setting out the modalities of a global premium bond and highlighting the differences from a global lottery. It is concluded that global versions of both a lottery and a premium bond are viable and complementary in mobilizing more development finance

Operator-based approaches to harm minimisation in gambling: summary, review and future directions

In this report we give critical consideration to the nature and effectiveness of harm minimisation in gambling. We identify gambling-related harm as both personal (e.g., health, wellbeing, relationships) and economic (e.g., financial) harm that occurs from exceeding one’s disposable income or disposable leisure time. We have elected to use the term ‘harm minimisation’ as the most appropriate term for reducing the impact of problem gambling, given its breadth in regard to the range of goals it seeks to achieve, and the range of means by which they may be achieved. The extent to which an employee can proactively identify a problem gambler in a gambling venue is uncertain. Research suggests that indicators do exist, such as sessional information (e.g., duration or frequency of play) and negative emotional responses to gambling losses. However, the practical implications of requiring employees to identify and interact with customers suspected of experiencing harm are questionable, particularly as the employees may not possess the clinical intervention skills which may be necessary. Based on emerging evidence, behavioural indicators identifiable in industryheld data, could be used to identify customers experiencing harm. A programme of research is underway in Great Britain and in other jurisdiction

Program: The 15th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

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Co-governance or meta-bureaucracy? Perspectives of local governance 'partnership' in England and Scotland

This article assesses the nature of partnerships through the research site of local governance in England and Scotland, engaging a range of debates and literature around governance and meta-governance. The research used secondary data of local authority partnership working in England and Scotland as well as primary qualitative data from participant observation and interviews with senior officials of local authorities and partner organisations. There is little to suggest that English and Scottish practices are significantly at variance and the article advances an argument of meta-bureaucracy to describe partnerships' activities: that is to say, partnerships do not represent a growth of autonomous networks and governance arrangements but rather an extension of bureaucratic controls. State actors remain pre-eminent within increasingly formalised systems of 'partnership'