The Chinese government has introduced new regulations that limit when children can play video games, the alotted time, and the amount of money they spend on microtransactions.

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The Blizzard China Controversy Explained 12 IMAGES

As reported by The New York Times (via Kotaku ), the Chinese National Press and Publication Administration said the measures aim to benefit "the physical and mental health of minors." The law became effective as of Tuesday this week, stating anyone under the age of 18 cannot play games for more than 90 minutes a day from Monday through Friday. On weekends or holidays that number is slackened slightly to three hours.Also included in the measures are a curfew that forbids young people from playing games between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. (meaning no more overnight sessions) and a limit on the amount kids can spend on DLC and microtransactions. The figure varies depending on how old the player is, but works out as between $28 to $57 a month.The law will be enforced by ensuring minors register their real names and identification numbers when they connect to the internet to play. This means the Chinese video game market will be one of the most heavily regulated in the world – but since it's worth $33 billion in annual revenue , it's also one of the most valuable.Like in the West, video games in China have become a political football with state-run media branding some games as "poison." President Xi Jinping has been stringent in regulating tech companies during his second term of office, and in the last year, licensing freezes and other strict measures have slowed the Chinese games industry's growth. Elsewhere, Blizzard faced international criticism after banning a player for voicing support for the Hong Kong protests . The attempt by Blizzard – an American company – to dampen potential political offense to the Chinese government was seen by some as an effort to protect its finances in the foreign market, but if you're just catching up here's a full explainer

Alysia Judge is a freelance writer and presenter. Chat to her on Twitter @alysiajudge.