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China Bans Online Gang Games

by - source: Tom's Hardware US

Online games with gang themes are facing a crackdown in China.

According to People's Daily Online, China's Ministry of Culture officially issued a circular requesting the immediate ban on online gang games that contain themes such as "sinister gang," "crime syndicate," "Mafia," "underworld," "godfather" and "hooligan."

The news report says that such games highlight "beating, killing, robbing, raping, and cheating," while "romancing bloody violence, instigating users to play the role of 'criminal syndicate' members in these games, and advocating such lives."

The story continues to pose that "these games have seriously threatened and distorted legal systems and moral rules and are very likely to have a harmful effect on teenagers."

Online gang games allegedly violate rules of the Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Culture, which paves the way for the Chinese government to crack down on this type of media.

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MrBradley 07/28/2009 5:06 PM
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Its funny how they are trying to ban "Gang" stuff when they are....well....sort of a gang themselves if you think about it.

downer88 07/28/2009 5:12 PM
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China Bans *Insert Something Internet Related*

foxyg 07/28/2009 5:17 PM
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Banning thingings only makes them look stupid. Thought they figure that out by now.

dman3k 07/28/2009 5:26 PM
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And they think Americans are brainwashed...

coopchennick 07/28/2009 5:35 PM
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To be honest, I almost agree with the released statements, but come on China... that's not the way to handle it.

johnjohn_75 07/28/2009 5:50 PM
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Wow, China bans gang type games? So that must mean they must disban their commie government--no pun intended.

BTW, Doesnt anyone else think doing business with a communist government is risky and stupid? Cant figure out why the free world has anything to do with them...Oh, wait, sorry...cheap labor, Chinese business beats their employees...The free world businesses wish they could do that.

chaohsiangchen 07/28/2009 5:55 PM
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I gradually come to believe that Chinese intellectual elites are the obstacle for China to become free and democratic. The elites, who succeeded in school system and good at taking exams, despise Chinese proletariat and regard themselves as higher form of people who should dictate how others would live and think. I call it: exetasocracy.

Most Chinese intellectuals, who spend their early lives in textbooks and preparation for college exams, then seek gantry in either bureaucratic system or educational institutions knows nothing about real lives of people. Yet, they think they can make better decision for others.

apmyhr 07/28/2009 5:59 PM
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Did Jack Thompson move to China or something?

Hanin33 07/28/2009 6:12 PM
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apmyhr :
Did Jack Thompson move to China or something?



he's their new Minister of Entertainment Culture and Vice...

tenor77 07/28/2009 6:20 PM
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The thought police doing their normal duties.

chaohsiangchen :
I gradually come to believe that Chinese intellectual elites are the obstacle for China to become free and democratic. The elites, who succeeded in school system and good at taking exams, despise Chinese proletariat and regard themselves as higher form of people who should dictate how others would live and think. I call it: exetasocracy. Most Chinese intellectuals, who spend their early lives in textbooks and preparation for college exams, then seek gantry in either bureaucratic system or educational institutions knows nothing about real lives of people. Yet, they think they can make better decision for others.



The problem is they view people as a resource to be cultivated and utilized. Anything that would detract from their productivity is a nuisance to be squashed.

maigo 07/28/2009 6:51 PM
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Can anyone name a game where you RAPE people? I don't remember a Rape-Master series

Anonymous 07/28/2009 6:58 PM
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Next up: China bans all violent video and computer games, followed by a ban on violent sports, followed by a ban on any activity that may or may not result in physical or emotional harm to another, followed by a ban on even thinking about anything even remotely considered "bad".

Big Brother is coming.

Anonymous 07/28/2009 7:02 PM
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The China government is BAD, they treat their people like resources.

But the rules of the GOOD capitalism says: "make profit at all costs".
And all cost sometime (almost allways) means: "use cheap chinese labor to increase profit".

If the GOOD capitalists have any serious interest in improving the chinese's life they need to stop using them.

chaohsiangchen 07/28/2009 7:06 PM
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maigo :
Can anyone name a game where you RAPE people? I don't remember a Rape-Master series



There are some Japanese Hentai games where you have choice to do so.

cappster 07/28/2009 7:32 PM
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It would just be easier if China installed a big teletron inside each person's home with a big eye ball watching everyone. That way they could instantly jail anyone who dare to challenge their "authority."

Kill@dor 07/28/2009 8:02 PM
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cappster :
It would just be easier if China installed a big teletron inside each person's home with a big eye ball watching everyone. That way they could instantly jail anyone who dare to challenge their "authority."



You will respect my authoritor!

pharge 07/28/2009 8:12 PM
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cappster :
It would just be easier if China installed a big teletron inside each person's home with a big eye ball watching everyone. That way they could instantly jail anyone who dare to challenge their "authority."



lol... I thought that is what UK is doing. They basically have camera watching every single corner of streets in London...lol

Violence in gaming has been a problem for a while. I can understand why they want to ban it, like those conservative/religulous groups/parties in the States or other countries are trying to do. But a lot of time, it is not problem of the idea, it is the problem of the method they used/are using.
Hidding your head in the sand is usually not a very good way to deal with problems.... and being a control freak is usually making things even worse...

hemelskonijn 07/28/2009 8:18 PM
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somewhere i can see this as reasonable.
Lines are fading and yes computer games are getting more and more violent if only just a bit more then the last one since violence sells.
If games are getting more realistic and violent the people playing those games will shift there perception of what is normal (this goes for anything really but more for multiplayer games then in example films or mtv).

Some one has to draw the line somewhere ...
Yes the internet should be free and all information on it should be legit but the stuff that is released as a game now days crosses lines and banning them has nothing to do with freedom of information and there is no right to freedom of moronic entertainment.

rubix_1011 07/28/2009 8:22 PM
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George Orwell: 1984.

johnjohn_75 07/28/2009 8:23 PM
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This "game banning" goes back and has a tell-tale sign of the banning of rock and roll back in the 50's. I can even remember back in the 70's religious fanatics knocing on my parents door handing out pamphlets telling people they should not listen to the devils music. Hog-wash now days but they tried. I remember when they tried to arrest that rapper for bad launguage back in the 80's. I dont like rap but there is a thing called freedom of speech...

supertrek32 07/28/2009 8:25 PM
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Still waiting for "China Bans Free Thought"

Netherscourge 07/28/2009 8:32 PM
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What stinks is game companies will start making watered-down games just so they can get into the Chinese marketplace, which consists of 1.3 BILLION people...

pharge 07/28/2009 8:40 PM
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hemelskonijn :
... yes computer games are getting more and more violent if only just a bit more then the last one since violence sells.



Let's try an experiment.

1)Name our top 10 games of 2008 or 2009.
2)Count how many of them which do not invlove any form of killing and destruction.

hmm... is that answer very surprising?

formin 07/28/2009 9:45 PM
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china makes me laugh
ban this, ban that, internet censorship this, control that!
im glad i live in a country with a sane government

JumpKickJoe 07/28/2009 9:58 PM
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"Mom!!!!!! Where is my Grand Theft Auto 4 video game?!?"
"The Police came in and confiscated it son.They are making a crack down on anything gang related"
"Damn now i gotta go get it on Mininova or Piratebay"

crom 07/28/2009 11:21 PM
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China isn't a communist nation anymore, they are ultra-capitalist. Their people are resources to be exploited and then discarded when they are no longer useful. Having the people think for themselves is an obstacle for the government, that's why they're censoring everything. Once the money stops flowing there will you see any real change.

stumpystumped 07/28/2009 11:36 PM
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China ban WoW, America freaks out!

pharge 07/28/2009 11:46 PM
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stumpystumped :
China ban WoW, America freaks out!


Na... in the US.. only the Blizzard will freak out.
It is the players in China will freak out. Just think about how many people are playing WoW in China each day (not sure it is true or not... a website said there are more than a million WoW players located in China).

Athreex 07/29/2009 1:19 AM
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Woah..Chinese government keep banning stuff. What are they up to?

stumpystumped :
China ban WoW, America freaks out!



It will be a terrible mistake if they ban WoW.

waffle911 07/29/2009 2:29 AM
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All I can say is: Meh.
The Chinese government will continue to repress and isolate its people from the liberties and freedoms enjoyed by the outside world. I say, "let them." We all know whose backs are going to be up against the wall when the revolution comes. And it will come. One can only apply so much pressure on a balloon before it pops. The only problem now is the state restricting information and re-writing history all for the convenience of the ruling elite. Brainwashing an entire nation only works for so long before it back-fires. At some point, China will piss off enough foreign countries that it will become completely isolated, and its people will start looking for answers. I can't even pity those who are truly responsible by then; their fate is their own doing.

wisdom_learner 07/29/2009 2:13 PM
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formin :
china makes me laughban this, ban that, internet censorship this, control that!im glad i live in a country with a sane government



You must not live in the US then.


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