Video gaming in the People's Republic of China
Encyclopedia
Video games in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is a massive industry and pastime that includes the production, sale, import/export, and playing of video games. The landscape of the topic is strongly shaped by China's average income level, rampant software piracy
, and governmental measures to control game content and playing times.
The special administrative regions of Hong Kong
and Macau
have a unique legal and cultural environments, and the information below does not apply there.
, The Age
, and Magical Land
), Westward Journey, Perfect World
, Learn from Lei Feng Online
, The Incorruptible Warrior, and Crazy Mouse
. There are a large number of domestically-made MMORPGs in China, although many generally remain unheard of outside of the country.
(2008) was included in Wired
s list of "The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade" at #14, for its major influence on social network game
s, particularly for having "inspired a dozen Facebook
clones," the largest being Zynga
's FarmVille
. A number of other games have since used similar game mechanics, such as Sunshine Farm, Happy Farmer, Happy Fishpond, Happy Pig Farm, Farm Town
, Country Story, Barn Buddy, Sunshine Ranch, and Happy Harvest, as well as parodies such as Jungle Extreme and Farm Villain.
, video game console
, or Internet
connection remains prohibitive for many Chinese. Because of this, Internet cafe
s and Internet cafe gaming have become quite popular in the country. Rather than purchasing their own hardware and software, users are simply charged a small fee (often by the hour) to use an Internet cafe computer which often comes preloaded with a selection of games. Internet cafes have contributed significantly to the growing number of young Chinese computer addicts. Chinese internet cafes often impose age limits to protect minors from what may be adult content.
Because of the high amount of software piracy in China, many foreign game companies have been reluctant to enter the country's market with single player or console
games. Instead, they have focused on selling online titles such as massively multiplayer online game
s as income from these titles comes largely from subscription fees or in game item purchases rather than the purchase price of the title itself.
Nintendo
claims that, as of February 14, 2008, China remains the main source of manufacturing pirated Nintendo DS
and Wii
games.
", video game players who work to acquire virtual currency or items in online games so they can be sold to other players for real currency.
has shown increasing concern over what it perceives as problems with the addictions to and negative influences from video games. In an effort to combat addiction in online gaming for example, time restrictions have been implemented, which hamper the players capabilities in game, creating incentive to take a break.
The Beijing
Reformatory for Juvenile Delinquents claimed in 2007 that a third of its detainees were influenced by violent online games or erotic websites when committing crimes such as robbery and rape. In a high-profile case from October 2004, 41-year-old Qiu Chengwei was sentenced to death for murdering 26-year-old Zhu Caoyuan over a dispute regarding the sale of a virtual weapon the two had jointly won in the game Legend of Mir 3. Also, in September 2007, a Chinese man in Guangzhou
died after playing Internet video games for three consecutive days in an Internet cafe.
.
In 2004, the Ministry of Culture set up a committee to screen imported online video games before they entered the Chinese market. It was stated that games with any of the following violations would be banned from importation:
The State General Administration of Press and Publication and anti-porn and illegal publication offices have also played a role in screening games.
Examples of banned games have included:
In addition to banning games completely, several games have had their content screened to remove certain imagery deemed offensive or unfavorable. Common examples include skeletons or skulls being either fleshed out or removed entirely. Cases of which can be seen the Chinese version of the popular online game, World of Warcraft.
Copyright infringement of software
Copyright infringement of software=The copyright infringement of software refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer software. Copyright infringement of this kind varies globally...
, and governmental measures to control game content and playing times.
The special administrative regions of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
have a unique legal and cultural environments, and the information below does not apply there.
Domestically-produced games
China has a number of domestically produced games. These include the Genesis of the Century trilogy (The World of LegendThe World of Legend
The World of Legend is a fantasy MMORPG created by Shanda of China. The World of Legend is the first game of Shanda's trilogy, "The Genesis Of The Century", with The Age as their second and Magical Land as the last.-Game History:...
, The Age
The Age (computer game)
The Age is a fantasy MMORPG created by Shanda of China. The Age is the second game of Shanda's trilogy, "The Genesis Of The Century," with The World of Legend as their first and Magical Land as the last.-Game history:...
, and Magical Land
Magical Land
Magical Land is a fantasy MMORPG created by Shanda of China. Magical Land is the last game of Shanda's trilogy, "The Genesis Of The Century," with The World of Legend as their first and The Age as their second.-Game history:...
), Westward Journey, Perfect World
Perfect World
Perfect World , is a 3D adventure and fantasy MMORPG with traditional Chinese settings. Players can take on various roles depending on choice of race and choice of class within that race....
, Learn from Lei Feng Online
Learn From Lei Feng Online
Learn From Lei Feng Online is a video game believed to be released by a Chinese game developer, where the player assumes the role of Lei Feng. The ultimate goal of the game is to meet Chairman Mao and get his autograph. To do this, Lei will have to do a variety of charitable acts such as mending...
, The Incorruptible Warrior, and Crazy Mouse
Crazy Mouse
Crazy Mouse is the first Chinese-developed video game to be developed and released for Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. The game was released on October 15, 2008 for 400 Microsoft Points.-Gameplay:...
. There are a large number of domestically-made MMORPGs in China, although many generally remain unheard of outside of the country.
Social network games
The Chinese game Happy FarmHappy Farm
Happy Farm is a social network game, or massively multiplayer online game, based on farm management simulation. It is played predominantly by users in Mainland China and Taiwan, and is the most popular MMOG in terms of players...
(2008) was included in Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
s list of "The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade" at #14, for its major influence on social network game
Social network game
A social network game is a type of online game that is played through social networks, and typically features multiplayer and asynchronous gameplay mechanics. Social network games are most often implemented as browser games, but can also be implemented on other platforms such as mobile devices...
s, particularly for having "inspired a dozen Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
clones," the largest being Zynga
Zynga
Zynga is a social network game developer located in San Francisco, United States. The company develops browser-based games that work both stand-alone and as application widgets on social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace....
's FarmVille
FarmVille
FarmVille is a farming simulation social network game developed by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to Happy Farm, Farm Town,, and older games such as the Harvest Moon series...
. A number of other games have since used similar game mechanics, such as Sunshine Farm, Happy Farmer, Happy Fishpond, Happy Pig Farm, Farm Town
Farm Town
Farm Town is a free, Flash-based browser multiplayer simulation game for the social network platforms Facebook and Myspace. It is social media developed by software company Slashkey in early 2009...
, Country Story, Barn Buddy, Sunshine Ranch, and Happy Harvest, as well as parodies such as Jungle Extreme and Farm Villain.
Internet cafes
Although China's growing economy has boosted the economic prospects of most Chinese in the last couple of decades, the cost of a personal computerPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, or Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
connection remains prohibitive for many Chinese. Because of this, Internet cafe
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
s and Internet cafe gaming have become quite popular in the country. Rather than purchasing their own hardware and software, users are simply charged a small fee (often by the hour) to use an Internet cafe computer which often comes preloaded with a selection of games. Internet cafes have contributed significantly to the growing number of young Chinese computer addicts. Chinese internet cafes often impose age limits to protect minors from what may be adult content.
Piracy
- See also: Intellectual property violation in the People's Republic of China
Because of the high amount of software piracy in China, many foreign game companies have been reluctant to enter the country's market with single player or console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
games. Instead, they have focused on selling online titles such as massively multiplayer online game
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
s as income from these titles comes largely from subscription fees or in game item purchases rather than the purchase price of the title itself.
Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
claims that, as of February 14, 2008, China remains the main source of manufacturing pirated Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
games.
Farming
As of December 2005, there were an estimated 100,000 Chinese employed as "farmersGold farming
Gold farming is playing a massively multiplayer online game to acquire in-game currency which is then sold to other players. People in China and in other developing nations have held full-time employment as gold farmers....
", video game players who work to acquire virtual currency or items in online games so they can be sold to other players for real currency.
Limits on playing time
In recent years, the Chinese governmentGovernment of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
has shown increasing concern over what it perceives as problems with the addictions to and negative influences from video games. In an effort to combat addiction in online gaming for example, time restrictions have been implemented, which hamper the players capabilities in game, creating incentive to take a break.
The Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Reformatory for Juvenile Delinquents claimed in 2007 that a third of its detainees were influenced by violent online games or erotic websites when committing crimes such as robbery and rape. In a high-profile case from October 2004, 41-year-old Qiu Chengwei was sentenced to death for murdering 26-year-old Zhu Caoyuan over a dispute regarding the sale of a virtual weapon the two had jointly won in the game Legend of Mir 3. Also, in September 2007, a Chinese man in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
died after playing Internet video games for three consecutive days in an Internet cafe.
Censorship
As with almost all mass media in the country, video games in China are subject to the policies of censorship in the People's Republic of ChinaCensorship in the People's Republic of China
Censorship in the People's Republic of China is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Communist Party of China . The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have their own legal systems and are largely self-governing, so these censorship policies do not apply...
.
In 2004, the Ministry of Culture set up a committee to screen imported online video games before they entered the Chinese market. It was stated that games with any of the following violations would be banned from importation:
- Violating basic principles of the Constitution
- Threatening national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Divulging state secrets
- Threatening state security
- Damaging the nation's glory
- Disturbing social order
- Infringing on others' legitimate rights
- Making animals dominant to humans (Nintendo games are formerly known for this)
The State General Administration of Press and Publication and anti-porn and illegal publication offices have also played a role in screening games.
Examples of banned games have included:
- Hearts of IronHearts of IronHearts of Iron is a grand strategy computer game developed by Paradox Interactive and published by Strategy First, set in the years 1936-1948. In the game you can control any one nation as World War II unfolds. It was released for Windows-compatible PCs in 2002. A Macintosh version was also...
(for "distorting history and damaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity") - I.G.I.-2: Covert StrikeI.G.I.-2: Covert StrikeI.G.I.-2: Covert Strike is a computer game developed by Innerloop Studios and released by Codemasters in 2003. The game is a stealth-based first person shooter. It is the sequel to Innerloop's Project I.G.I.: I'm Going In. The original, published by Eidos Interactive, offered only single-player play...
(for "intentionally blackening China and the Chinese army's image") - Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero HourCommand & Conquer: Generals - Zero HourCommand and Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour is the expansion pack for the computer game Command & Conquer: Generals. Zero Hour added several new abilities and units to each side, and a new mode of play called Generals' Challenge.- Campaigns :...
(for "smearing the image of China and the Chinese army")
In addition to banning games completely, several games have had their content screened to remove certain imagery deemed offensive or unfavorable. Common examples include skeletons or skulls being either fleshed out or removed entirely. Cases of which can be seen the Chinese version of the popular online game, World of Warcraft.
See also
- Online gaming in the People's Republic of ChinaOnline gaming in the People's Republic of ChinaOnline gaming in the People's Republic of China represents one of the largest and fastest growing Internet business sectors in the country. With 457 million Internet users currently active in the PRC, the country now has the largest online user base in world, of which two-thirds engage in online...
- Gold farming in the People's Republic of ChinaGold farming in the People's Republic of ChinaGold farming in the People's Republic of China is more pervasive than in any other country, as 80% of all gold farmers are in mainland China, with a total of 100,000 full-time gold farmers in the country as of 2005. Gold farming in China is done in Internet cafes, abandoned warehouses, small...
- Software industry in ChinaSoftware industry in ChinaChina's software industry grew at a compound annual growth rate of more than 39% over the period from 2001 to 2007 to reach RMB 506 billion and is further anticipated to grow at a CAGR of nearly 22% through 2012.-Growth:...
- China Software Industry AssociationChina Software Industry AssociationThe China Software Industry Association is the major representative and one of the most active associations in the China Software industry...
- Video gaming in MalaysiaVideo gaming in MalaysiaVideo games in Malaysia is a massive industry and pastime in Malaysia that includes the production, sale, import/export, and playing of video games....
- History of Eastern role-playing video gamesHistory of Eastern role-playing video gamesEastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...