A child plays online games at an Internet product exhibition in Beijing on Dec 6. [China Daily]

Authorities will introduce a rating system for online games this year to crack down on vulgar content amid a soaring number of young gamers.

"We will issue practical rules for online games to protect youth," Liu Qiang, head of the Internet culture department with the Ministry of Culture, told China Daily yesterday.

Academics recently carried out studies for such a rating system, Liu said.

The rating system released by Peking University and Huazhong Normal University at the 7th International Forum on Cultural Industries on Jan 10 uses three different ratings for the suitability of online games, Xiang Yong, vice-dean of the institute for cultural industries at Peking University, said yesterday.

"What we are concerned with is not only content involving violence, sex and obscenity, but also the cultural values and knowledge attainable from the games," Xiang said.

Those involved in the studies divided online games into categories suitable for people aged above 12 and those aged above 18.

For example, games involving virtual maps are deemed unsuitable for children below 12 because these users have not developed appropriate geographical concepts and the games will negatively affect their growth, Xiang said.