Proposal to relocate city's online gamers to amusement centres

HA NOI — Ha Noi's Information and Communications Department yesterday suggested that online games businesses relocate to amusement zones in supermarkets to allow the city to manage the sector more easily.

The idea was proposed during a meeting to establish new management policies for online games businesses between the Ministry of Information and Communications and municipal authorities.

Head of the department Pham Quoc Ban said the city had already shut down games shops within 200m of schools and instructed internet service providers to cut services to games shops after 11pm.

He said that these methods had not been particularly effective. Many shops closed their doors at 11pm but remained open for business using alternative internet connections, Ban added.

"Many gamers are willing to pay a lot to play these online games, which has helped businesses earn large profits," said a ministry representative. "This makes it very hard to manage this sector."

Ban argued that when online game businesses operated in these specified areas, it would be easier to control their games' content and their opening hours.

"Many supermarkets including Hapro have already agreed to accommodate online games businesses and have even said they wouldn't charge them any rent for the first few months," Ban said.

The majority of officials in the meeting agreed with Ban's arguments, but some doubted the practicality of his ideas.

A representative from the Inspection Office of the Information and Communications Department said amusement zones were limited in size and infrastructure, so relocating online gaming shops to these areas would be difficult.

According to the department, in September Ha Noi closed down more than 300 online gaming shops that had broken municipal regulations. — VNS

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HCMC targets Crossfire in online games crackdown

Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities on Tuesday ordered the closure of a role-playing game released by a company under the Ministry of Information and Communication.

The move is part of the city's crackdown on online games.

At a meeting with Internet service providers, the City’s Department of Information and Communications asked them to stop customers from signing on to the Dot kich (Crossfire) game developed by VTC Intercom and to get rid of digital content that contain illicit images from the game.

The providers, including FPT and SCTV, were required to act right away and report to the department by September 1. If they fail to do so, they will be punished, the department said.  

Released in 2008 by VTC Intercom, which is under the Ministry of Information and Communication, Crossfire has a lot of violent content with characters killing others with knives, guns and grenades, it said.  

The department has sent all violent images taken from Crossfire to authorities in 24 districts, requesting them to ask local Internet shops to stop providing the game’s content with such images.

A ten-day investigation into the conduct of VTC’s branch in HCMC over a year starting August 20, 2009 was also launched Monday.

Asked why the department had targeted Crossfire first, Le Manh Ha, director of the department, said previously they had met with three companies that had released games with a lot of shooting, of which VTC’s was the most violent.

The company’s representatives have also come to the meeting with no goodwill and intention of cooperating with the department, the director said.

Last week the department had proposed to the Ministry of Information and Communications that the provision of online games be cut from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. instead of instituting online curfews at Internet cafes.

The response came after the ministry ordered the suspension of internet service to all internet cafes nationwide from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. from this September 1.

The department argued that there was no legal basis for a government body to order the suspension of internet service to internet shops after their official business hours, as not all Internet shops have broken the law.

In the meantime, FPT Online – subsidiary of the leading information technology firm FPT, on Monday committed it will not import and release games involving shooting with guns if governmental agencies asked them to do so.

FPT Online will also close the Dac Nhiem Anh Hung (Special Force) game from next April onwards, it said.

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HCMC targets Crossfire in online games crackdown

Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities on Tuesday ordered the closure of a role-playing game released by a company under the Ministry of Information and Communication.

The move is part of the city's crackdown on online games.

At a meeting with Internet service providers, the City’s Department of Information and Communications asked them to stop customers from signing on to the Dot kich (Crossfire) game developed by VTC Intercom and to get rid of digital content that contain illicit images from the game.

The providers, including FPT and SCTV, were required to act right away and report to the department by September 1. If they fail to do so, they will be punished, the department said.  

Released in 2008 by VTC Intercom, which is under the Ministry of Information and Communication, Crossfire has a lot of violent content with characters killing others with knives, guns and grenades, it said.  

The department has sent all violent images taken from Crossfire to authorities in 24 districts, requesting them to ask local Internet shops to stop providing the game’s content with such images.

A ten-day investigation into the conduct of VTC’s branch in HCMC over a year starting August 20, 2009 was also launched Monday.

Asked why the department had targeted Crossfire first, Le Manh Ha, director of the department, said previously they had met with three companies that had released games with a lot of shooting, of which VTC’s was the most violent.

The company’s representatives have also come to the meeting with no goodwill and intention of cooperating with the department, the director said.

Last week the department had proposed to the Ministry of Information and Communications that the provision of online games be cut from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. instead of instituting online curfews at Internet cafes.

The response came after the ministry ordered the suspension of internet service to all internet cafes nationwide from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. from this September 1.

The department argued that there was no legal basis for a government body to order the suspension of internet service to internet shops after their official business hours, as not all Internet shops have broken the law.

In the meantime, FPT Online – subsidiary of the leading information technology firm FPT, on Monday committed it will not import and release games involving shooting with guns if governmental agencies asked them to do so.

FPT Online will also close the Dac Nhiem Anh Hung (Special Force) game from next April onwards, it said.

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HCMC disagrees with ministry’s online curfew

The Ministry of Information and Communications should cut the supply of online games service rather than institute online curfews at Internet cafes, according to Ho Chi Minh City authorities.

The response came after the ministry ordered the suspension of internet service to all internet cafes nationwide from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. from this September 1. 

However, in a written reply to the ministry's demand, HCMC Department of Information and Communications said there is no legal basis for a government body to order the suspension of internet service to internet shops after their business hours.

According to the department, not all Internet shops have broken the law and there is, subsequently, no reason to punish their businesses.

Worse still, the shops will probably file lawsuits demanding compensation from Internet service providers for cutting service without good reason.

Under local law, shops that allow customers to use the Internet after posted business hours are supposed to be fined between VND1-2 million (US$52.36-104.73), the statement said.

The cutting of Internet services, meanwhile, will only help restrict online game playing by some 1 percent of Internet subscribers, because home Internet subscribers now exceed Internet shops, according to the department.

The city agency proposed that the ministry order online game providers to cut their services to Internet shops from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., arguing that the move would be more practical and effective.

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