If you're playing online games in China, soon you'll have to ditch your sweet screen name and use your real name instead. The Chinese government has decided to take the mystery out of online gaming by requiring gamers to register for massively-multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing games with not only their real names, but also using the code from their government-issued ID cards.

The real-name system applies to everyone regardless of their age, allows the government to verify your identity and track how much time you spend playing games online, and allows parents to check up on their children. While it won't affect what you're able to do once you've logged into a game, the government hopes the measure will keep a gamer from using his or her online gaming persona as a "Second Life," thus keeping him or her from becoming addicted to the games.

This isn't that huge of a step. The Chinese government already treats internet addiction as a medical disorder and requires citizens to register using their real names to comment on blogs or use in other online media. Online gaming is just another addition to that system. Do you think the new system will help curb people's addictions or do you think the Chinese government is going too far?
 

This story around the web: