VietNamNet Bridge – Most students rate playing online games in internet gaming shops as their top form of school day entertainment, a recent survey has found.

A student plays game at a game-room in Ha Noi. A survey on almost 400,000 students showed that online game is the top form of students' school day entertainment. (Photo: VNS)

The department's random checks on 370,390 students from over 1,120 schools showed that more than 82 per cent go to internet gaming shops from one to six times per week to play online games. Of these, nearly 14 per cent can not help entering internet gaming shops eight times per week and 3.4 per cent admit to going more than ten times per week.

Most players spend two or three hours in the shops each time. Some 22,110 students, or 5.9 per cent of the total, spend between four and seven hours each time and 1,745 players, counting for 0.5 per cent, admit they can play non-stop for eight to ten hours on each occasion, the survey said.

Young players prefer playing online games during school time, especially during the noon break time. About 7.9 per cent of players usually play after 10pm.

"Online games and their harmful effects are considered social evil at schools," Prof Van Nhu Cuong, headmaster of Luong The Vinh Private High School said.

"It's hard to ban students from playing while internet gaming shops are booming. It's high time we banned all games with violent or sexual content," Cuong said.

Still operating

According to the city schools' estimates, 566 of the 3,874 gaming shops located within 200 metres of schools were still operating despite the recent ban.

Duong Van Ba, deputy director of the ministry's Student Affairs Department, said the control of online games was not easy, especially in big cities as there were no regulations stipulating which kinds of games were allowed to be published.

Director of HCM City Department of Information and Communication Le Manh Ha said a random check had revealed nine of 19 online games were still available after 10pm despite the commitment from games suppliers. Two of the games are products of VinaGame Corporation, one is made by VTC and Vietgame produces three.

Director of VinaGame Corporation Le Hong Minh said that the time limitation only applied to one account. Those who had more than one account would not be restricted.

Ba said the ministry would this month complete the draft Anti-violent Online Games among Students Programme for the 2011-15 period.

It would include this issue in school subjects like civics and law or ensure that students looked at it through other extracurricular activities.

The department would also ask local authorities to supervise internet gaming shops located near schools and close down places that didn't comply with regulations.

Results from last October's survey by the Viet Nam Institute of Social Science found that only 5.2 per cent of 1,400 people in six main cities and provinces nationwide showed signs of addiction to online games. Both educational experts and the general public criticised that survey's findings.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News