Mainland China’s internet culture has been getting a lot of press recently: a 330 lb man died over the lunar new year break after a “marathon gaming session", the government has said no new internet cafes can be opened for a year in an apparent attempt to drive down the numbers of young’ns captivated by the magical online, and for those poor souls who have already crossed the line and are labeled “addicts,” it’s off to military-run “boot camps” for some electroshock therapy and some re-education.
I find the internet café/bar culture on Mainland China to be particularly fascinating, and some high profile gaming cases in the past couple of years have really drawn attention not just to the “wang ba” (internet bars), but also to the MMOs that are wildly popular – teenagers tossing themselves off buildings, murders happening over alleged virtual property theft, attempted government controls on how long people can play online MMOs, and a list of people who have apparently dropped dead after “intense” gaming sessions.
On the one hand, I’m really curious what the next news coming out of the Mainland will be in regards to internet & gaming problems; on the other hand, I’m not sure I really want to know.
Online addict dies after ‘marathon’ session [MSNBC]
No new internet bars this year [China Daily]
In China, Stern Treatment For Young Internet 'Addicts' [Washington Post]
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