Wow, I just read an interesting article about World of Warcraft. As many of you know, the game is popular all over the world and China in particular has a VAST following. I can attest to this. Visit any internet cafe throughout the country and you will find it teeming with adolescent boys (and some time girls) drinking soda, smoking, and hacking away at their enemies!
Surprisingly, China has banned foreign investment into their online gaming industry. The reason? They want to tighten control over the virtual world within the popular game. This astounding. I am not surprised however; China has been filtering Google and other Western media for some time now in an effort to keep out influences and information perceived to be harmful. It seems they are taking it to the next level with the virtual communities of World of Warcraft and their ilk. I am not going to get into the political nuances of this, but this news could have an implication for business.
So what does this have to do with World of Warcraft? Since there is such a prolific amount of Chinese gamers, the government may be concerned about what else is going on besides slaying the Burning Legion! I researched a bit and was impressed with the depth of the game and ability to interact with people all over. I remember years ago playing Warcraft II where you only had a choice between the Humans and the Orcs. Seems like there is much more going on with this one.
Along with banning foreign investment, firms also will be unable to participate in technology support and other influencing agreements with Chinese gaming firms. This is of note, particularly for businesses planning to tap into a rich and growing market in online gaming. Since the news is very recent, I am interested to see any developments and to what extent these restrictions may be. Something else to think about: How will this be received by gamers?
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