‘Students not hooked on online games'

Youngsters indulge in online games at an internet shop in Cau Giay District, Ha Noi. To many people's surprise, game addiction is reported to be not as serious as indicated in the media. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Giang

HA NOI — The situation of online game addicts was not as serious as the mass media had warned, a recent survey purports to show.

The survey, by the Viet Nam Institute of Social Science, claims to prove that while onlines games are highly popular with students, there is a low rate of addiction among them.

The institute's random check on 1,400 people in six main cities and provinces showed that only 5.2 per cent showed signs of game addiction, such as playing for increasing amounts of time, lying to friends and family to conceal their activities and feeling irritable when trying to cut down on playing games.

Findings of the one-month survey, made public on Tuesday, revealed that more than 71 per cent of people aged under 20 play online games.

Secondary school students between 16 and 20 years old were the largest group of players, accounting for 42 per cent of the total.

However, school students only ranked third in hours of daily online gaming. First position was taken by white-collar workers and second by unemployed and low-income people.

Each player was reported to spend more than 12 hours a week on online games. More than 53 per cent of school students spent less than 10 hours per week.

The study reported that only 0.3 per cent of players admitted to playing games between 11pm to 6am. Most chose internet shops for their playing activities.

Although more than half said they felt relaxed after playing games, online games were not their favourite entertainment. Nearly 95 per cent chose other activities to spend their free time.

Dr Tran Hoa Binh who chaired the research said the survey the first of its kind in Viet Nam, would provide a firm foundation for the Government to base its online game management policies on.

Binh said the survey was implemented in Ha Noi, HCM City, Da Nang and Can Tho cities, and Dong Nai and Hai Duong provinces.

He said online games could seriously affect players' time, money and health if they failed to keep control. He said it was also necessary for strict controls on internet shops.

On Tuesday, HCM City's Department of Information and Telecommunication sent messages to 18 online game suppliers to require them to stop supplying services to internet shops between 10pm to 8am from Monday.

Earlier, these suppliers were asked to cut down internet services to internet shops within 200 metres of schools. — VNS

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Most internet cafes still break proximity rule

An internet cafe in Cau Giay District, Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Thanh Giang

HA NOI — Many internet shops located within 200 metres of schools were operating and supplying internet services despite regulations that ordered them to close down before Monday, said director of Ha Noi's Information and Communications Department Pham Quoc Ban.

Previously, the department had instructed internet service providers to cut services to 204 internet shops located within 200 metres of schools as part of a drive to tighten controls on online games.

Ban said the department also found that these shops failed to install required management software and meet health and safety regulations.

Many were open all day, despite a ruling that said shops must close between 10pm and 6am.

"I have seen hundreds of young people between 14-16 years old playing games, eating and sleeping at internet shops at night," said Ban at a conference on Tuesday.

Department inspector Nguyen Van Minh said district authorities reported that only half of the internet shops abided by the time regulation.

The inspector cited an internet shop on Giang Vo Street as an example. The shop is across the street from the Hoa Sen Nursery School and was open despite being required to close down.

Minh said the shop's internet had been blocked, but the owner had it reconnected.

Two students commit suicide Two students committed suicide last week after being scolded by their parents for their online gaming addiction. Bui Tan Cuong, 14, from southern Tien Giang Province often skipped class to play games. Pham Quang Vu, 15, from Pleiku City in Central Highland Gia Lai Province sold his parents' jewellery to get money to play games. The two were said to be good students before developing an addiction to online games. — VNS

Ban placed the blame on internet service providers who had failed to check with their internet agents regularly and were unaware of the regulations.

Viettel Corporation's Internet Service Centre deputy director Bui Quang Huy said an internet shop could buy multiple packages from an internet provider, which would allow stores to continue to operate after being banned.

Huy suggested that testing devices should be installed at these shops to monitor their operations and their gaming content. Huy said such devices would work as ‘a long-term and effective method' to prevent illegal operations.

The regulations should be implemented nationwide, not only in Ha Noi, he said.

Deputy Minister of the Information and Communications Le Nam Thang said the ministry would consider expanding their regulations. — VNS

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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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