Vietnam cracks down on online games

Advertising banned and access to games restricted after cases of robbery and murder

Vietnam has banned the advertisement of online games and restricted access after several cases in which young people have committed murder or robbery to get money to play, an official said today.

The ministry of information and communications' decision to crack down on online games follows a public outcry about their negative influence on youngsters, said a ministry official, Luu Vu Hai.

The ministry has temporarily stopped licensing online games pending new regulations, banned advertising for them, and ordered internet service providers to cut off access after 11pm to shops that offer games.

Over the past year, Vietnam's press has reported several murders and robberies committed by young people to get money to pay for online games. State media reported that a 15-year-old girl was sentenced to 10 years in prison for strangling a four-year-old from her neighbourhood to rob her of earrings worth $10 to pay for online games.

Teenagers queueing in online game shops is a common sight in Hanoi, which has 7 million people and more than 3,000 such shops.

The government has licensed 22 gaming companies and 93 games, according to Vietnam News.

Hai said the government was determined to eliminate online games with violent and pornographic content.

Vietnam tightly controls the flow of information on the internet and has said it will not tolerate cyberspace being used to spread anti-government information, violence or pornography.