In China, it’s the glitzy cities that get the attention — Shanghai in particular is the city that garners the most attention in scholarship (and frequently in the press). I was somewhat relieved to see that this is not confined merely to China specialists, but game industry watcher types as well — the most recent ‘China Angle’ column at Gamasutra looks at games outside of the publicized hotspots, where large portions of the user bases are found. Giant Interactive, developer of Zhengtu Online, recently purchased a stake in one of China’s largest social networking sites, in an attempt to grow their market. But that’s not the only way companies are trying to acquire ever greater number of players, oh no:
Zhengtu Online – one of the most popular MMORPGs in Mainland China (so popular the government even labelled it dangerously addictive last year!) – isn’t content with mere Chinese dominance, oh no. The Zhengtu Network is partnering with Taiwanese and Malaysian companies to expand service into Southeast Asia. In typical fashion, the companies couldn’t just leave praise of their game to ‘It’s so awesome we’re more popular than Warcraft,’ but have to put a particularly positive spin on things: it’s not just an MMO, it’s a tool to teach Chinese philosophy! I can’t figure out the particulars, but I would run screaming from any game that heavily involved the teachings of Kongzi. Maybe it’s just me:
“Game mission can teach gamers Chinese philosophy,” said Tan Teck Seng, CEO of iG-Interactive Sdn Bhd, adding that the quizzes in the game will also be localised for the local gamers.
Chinese online games have developed speedily in the recent 10 years, which are benefit from the hardworking personnel of science and technology and the support of the government, said Gu Hongxing, first secretary and head, cultural office of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia.
I love poorly translated press releases. The interesting part about all of this is that Chinese developers are really ramping up international efforts – it was a big week for several companies. I wonder when this stuff will hit the US, if ever?
