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A Korean company has developed an inaudible sound sequence, which it claims can prevent obsessive use of online games, thus giving hope to game addicts.
Xtive, which was established in 2005, spent about a year to create the sound sequence geared toward addressing the concern that Korean teenagers spend too much time playing computer games.
The addiction to the network games has turned into a serious social problem and some gamers have even died after long sessions in front of the computer.
“We incorporated messages into an acoustic sound wave telling gamers to stop playing. The messages are told 10,000 to 20,000 times per second,” Xtive President Yun Yun-hae said.
“Game users can’t recognize the sounds. But their subconscious is aware of them and the chances are high they will quit playing,” the 35-year-old Yun said.
“Tests tell us the sounds work.”
Experts point out roughly 10 to 20 percent of high school students can be categorized as Web junkies who need treatment. And many believe that is a conservative perspective.
“Game companies can install a system, which delivers the inaudible sounds after it recognizes a young user has kept playing after a preset period of time,” Yun said.
Xtive applied for a domestic patent for the phonogram and is looking to take advantage of the technology in other sectors.
Source:
Korea Times
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