I’m at a salon in Shanghai getting my hair cut for the summer when I start up a game of Arena of Valor on my cellphone. “Oh, you play that game, too?” my hairdresser asks. “I play that game a lot, anytime I have free time.” Arena of Valor is the Western port of a... Continue Reading →
On April 2nd in Beijing, The Building Responsibility, Guiding Online Games – First China Games Ceremony sponsored by Xinhua Net was held, aimed to promote the healthy development of online games and promote the fulfillment of social responsibility by game companies. Event participants included leaders from the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration of... Continue Reading →
Ma Huateng, chief executive officer of Tencent, recently stated that the phenomenon of teenagers video game addiction should be prevented and treated. However, he believes outright banning of video games is not an appropriate approach, and more flexible management techniques should be considered. For example, linking daily tasks such as studying and homework directly to... Continue Reading →
As we’ve written time and time again, China is deeply concerned with video game addiction, in particular the potential for children to become addicted to games. The newest move in game addiction prevention comes from corporate giant Tencent, who will be imposing play limits on their game, Honour of Kings*, based on age. The new regulations will... Continue Reading →
China recently implemented new laws requiring video games to disclose the drop rate of items in any kind of loot crate/box/pack sold by the game (for example, DotA, Overwatch, Counter-Strike, etc.), and while most companies complied, Blizzard has been somewhat reluctant to give out their algorithms. Instead of probabilities for each box, or even for... Continue Reading →
In her first round of applications for a US Visa, Hearthstone Global Wild Tournament winner SHRoyalBaiZe (or just BaiZe) was denied her visa, according to a post on her Weibo from June 19. On June 22nd, however, her second visa application was approved, allowing her to participate in the Tournament in the US next week.... Continue Reading →
Game developers have a lot to keep in mind as they create their new IPs. Character design, maps, names, music, coding, troubleshooting, among countless other duties-- what looks good to us, what will our players like, and most importantly, for Chinese developers, what will the government permit. According to a 2010 PPT (still in use as... Continue Reading →
The problems that came up during the Dota 2 Shanghai Major are best summarized by Weibo user 国际部歌王_Storm: Game delays, equipment failure. The orchestra under suspicion of being fake, and now it’s coming out that teams’ personal equipment was pulled out of their rooms for cleaning. The most upsetting thing is that all the Chinese... Continue Reading →
We've all heard the stories of "harmonization" (the euphemism for censorship) of western games imported into China, like skulls in World of Warcraft turning into sacks of flour, or skeletons into straw-men. However, censorship of games in China goes beyond censoring dead bodies, and guidelines exist that developers must follow in order for the government... Continue Reading →
On January 8th, Sony announced that the Chinese release of its console and games, originally set for January 11th, would be postponed. The official message said it was due to "various reasons," but gave no specifics. When pressed by Chinese media to list specific reasons, Sony officials gave no comment, saying only to the Wall... Continue Reading →
Youxi Story 