Tencent, the Chinese video game juggernaut, has announced it will begin using facial recognition to prevent minors from playing video games at night.
The Chinese government has increasingly come down on video games, with the goal of preventing minors from spending too much time gaming. The government passed a law in 2019 to restrict minors from playing video games at night, and limited the amount of time they can play to 90 minutes per day.
Tencent has introduced a facial recognition feature called “Midnight Patrol,” designed to enforce the new regulations. According to Digital Trends, Tencent will integrate the feature in 60 of its games, including some of its most popular ones, such as Peace Elite and Glory of the King.
Players who avoid the facial recognition tech will automatically be locked out.