Teenagers playing online games in an Internet cafe in Hanoi. Strict curfews and the policing of shops have failed to stop the habit, which the government has curtailed after a string of crimes last year said to be related to video games. (DPA Photo)
The clock is about to strike 10 p.m., but the hubbub of life on a dingy street in Hanoi remains vibrant.
Despite the looming curfew, hundreds of teenagers sit glued to computer screens playing online games, seemingly unaware that in a few minutes, they will have to wrench themselves away as the street shuts down for the night.
It’s a typical scene on Le Thanh Nghi Street, home to about 15 Internet cafes and hundreds of Internet users, the vast majority of whom play online games.
But since early March, their nightly activity has been curtailed between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Internet service providers have been ordered to block access to game Web sites during that time and policemen roam the streets to enforce the law.
However, many of the gamers seem unfazed by the new restrictions.
Riveted to his screen, engineering student Le Duc Trung, 20, says he spends about two hours a day playing games. “I still play, but I go home at 10 p.m.,” he said, the lights of the screen dancing off his face.
Trung was playing GunBound, one of the most popular online games in Vietnam. The game involves creating an avatar with killer fight moves. It is free, but coveted extras can be bought with real money.
The student acknowledges that he is addicted to the game but refuses to say how much he has spent on it.
“I spend a lot of time playing games — and a lot of money, too. But I like it. My friends really like my avatar,” he said.
Linh, a 25-year-old student from Hanoi who did not want to give too many details about himself, said he still played online games despite the restrictions.
“Young people still play. It is really popular,” he said.
The curfew is the latest in a series of moves to limit online gaming, which authorities consider a health hazard, especially for young people.
In July, the Ministry of Information and Communications banned advertising of online gaming and temporarily suspended licensing of games. It also ordered ISPs to cut Internet access to shops that offered games from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The move last year was precipitated by a spate of attacks and robberies reported in the local media that were linked to video games. One particularly gruesome incident in April that year involved a 16-year-old schoolboy who allegedly cut his grandfather’s throat after he was refused money for online games.
But ISPs, including Asiasoft, complain that their customers should receive the service they pay for.
On a smaller scale, Internet cafes have also bemoaned the move, with some managers complaining that their profits have been hit by as much as 25 percent.
Nguyen Van Dung, 22, the manager of one Internet shop on Le Thanh Nghi Street, said the police had forced him to close early starting in October.
“Of course we have lost a lot of money,” he said. “Most of our customers play at night. We used to make 2 million dong [$100] but now we make about 1.5 million dong a night.”
The government is promoting the curfew “for the health of the nation,” according to Luu Vu Hai, the Information Ministry’s director of broadcasting and electronic information.
Playing games online keeps children away from their classes and stops youths from earning money, the official said, and the consequences can be deadly.
“[Online gamers] find ways to make money by stealing and robbing, even killing people to get money,” Hai said.
Cutting the hours young people can access online games would help reduce crime rates, he added.
“For instance, young people often gather at online game shops and cause public disorder at night. Many young people commit crimes at night after playing games. The ban will help reduce the opportunities for such gatherings.”
But Hai acknowledged that there were limitations. “The problem is that our force is thin while we have many online game shops, so we cannot check all of them.”
Some cafes are offering offline games as an alternative, while others simply close the door and carry on as normal.
“Many cafes are still open after 10 p.m.,” said Linh, the student. “They just shut the door. They don’t stop taking customers.”
Vietnam Politics 
Posted on April 14, 2011
0