China Blocks WoW: Lich King Release

[John Funk]

China Blocks WoW: Lich King Release

MMO giant World of Warcraft has hit a stumbling block in China over the release of its second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King - with the Chinese government preventing its release due to some objectionable content.

As China-based JLM Pacific Epoch [http://www.jlmpacificepoch.com/newsstories?id=143005_0_5_0_M] reports, the government has twice rejected applications by The9, the Chinese company responsible for licensing and distributing the game. Both applications, submitted after the Chinese Spring Festival ending on February 1, were denied on the basis of content that did not meet requirements - whatever that means.

According to an insider, two specific shortcomings included the presence of skeleton characters and a "city raid." Nor did the submitted version contain the starting area for the game's new Death Knight class, the insider continued. For whatever reason, it seems that China simply doesn't like skeletons in their games - it wouldn't be the first time [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/10/china-removes-skeletons-from-world-of-warcraft/] WoW has been edited in mainland China due to skeleton-related concerns.

The city raid in question is almost certainly the epic mid-expansion event, "Battle for the Undercity," as the ability to just raid the opposing faction's capitals has been in the game since release. One wonders why, exactly, said event would be objectionable - perhaps it's simply an offshoot of the Chinese government's severe phobia of skeletons, what with all the Undead running around the place?

Despite smashing sales records [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/87593-Wrath-Of-The-Lich-King-Sets-Sales-Records] in the West, Blizzard ought to be chomping at the bit to get to the lucrative Chinese market, which makes up a large portion of their playerbase. One can't help but feel slightly sorry for Chinese WoW players - the Death Knight starting area and the Battle for the Undercity are two of the coolest events in the game. Even if the game can pass muster with minimal censoring, they won't be getting the real deal.

(GamePolitics [http://www.jlmpacificepoch.com/newsstories?id=143005_0_5_0_M])

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[Lord_Panzer]

For whatever reason, it seems that China simply doesn't like skeletons in their games

Perhaps it's because they already have so many in their collective closets.

 

[Kajt]

What's next? Censoring the abomination guards with giant kittens?

 

[Brokkr]

I never would have thought that skeletons in a game would have been a problem

 

[Nimbus]

...


And we thought Australia was bad...

 

[TomNook]

Secondary Title: "China Does Something Right For Once."

I sense a bitter pvper in this one.

 

[MarsProbe]

That really is quite blatantly ridiculous. But at least we now know what to do should there be any trouble with the Chinese. Send in the skeletons!

 

[HobbesMkii]

It's not exactly for no reason. You just have to examine the politics behind it.

The Chinese gov. is avowedly atheist, as is a common feature in communist governments, as communists tend to believe that religion often serves to keep the masses pacified, and thus unaware that they are being short-shifted on the whole wealth thing. So when it comes to censorship, they block anything that relates to pre-communist Chinese beliefs, which focused around the ancestors. No one can deny that skeletons are remains of people who once lived, so they could easily be considered a symbol ancestors. In a Chinese context, one could potentially read a game prominently featuring animated skeletons having influence in the real world as propagating this belief (or as the Chinese gov. likes to call it "superstition") in the ancestors. Thus the denial, as such a game would have a pro-religion (and thus anti-government) stance, however accidental.

 

[Eruanno]

How about we just take all those poor innocent chinese people and teleport them to a country of their own and leave all those oddballs with their censorships and strange things to their own back in China.

I dunno where we could drop them, maybe build a giant island out of turtles south of Japan or something? xD
Then those innocent people could build their own country with normal laws and lead normal lives. Everyone wins!

 

[confernal]

Maybe this will finally cause the Chiniese rebellion... one can only hope...

 

[Somethingfake]

I think, in this case, the Chinese Government might of done the right thing, saving their people from spending 24 hours a day grinding ^_^

 

[John Funk]

I think, in this case, the Chinese Government might of done the right thing, saving their people from spending 24 hours a day grinding ^_^

Dude, have you ever PLAYED a Chinese MMO? WoW has absolutely no grinding whatsoever when compared to your usual Asian MMO.

I still suspect that most people who use the term don't know what grinding actually means.

 

[ChocoFace]

It's not exactly for no reason. You just have to examine the politics behind it.

The Chinese gov. is avowedly atheist, as is a common feature in communist governments, as communists tend to believe that religion often serves to keep the masses pacified, and thus unaware that they are being short-shifted on the whole wealth thing. So when it comes to censorship, they block anything that relates to pre-communist Chinese beliefs, which focused around the ancestors. No one can deny that skeletons are remains of people who once lived, so they could easily be considered a symbol ancestors. In a Chinese context, one could potentially read a game prominently featuring animated skeletons having influence in the real world as propagating this belief (or as the Chinese gov. likes to call it "superstition") in the ancestors. Thus the denial, as such a game would have a pro-religion (and thus anti-government) stance, however accidental.

The thing is, it is still a videogame. I don't know why they relate that to the real world.

Maybe this will finally cause the Chiniese rebellion... one can only hope...

haha, hardly.

 

[Ranooth]

QUICK! TO CHINA!

 

[mattttherman3]

My theory on why they don't want city raids: It might inspire the good Chineese citizens to rise up and overthrow the government, they could do it you know.

 

[John Funk]

My theory on why they don't want city raids: It might inspire the good Chineese citizens to rise up and overthrow the government, they could do it you know.

Only if they got Thrall / Sylvanas / Jaina / Varian to help out.