www.gamedeveloper.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20230810213434/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/culture/research-indicates-china-s-playtime-limitations-are-ineffective- >Researchers studying China's restrictions on how long young players can play video games found "no credible evidence for overall reduction in the prevalence of heavy playtime." > >As revealed in a new paper for Nature Human Behavior, the researchers studied 7 billion hours of playtime accrued in mainland China between mid-August 2019 and mid-January 2020. Limitations started for the region in late 2019, and later expanded to other parts of the country in mid-2021. > >Under China's then-newly established law, players under the age of 18 were limited to an hour of playtime (from 8 PM-9 PM) on weekends and public holidays. Much as with regulating loot boxes, the aim with limiting play has been to curb video game addiction for younger players. > >Playtime was classified via "heavy" or "non-heavy" groupings, with the former defined as playing for four or more hours a day and six (or more) days a week. Following the hour-long restrictions that started in 2021, the researchers found players would be more inclined for heavy play, and in fact had "significantly more hours" than prior to the adjustment. > >In fact, in the 11-week span before and after adjustments, the odds of an individual player counting as a "heavy player" shot up from .44 percent to .59 percent. Further research showed that individuals were "more likely" to play heavily after the restrictions took place. > > # Do China's playtime limits actually matter? > >Prior to the release of this paper, analytics firm Niko Partners suggested last year that the playtime limits would have a limited effect and were ultimately temporary. Player numbers in China dropped across various demographics, but Niko suggested that by 2026, those numbers would climb back up again. > >This paper not only validates Niko's theory, it suggests that governmental bodies across may not fully know how to regulate the game industry the way they clearly seem to want to. > >As far as why China's policy hasn't yielded many results, the paper speculated that the frequency of public holidays prior to the restrictions may have skewed the numbers. Another potential reason was that the playtime of adults ended up "masking" the playtime for minors. > >Because age information of individual players wasn't given in their data set, it would be difficult to determine if heavy play from adults was hitting simultaneously as decreased play from minors. Future research, they said, must "focus on generating data infrastructure" that allows privacy while providing key demographic information. > >In the end, the paper finds that China's policy (and similar ones on "youth digital behavior") was unable to change already established behaviors of young players. Even so, it thinks the data gathered can be used to study other regulatory game-related efforts around the world. > >More broadly, it could prove as a guideline for "investigating how a broad range of regulatory measures may affect the technology sector." The full paper and other data points (and variables) can be read here.
www.youtube.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20230810182040/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHxH61UshHk
www.rockpapershotgun.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20230810181817/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/quake-2-remaster-released-includes-quake-2-64-and-new-expansion >Surprising few but delighting many, id Software and Bethesda have released a Quake 2 remaster to inaugurate this year's Quakecon. An enhanced edition of the 1997 game, it includes the mission packs The Reckoning and Ground Zero alongside a PC version of Quake 2 on N64. All that for £8 or $10, plus a brand new expansion titled Call of the Machine, developed by Wolfenstein: The New Order studio MachineGames. > >While not as beloved or enduring as its predecessor or successor, Quake 2 is one of the Grand Old Shooters. I recall being introduced to it at a covert LAN party in a school IT room, plonking myself down at a monitor and instantly being reduced to a fine red mist (and in the game, etc). The singleplayer campaign had you scrapping across a muddy alien world with shotgun and hyperblaster, with larger levels than in the original Quake, and missions where you'd use heads as keys. > >The game has spawned many celebrated mods, ranging from cartoon lumberjack machinima to a mod in which all players and weapons are crates, with larger fan projects like Action Quake 2 attracting their own thriving communities. The Quake 2 engine is also the foundation for a bunch of commercial games, including Soldier of Fortune, and many Quake 2 modders have found their way into professional development. > >New maps aside, the remaster brings 4K and widescreen resolution support, dynamic and coloured lighting, anti-aliasing and depth of field, together with enhanced models, enemy animations, gore effects, AI and cinematics. It also includes splitscreen multiplayer, on or offline bot support and crossplay. Find more in the patch notes on Steam. > >The Reckoning and Ground Zero mission packs amount to 33 singleplayer levels and 21 multiplayer maps, while the brand-new Call of the Machine expansion consists of 28 new campaign levels, and one new multiplayer map. Here's the blurb for Call of the Machine: "In the depths of Strogg space lies the Machine, a singularity capable of collapsing the fabric of reality. Fight across time and space to find the Strogg-Maker, destroy it, and change the destiny of man and machine." > >Fancy it? The remaster costs $9.99, €9.99 or £7.99, and you can find it on the Xbox Store or as part of the PC Game Pass. If you already own Quake 2 on Steam, however, you'll get all this as a free update, as was the case for 2021's Quake 1 remaster.
www.gamesindustry.biz
https://web.archive.org/web/20230809031257/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/valve-begins-selling-refurbished-steam-decks > Valve has announced that it is now selling refurbished Steam Deck devices. > > The company said that each handheld console has been "thoroughly tested." > > "All refurbished units meet or even exceed the performance standards of new retail units. Although they may have minor cosmetic blemishes, they provide a reliable, high-quality gaming experience at a lower cost," said Valve in the announcement. > > The cost of the refurbished models is listed below: > > Steam Deck 64 GB - Valve Certified Refurbished - $319 > Steam Deck 64 GB - Valve Certified Refurbished - $419 > Steam Deck 64 GB - Valve Certified Refurbished - $519 > Valve added that the systems will include a warranty and have the same customer support as consumers with new units. > > In April, an Omdia report estimated that the lifetime sales count for Valve's Steam Deck would reach over 3 million units in 2023.