The new draft regulation for online gaming released on Friday aims to promote the industry's healthy development, a statement from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) said on Saturday, after the draft gaming rules caused heated discussions in China.

The NPPA has heard the "concerns and opinions raised by all parties" and the administration "will study them carefully and further revise and improve" the draft rules, the statement read.

The official said that the draft rules aim to clarify issues concerning access for the involved operators, proposing a series of encouraging measures, including provisions for protecting the rights of the minors and other consumers, according to the NPPA statement.

The NPPA listened broadly to opinions from other government departments, industry associations and business leaders, the statement said. The NPPA will carefully study the concerns and feedback of the specific measures in the draft from all involved parties and continue to revise and improve the measures.

The NPPA released the draft on Friday with a broad range of rules aimed at curbing online spending on gaming, but it dealt a heavy blow to the listed gaming companies, such as Netease and Tencent.

Netease Games said on Saturday that the draft targets at management shortfalls and will not have an intrinsic impact on its business. The company said that the gaming sector has sustained its development momentum under the guidance of relevant authorities while achieving major progress in key areas of public interest, like protecting the minors, domestic news site chengdu.cn reported.

Tencent said on Friday that the draft will not meaningfully change the key elements of games such as reasonable business operating models and the pace, and the authorities will support the industry, especially in encouraging high-quality original games, according to media reports.

The draft proposes that online games would be barred from giving players rewards if they log in every day, or if they spend on a game for the first time, or if they spend several times on a game consecutively. And, game providers ought to set a limit on the amount of user recharge, and should provide pop-up warnings to remind users about the unhealthy levels of game spending.

China's game regulation draft sparks discussion; rule to better regulate industry: experts