It appears China is one step closer to officially sanctioning the sale of video game consoles. According to China Daily, the Chinese government has decided to review policies preventing the public from getting their hands on consoles and games.
"We are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market," a source from the Ministry of Culture said.
In November, we reported that Sony has already submitted the Playstation 3 to the government for product certification. However, this review process is irrelevant as the manufacture, sale and import of game consoles has been banned since 2000 by seven different Chinese ministries. At the time, the government believed that video games posed a threat to the mental and physical development of its young citizens.
The change will be good news for gamers and the console gaming industry in general. Nintendo and Sony are hoping to boost sales for their flagging industry by tapping the vast Chinese market. The Japanese companies outperform Microsoft's Xbox in Asia and are hoping to duplicate that success in China. Last year in Japan, Nintendo sold 12 million consoles while Sony sold 7 million. Opening up China could be even more lucrative.
Despite the ban on consoles, gaming in China is flourishing. Portable consoles and games can be found in most major cities in boutique electronics shops. Games can easily be accessed on mobile devices like the iPad or at Internet cafes offering access to online gaming.
Fears over the harmful impact of video games are not without merit. Last week, Tech in Asia reported that a gamer in Renqiu, Hebei murdered two people in a fit of rage after a power outage interrupted his game at an Internet cafe. He was so angry that he killed the cafe owner and his wife with a hammer before burning their home to the ground.
Earlier this month 21-year-old Xiao Jun from Guangxi, China died at an Internet cafe after playing World of Warcraft for 40 hours. Fear over cases like these have led China to demand gaming companies integrate time-scheduling settings to prevent gamers from playing for too long.
Despite the resistance, the indicators suggest console gaming is ready to take on China. Potentially more exciting could be the emergence of a homegrown system--perhaps this could be the next evolution of the Xaomi Box?
Source: http://asia.cnet.com/console-gaming-coming-to-china-62220302.htm
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