Central Interference: No Online Gaming in Vietnam During the Night

A government ministry in the Asian country of Vietnam has asked those companies that offer Internet connections and services to block all access to online video games between the hours of 10 PM and 8 AM, with the clear intention of eliminating gaming during the night hours and forcing players to get a bit of sleep.

The information was delivered by Viet Nam News and adds that the Ministry of Information and Communication has taken the measure because of the huge impact that online gaming has been having on the country.

At particular risk of over-indulging in online gaming are young people, and the overnight curfew is specifically designed to force them to take a break and sleep or do something else with times that would otherwise be spent gaming.

A deputy for the Minister of Information and Communication has said that the government plans to monitor all Internet providers in Vietnam and make sure that they block online games, with those who do not threatened with the cancellation of their services.

The Internet providers are saying that the measure tramples on the rights of consumers that have paid for 24 hour access and will also make performing maintenance on the online games harder.

The Internet users in Vietnam number about 23 million according to estimates, which is close to a quarter of the entire population of the country.

A research firm has estimated that the number of gamers who will play online games in Vietnam and India will reach 25 million by 2014 and the overall revenue generated by the online games market in South East Asia could reach 833.7 million dollars by the same year.

Most online games in this area of the world are of the free-to-play variety, with micro transactions accounting for more of the money gained by developers.

The free-to-play model is also becoming more interesting to Western gamers, with MMOs like The Lord of the Rings Online and Champions Online adopting the concept.