London - Per order of the Chinese government, operators of online games in China have until July 16 to install software that restricts minors' access to their games, or else see their titles shut down, GamesIndustry.biz reported, citing an article in the People's Daily.

The software will restrict normal gameplay to three hours a day. After this window, an additional two hours will be allowed, but the amount of points players can earn will be halved.

After five hours, players will no longer be able to accrue any points, and screens will flash a warning every fifteen minutes advising players to rest.

While most Internet café gaming customers in China are adults, the new system will require all players to register with their real names and identity card numbers.

"This will scare away many adult and young users," BDA China chief analyst Liu Bin told People's Daily Online.

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http://english.people.com.cn/200704/10/eng20070410_364977.html