China Prepares to End Console Ban

[Andy Chalk]

China Prepares to End Console Ban

China is getting ready to end its 13-year ban on gaming consoles, as long as manufacturers agree to build them in the new Shanghai free trade zone.

A new policy package endorsed by Premier Li Keqiang will reverse a ban on the production and sale of videogame consoles imposed by the Chinese government in 2000, with one condition: Console manufacturers must register in the new "free trade zone" in Shanghai, after which they would be allowed to sell their products in the country - subject to product-by-product approval from "culture-related authorities."

"They still need approval from the culture ministry and other relevant government bodies for their products, which I think is reasonable, because the government wants to make sure the content of your games is not too violent or politically sensitive for young people," a source who reviewed the policy document told the South China Morning Post.

Although game consoles are banned in China, they're also primarily manufactured there. Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, makes the Nintendo Wii, while Flextronics builds the Xbox 360. Hon Hai is also one of the manufacturers of the PlayStation 3.

"The Shanghai free trade zone plan is strongly supported by Premier Li, who wants to improve China's image as opening further to business under the new leadership (of Premier Li and President Xi Jinping)," a separate source said. "You may think the game console is a small deal in the whole policy package for Shanghai, but it's an interesting instance showing how China wants to open up to foreign investors."

China originally implemented the ban in order to protect young people from the unhealthy influence of videogames, but China's young people were able to score some of that action anyway thanks to the advent of online and mobile gaming and a healthy underground market.

Source: South China Morning Post [http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1279456/china-plans-allow-production-and-sale-game-consoles-mainland]


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[Legion]

I had absolutely no idea that they were banned in China. Which makes the fact that they are primarily manufactured there even more amusing for me.

Especially considering that it's bad to play computer games, but okay to make money off of providing them for other people. Kind of like making drugs illegal to use, but preparing them for sale as an export, it's just a really funny idea.

 

[kailus13]

If you can't stop it from happening, you may as well legalise and tax it. I think that's the philosophy they're using.

Hopefully nobody will sell their organs to afford all these new consoles.

 

[CriticalMiss]

I wonder how this will impact the obvious-Chinese-knock-off industry. I can't imagine life without the Kbox One.

 

[MeisterKleister]

I had absolutely no idea that they were banned in China. Which makes the fact that they are primarily manufactured there even more amusing for me.

Especially considering that it's bad to play computer games, but okay to make money off of providing them for other people. Kind of like making drugs illegal to use, but preparing them for sale as an export, it's just a really funny idea.

I had no idea either. I had assumed they already had strict controls on the games market, kinda like they do on movies.

Your 2nd paragraph reminds of that one Colbert Report segment where I believe they reported on a Canadian company that was mining asbestos and sold it as building material to other countries, even while it is illegal in Canada to use as a building material because it's poisonous.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Well whoever manages to take that market could have a massive boost in the console war just from China alone.

 

[AngelOfBlueRoses]

I had absolutely no idea that they were banned in China. Which makes the fact that they are primarily manufactured there even more amusing for me.

Especially considering that it's bad to play computer games, but okay to make money off of providing them for other people. Kind of like making drugs illegal to use, but preparing them for sale as an export, it's just a really funny idea.

Hey, hey. China just wants to have its cake and eat it, too. Well, I guess that's not entirely sound. The culture ministry doesn't approve of cake either.

OT: I imagine that this'll go over smoothly, since the consoles are already made there.

 

[Pyrian]

Hopefully nobody will sell their organs to afford all these new consoles.

Don't be absurd! In China, you sell other people's organs. Just remember to bribe the official to not ask who they're from.

 

[kailus13]

Hopefully nobody will sell their organs to afford all these new consoles.

Don't be absurd! In China, you sell other people's organs. Just remember to bribe the official to not ask who they're from.

I was referring to this story [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116706-Five-Charged-After-Kid-Sells-Kidney-to-Buy-an-iPad]. Chinese people have also been caught selling their own children [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111884-Chinese-Parents-Sell-Kids-To-Fund-Gaming-Habits] and selling meth [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123284-Chinese-Gamer-Sells-Meth-To-Fund-MMO-Habit] to fund their gaming habits.

Lets just hope the American media never finds out about these cases.

 

[Doom972]

If you can't stop it from happening, you may as well legalise and tax it. I think that's the philosophy they're using.

I don't think that this is what caused them to do this. If this was their attitude they would be much more open by now. Maybe it's the start of a new trend, though.

Hopefully nobody will sell their organs to afford all these new consoles.

Which could be one of the reasons why it was banned up until now. It seems that China wants to slowly integrate new technologies to prevent that sort of madness.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

very interesting. China could become a significant gaming country due to its population being FAR bigger than Europe, the US, or Japan. This could turn out to be a war front for major game makers

 

[General Vagueness]

China: Video games will rot your brains, there will be no more video games in this country.
Chinese gamers: What was that, we couldn't hear you over the sound of killing this boss.
China: ... well, uh...

I wonder what this means for consoles that aren't made any more (it says they're only allowed if the manufacturers follow certain rules, which they can't for a console they're not manufacturing any more).
Anyway though they're going to be repressive and controlling about consoles but they're going to allow them. Baby steps, China, you'll get there.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I bet they were mostly convinced by the always watching Kinect option in each citizens house.

 

[James Crook]

Probably won't even change a thing, as the ban hasn't stopped them from murdering me over and over on Modern Warfare 2.

 

[Strazdas]

see, even china is allowing spies in your living room, why dont you?

I had absolutely no idea that they were banned in China. Which makes the fact that they are primarily manufactured there even more amusing for me.

Especially considering that it's bad to play computer games, but okay to make money off of providing them for other people. Kind of like making drugs illegal to use, but preparing them for sale as an export, it's just a really funny idea.

its bad to play consoles. china has no problem with PC games.

Well whoever manages to take that market could have a massive boost in the console war just from China alone.

well, since China is not in Xbox list of countrys they deem worthy of having Xbone...

As long as they don't force the console manufacturers and video game developers to make any changes/games specifically for China and Chinese patriotism, then I don't mind. They did this with Iron Man 3 if I'm not mistaken. The movie producers made a Chinese version of the movie, and it pissed me off.

they already do. there are reason most MMOs run seperate servers just for china. the game has to be altered to fit their laws. even games like EVE where you have a single server for whole world has seperate for China, since the world wide one is illegal in china.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Hopefully nobody will sell their organs to afford all these new consoles.

Don't be absurd! In China, you sell other people's organs. Just remember to bribe the official to not ask who they're from.

I was referring to this story [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116706-Five-Charged-After-Kid-Sells-Kidney-to-Buy-an-iPad]. Chinese people have also been caught selling their own children [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111884-Chinese-Parents-Sell-Kids-To-Fund-Gaming-Habits] and selling meth [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123284-Chinese-Gamer-Sells-Meth-To-Fund-MMO-Habit] to fund their gaming habits.

Lets just hope the American media never finds out about these cases.

Be careful. To say there are a lot of people in China is like saying there's a lot of water in the Pacific Ocean. Assuming crazy-people are evenly distributed across all countries, you would expect to find more crazy-people in China than in almost any other country, simply because they have more people!

"Chinese person does something crazy for consumer electronics" is also a story that the Western media really likes, meaning stories get misrepresented, retold using different names and sometimes made up entirely.

We find it comforting to believe that Chinese society is dysfunctional and that Chinese people are simpletons who are easily seduced by our fabulous Western technology. Because the alternative is to accept that China is a powerful and sophisticated country who operates in a way we don't approve of. And there's not much we can do about it.