China's Ministry of Culture has recommended 10 cyber games as suitable for minors to play during part of its drive to purify the online environment for the young.
The 10 cyber games published have been selected by the ministry's on-line games censorship committee from scores of games recommended by the Chinese public.
The games are all domestic products. They include five role playing games (RPG), four recreation and chess games, and one educational game, such as Warring States II Online, Rainbow Island Online, and Wonderlands of Learning and Games.
These games have made their way into the final recommendation list because they are deemed "healthy" and can "enhance intelligence," according to the ministry.
The ministry hoped the list could serve as a guidance for parents to better direct their children in the winter vacation, which usually lasts nearly two months from January to February each year.
This was the third time for the ministry to publish recommended cyber games list. The previous two were made public respectively in January 2006 and August 2005 with a total of 25 games enlisted.
In the past few years, on-line games have become the favorite pastime of young people. However, it is argued that such social problems as game addiction, juvenile delinquency and the advocacy of brutality and perversion among minors by on-line violence and pornography have stemmed from an inadequately regulated Internet.
(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2008)
