MMORPG Politics in China, the case of World of Warcraft

[Aronian]

Article by Skion, MMORPGFocus Staff Writer

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World of Warcraft has always been a big hit on the mainland. However, a culture-clash was always predictable as the American Blizzard Entertainment Inc. that designed World of Warcraft had to cater to the specifications of the Chinese market- they had to adapt to the language, culture as well as specific behaviors and values that shaped the experience of gamers from China.


Still, an estimated 3.5 to 4 million people actively play WoW in China, and parent company Activision is estimated to garner nearly 8% of their revenue from Chinese World of Warcraft subscribers. All in all, the Chinese market is an appealing one for Activision and World of Warcraft in particular. It's place in Chinese cyber-culture has been cemented, with an assortment of upstart Chinese MMOs taking their inspiration from WoW's almost mythical reputation and success in China.

If you've played WoW, I'm sure you've probably come across more than one Chinese gold-farmers. These guys pay the bills by "working" online, a scheme that can be summarily described as grinding for money. Indeed, WoW had to tackle It's this and other unique traits that define the experience of the Chinese gamer.


The Chinese market had put up another obstacle for WoW in China recently- that of national video game regulations. China has come down hard on video games in recent years as the "online-game pandemic" has gripped Chinese society- there were reports of regulating playing-time to combat MMO addiction (three-hours a day). There were also reports of monitoring gaming content to ensure that appropriate values were being promoted through the gameplay. WoW's previous operator had allegedly attempted to censor player conversations within the game. WoW itself had faced a few problems with their prior Chinese operator The9, leading them to give the contract to NetEase. This apparently raised hackles among Chinese regulating agencies who claimed some of NetEase's operations were illegal.


If you thought that was the end of Blizzard's problems running WoW in China, you would be wrong- the Chinese government, acting through their cultural ministry has sought to censor and even ban parts of World of Warcraft, placing heavy scrutiny on WoW's expansions- particularly Wrath of the Lich King and Burning Crusade, both of which were delayed.

The most glaring of differences comes in the form of censored or edited content. Apparently the Chinese censor boards don't look too happily upon skeletons, blood and gore, all three of which were toned down for the Chinese version of the game. Also edited were icons and UI elements that appeared too skeletal or morbid. Currently, the game is wrangling with various governmental and non-governmental parties in order to put their game out, while the poor Chinese player is stuck without his WoW-fix.


All in all, the developments are certainly interesting commentary on social, cultural and economic forces. The questions raised are equally thought-provoking- Are American games too violent and morbid? Is China's position on video game regulation a good thing or a bad thing? How much trouble will World of Warcraft face in China? And what about the poor Chinese players? A case can be made for either side of the issue, but one thing still stands- China's relationship with games and western values will always be a source of much interest and commentary for years to come.


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