China is currently dealing with a substantial issue with video game addiction among its youth. Video game developer Tencent Games -- a subdivision of Tencent Holdings Ltd. -- has unveiled its plans to use facial recognition to combat the issue.
In a move intended to satisfy the Chinese government's demands, Tencent Games has begun to implement facial recognition AI in all of its games to stop young adults from playing too much. Tencent explained, "We will conduct a face screening for accounts registered with real names and that have played for a certain period of time at night... Anyone who refuses or fails the face verification will be treated as a minor, and as outlined in the anti-addiction supervision of Tencent’s game health system, and kicked offline."
These systems have been put in place in response to concerns raised by the Chinese government about the prevalence of video game addiction and an increase in the number of gaming-related incidents, including teenagers stealing money for digital funds and the significant amount of time those youths spend at sites such as internet cafes. It should be noted that Tencent owns 55 percent of the market in China.
The facial recognition has been slowly rolling out since 2018, beginning with major cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen. Aside from the company's most popular title in China, Honor of Kings, Tencent has stakes in companies such as Epic Games, Dontnod and more and hosts games such as Call of Duty Mobile and League of Legends.
Source: Gamestop, Sixth Tone