All gamers in China will soon have to use their real names to play online

Chinese government will be launching a real name verification system for games nationwide by September.

The measure aims to curb gamers from spending too much time online. Gaming is already strictly scrutinized in China as developers and publishers and can only launch games in the country after approval of titles by the government’s regulation board. Despite the hurdles, China’s gaming market is rewarding.

The new regulation targeting gaming addiction will make it obligatory for players to log into games with their real names which will then be checked against an authentication system operated by the Chinese government.

While the players’ names will not be visible, the step will allow the government to verify IDs and monitor how many hours players under 18 are spending playing games.

With China being a top location for esports, its controlling tactics are a sore point for gamers and the gaming industry. However, companies like Tencent have been working on their own equally constricting and intrusive strategies such as a verification system including facial recognition scans.