Many countries around the world implement systems to protect their citizens, including ones the prevent certain types of entertainment from being released. Last year, the Chinese government initiated a freeze on the approval of new video games, which is meant to last for nine months. Considering there are over 1.4 billion people in China, companies are likely more than happy to have their games released in the country. Per the new restrictions set in place, however, it’s going to be might difficult for some publishers, as China has officially banned various types of games.
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According to the guidelines released by the State Administration of Press and Publication, China has banned three different genres of video games. These include ones that contain corpses or blood (of any color), titles that have anything to do with the country’s imperial history, and gambling games such as Poker or Mahjong, which originated in China.
In addition to these restrictions, developers and publishers looking to bring their games to China will need to first provide a few details about said games. These include scripts, screenshots, and what features are being included to help deal with gaming addiction and over-spending by younger players. Regulations have been in place in China since 2007 on PC games and has since expanded to mobile titles.
This is surely not what some developers and publishers would like to hear, especially if they want to get in on the absolutely massive market that China has, which is estimated at $30 billion. Needless to say, not enough Friendship finishers in the world could probably get the likes of Mortal Kombat 11 to drop in China. Unfortunately, a lot of companies will either have to alter their titles or create completely different versions in order to have them released in the country.
What do you think about all of this? Did you expect China’s new restrictions on video games to be, well… this restricting? Do you think companies will be inclined to censor their games to get in on the market? Sound off in the comment section below, or feel free to hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7!
Thanks, Gizmodo.
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