• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Saturday 5 July 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

Soft Sell

Newsdesk by Newsdesk
Wed 18 Feb 2009 at 16:00
netizens
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Flash Point

Gaming content convergence could lead to an ethical debate about compulsive behaviour

The emergence of soft gaming as a business model potentially creates exciting new opportunities for gaming product providers to sell services, but it also presents new challenges and ethical questions for governments and regulators.

The scientific community is far from united on the topic of alleged ‘gaming addiction’ in relation to casual and role-play games, but the topic received major publicity in China in 2007. The local media reported that a young and overweight Internet user from northern China collapsed and died after spending the entire lunar new year holiday playing computer games.

Game over

The man, identified as Zhang and whose age was given as 26, was said to have spent almost all the seven-day holiday in front of the computer screen, leaving it only for toilet breaks and to snatch a few hours sleep on the bed next to it.

During the AiG conference Shailesh Naik of CryptoLogic quoted a newspaper report from southern China about a woman who spent the equivalent of around US$7,000 at current exchange rates on an online subscription-based role-play game.

“She spent many many thousands of hours playing this game until she got to the level of the queen. She had spent about 50,000 yuan on it. The fundamental trigger here is what she called a chest. She said: ‘Paying to open a treasure chest on this game was like a casino slot machine. All kinds of material and equipment spin inside the chest like the drum on a slot machine.’

“During a crazy period she said for her it was like gambling in a casino,” adds Mr Naik.

Behaviour issues

Common factors in the success or failure of all games appear to be the degree to which they stimulate or interact with underlying traits of human behaviour, including risk taking and compulsive behaviour. It may be inevitable therefore that over time there will be convergence between elements of hard and soft gaming in terms of the way consumers seek to access and play them.

The cases mentioned above are extreme examples, and it would probably be dangerous to draw any specific conclusions from them. It’s likely though that if more and more young people start accessing games online, where regulation of game content may be beyond the immediate reach of the national regulatory authorities, it will have the potential to bring service providers into conflict over issues already familiar to the land-based casino industry—namely the emergence of obsessive or compulsive behaviour in play or spending.

Macau had been tipped during 2008 to publish a new set of rules to regulate online gaming. It’s understood that a draft document has already been prepared, but so far the government has made no announcement on its future. Singapore is another jurisdiction expected to enact specific online gaming regulations in the next year. In the absence of such regulation, the emergence in Asia of voluntary industry codes outlining the rights and responsibilities of players and service providers in online gaming may be the best way to protect the image of soft gaming, protect it from hostile attention by governments and ultimately allow the sector to blossom.

RelatedPosts

Hong Kong Jockey Club to resume Mark Six lottery from 24 September

Leisure & Resorts World Corp launches first licensed online bingo product into Philippines

Fri 4 Feb 2022 at 06:56
MAD5: Time to unwind at Kam Pek Bar – or online

IGT, APE named Gold Sponsors of online/offline Macau After Dark at Kam Pek Bar

Thu 9 Jul 2020 at 03:42
Australia’s GBA opportunity praised as AustCham Macau holds first online-offline event

Australia’s GBA opportunity praised as AustCham Macau holds first online-offline event

Thu 25 Jun 2020 at 04:11
Metro Manila

Non-compliant Chinese POGO workers to be deported under new Philippines inter-agency agreement

Thu 11 Jul 2019 at 13:36
Load More
Page 13 of 13
Prev1...1213
Tags: Online
Share4Share1
Newsdesk

Newsdesk

The IAG Newsdesk team comprises some of the most experienced journalists in the Asian gaming industry. Offering a broad range of expertise, their decades of combined know-how spans multiple countries across a variety of topics.

Current Issue

Editorial – An inconvenient truth

Editorial – An inconvenient truth

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 15:21

It’s understandable that political observers, academics and members of the public in greenfield jurisdictions would express caution around the legalization...

Light & Wonder’s Siobhan Lane

Light & Wonder’s Siobhan Lane

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 15:19

Siobhan Lane, Light & Wonder’s highly experienced CEO of Gaming, speaks to Inside Asian Gaming about the company’s ongoing transformation...

Honesty is the best policy

Honesty is the best policy

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 14:13

The Thailand Entertainment Complex Roundtable brought industry stakeholders, politicians and supporters of the government’s Entertainment Complex Bill face to face...

Sri Lanka’s casino industry

Sri Lanka’s casino industry

by Shaun McCamley
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 13:36

Industry veteran Shaun McCamley delves into the complex history of Sri Lanka’s casino industry at a time when the country...

Evolution Asia
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Aristocrat
GLI
Nustar
SABA
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
NWR
Jumbo
568Win

Related Posts

Light & Wonder’s Siobhan Lane

Light & Wonder’s Siobhan Lane

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 15:19

Siobhan Lane, Light & Wonder’s highly experienced CEO of Gaming, speaks to Inside Asian Gaming about the company’s ongoing transformation into a content powerhouse and reveals where Asia fits into the journey. Ben Blaschke: Thanks for speaking with IAG, Siobhan....

Behind the curtain

Behind the curtain

by Newsdesk
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 12:40

Hospitality logistics firm BCI Worldwide has firmly established its presence in Macau, playing a part in some of the city’s most iconic integrated resort development projects. Macau, the “Las Vegas of Asia”, is a city synonymous with opulent resorts, world-class...

Of fortune or misfortune

Of fortune or misfortune

by Pierce Chan
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 12:32

At the beginning of June, the Macau government announced that all 11 of the city’s satellite casinos would be shut down this year. The sudden news shocked the community and has led many to question whether the complete closure of...

10 years ago – Tricky balance

10 years ago – Tricky balance

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 27 Jun 2025 at 12:17

In this regular feature in IAG to celebrate 20 years covering the Asian gaming and leisure industry, we look back at our cover story from exactly 10 years ago, “Tricky balance”, to rediscover what was making the news in July...



IAG

© 2005-2024
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2024
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • English