But please, no sex or subversion
SEX must not be used to sell online games, decreed the Chinese government in July. But most online gamers are men, so the rule is not always scrupulously obeyed. The ChinaJoy digital entertainment show in Shanghai, which ended on August 1st, was packed with showgirls, many with logos somehow squeezed onto what little clothing they wore. The sweaty conference-goers seemed to like it.
Nearly 100m Chinese people play digital games. But since offline games are usually pirated, only online ones make legitimate money: $4.5 billion this year, estimates Niko Partners, a research firm. Online games are popular in China because they are cheap. Many are free: you pay only for extras such as magic swords. Others charge a fee that depends on how long you stay connected. …
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