University pulls plug on late-night gaming

A college in Hunan province has banned students from playing computer games late at night in dormitories to help them get enough sleep.

Hunan University of Commerce in Changsha recently issued a notice forbidding students from using gaming sites or video platforms via its campus internet server between 11 pm and 8 am, Sunday through Thursday.

More than 50 games such as League of Legends, King of Glory, and Love and Producer have been placed on the school's blacklist. The list also named three short video apps, including Kuaishou and Douyin, and four livestreaming apps, including Douyu.

In January, Shenyang Aerospace University issued a similar regulation, forbidding students from playing video games between 11 pm and 6 am, Sunday through Thursday in their dormitories.

In October, a 21-year-old student in Changsha, Hunan province, suffered a stroke after playing games nonstop for three days.

Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, part of the Education Ministry, said night owls are particularly common at Chinese universities, as college students who spent their childhoods studying and preparing for the national college entrance examination are finally free to live life as they choose on campus.

"They've been told by parents and teachers since childhood that being enrolled in a good university was the goal of their academic life," Chu said. "Universities should teach them to set new life goals and learn self-control, so they will be less likely to be addicted to video games."

Dorm rooms at Chinese universities are often shared by four, six or even eight students. Many students have disagreements and disputes with their roommates over differing sleep patterns and nighttime routines.

Shuai Yuanhua, a postgraduate student at Peking University, said other schools should adopt policies to prevent nongamers from being interrupted.

"When I was an undergraduate, my roommates sometimes played games until 3 am. The noise and light harmed my sleep. I was utterly miserable," he said. "Something should be done to treat their addiction."

In April, Douyin said it would introduce "anti-addiction" features to cut down the amount of time people spend on the platform. After more than 90 straight minutes the app delivers an alert. After two hours, it locks up - though it can be unlocked again with a password.