Thailand will impose online gaming curfew

LONDON, July 8 (UPI) -- The government of Thailand will soon impose an online gaming curfew because of concerns about rising addiction rates among children.

The 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew will go into effect next Tuesday. Thailand Technology Minister Surapong Suebwonglee told the BBC he is specifically concerned with a Korean role-playing game, Ragnarok, that has more than 600,000 registered players in Thailand.

While admitting Ragnarok is not a violent game, Suebwonglee said children are becoming addicted, "so we have to prevent children playing for long periods of time." He said Internet cafes specializing in online gaming are commonplace in Thailand, with prices as low as 48 cents an hour.

Sisak Jamonaran, president of Thailand's Computer Society, agreed the situation is getting out of hand. He told the BBC's East Asia Today program: "The problem with Ragnarok is that there is no time limit. A game can last over 10 hours. Players become obsessed and they lose interest in other activities."