Chinese users are being punished for playing Fortnite for more than 3 hours

Chinese users are being penalized for playing Fortnite for more than three hours, according to a recent Reddit post.

Players have access to the game after the three-hour duration, but the experience rate is dramatically decreased and challenges are disabled.

“You have been playing for three hours, exp rate has dropped to 50 percent, and challenges have been disabled,” a screengrab on the Fortnite subreddit, translated from Mandarin, reads. “For your health please take a rest immediately and arrange your study time.”

Reddit users were puzzled by the new development and questioned if Chinese players would have the time to reach tier 100 before the end of the season. It’s already considered a struggle to level at a regular pace, let alone without the help of challenges and the normal rate of experience.

It looks like Chinese players have been forced to choose between cutting their playing time and grinding even harder to achieve the max tier. If a player was dedicated enough to the game, they’d likely ignore the three-hour cap and continue playing to their heart’s content. The pop-up message could even ironically entice users to spend longer playing Fortnite.

“The government issued a rule and decided to add this bullshit system,” said Chinese Reddit user U/SauCe-lol. “If you wanted to play video games, you have to link you [sic] ID card to your game account. If you’re under 18 then they’ll limit your playtime, by lowering xp gaining rate and even forcing you to get off.”

This would suggest that the system is in place for not only Fortnite but every game on the market. It’s a worrying trend for aspiring Chinese esports professionals that seems to be as equally outdated as it is counter-productive.