China temporarily lifted its long-time ban on foreign-made video game consoles, but they’re already hedging their bets.
As reported by Bloomberg, the country is planning to ban any video games they deem as “hostile” in the national sense. Head of China’s Ministry of Culture, Cai Wu, talked about the principles that will ultimately govern the distribution of consoles under the rules of the new trade zone. On the chopping block is any unsavory stuff:
“We want to open the window a crack to get some fresh air, but we still need a screen to block the flies and mosquitoes.”
We don’t know yet if this will require more Chinese regulation of games or their content, but it’s likely that certain titles won’t be granted release. The console ban began way back in 2000, which means the Chinese people never even saw the PS2 or Xbox, let alone the PS3 and Xbox 360. Now that yet another generation has rolled around, it appeared as if China was finally getting in gear.
All we know is this–in regards to the content of admissable games, Wu stated:
“Things that are hostile to China, or not in conformity with the outlook of China’s government, won’t be allowed.”
Regulation? It’s kind of what China does
Given the sort of government in China, we shouldn’t really be surprised at the prospect of new console guidelines and regulations. Honestly, it’s sort of how it works over there. At the very least, though, consumers will get a peek at the fantastic advances in the world of interactive entertainment…even if some of it does end up censored. Perhaps it will also spark a passion for gaming in China, which could result in more talent springing up in the industry.
You always want to put a positive spin on such news, just because it sounds so inherently negative.
