China Bans World of Warcraft Expansion, Again
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Mar 12, 2009 05:29 JST
- Tags: Bizarre, Blizzard, Censorship, China, MMORPG, Politics, World of Warcraft
The Chinese government has once again maintained its ban on hugely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft’s popular expansion, “Wrath of the Lich King”, despite strenuous efforts on the part of the publisher to comply with its demands.
Wrath of the Lich King apparently possesses a number of features which the Chinese government finds objectionable, or which do not meet regulatory standards.
In their latest application, the popular Death Knight hero class, skeleton-like characters and a city raid were all removed to satisfy Chinese censors.
Strangely, Chinese regulators find skeletons particularly objectionable, as an earlier application forced the removal of all skeletons from the game. Skeleton enemies in WoW’s Chinese version come fully fleshed and a tombstone is used for defeated enemies, rather than a skeleton corpse as in the rest of the world.
World of Warcraft is extremely popular in mainland China despite all this, and was one of the games that prompted the Chinese government to enforce time limits on play. The current system imposes an in game penalty to characters that are online for more than three hours.
When it is finally released in China, Wrath of the Lich King looks set to be popular despite the changes, though when Chinese gamers will actually be able to get their hands on the game is anyone’s guess.
Via Netharuka.
Possibly this is a case of the distributors failing to buy enough guanxi (politely called “connections” in the study of China, though strangely in any developed country it is known simply as “nepotism and corruption”), although of course suppressing liberal cultural development in China has long been a Party proclivity.
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Fleshed version looks more realistic.
hahaha... warcraft and realistic. great joke.
But it doesn't make any Sense ...but I guess that's besides the point when stuff like THIS barely raises an eyebrow.
but then it's a zombie, not a skeleton
So the Chinese government doesn't like it when their people have nice things?
This is exactly true. Especially when those nice things might lead people to revolt (more than they currently do). Eg: Internets.
The ban against WoW skeletons however smacks more of corruption than anything else. This is akin to those health inspectors who always seem to find cockroaches in your spotless kitchen.
Or a recent ruling in Malaysia that required all fish mongers to buy and use pallets sold by only a single distributor. (The pallets were more expensive and of lower quality than the ones currently in use)
I disagree.
I think when you give the masses things like games or even movies that portray some hero fighting for his rights and freedoms, people are less likely to revolt because they have something to feed their anger into, or they feel at ease because they know the seeds of revolution are exemplified in their pop culture, they just need to 'wait' for someone to act upon them.
Because we see the freedom fighter in all his or her glory, we can say we want to do things like that, but we are eventually pacified by these same notions when we are inundated by the repetitive message. In essence, this makes Hollywood, et al the other studios, the greatest propaganda machine out there, whether intentional or not.
Consider in 1984, the "five minutes hate", where all the people's rage is thrown out into the common enemy who appears on screen accompanied by video of all of his sinful actions that stirs up a collective anger in the group. When it ends, everyone forgets about their rage and 'diabolical' thoughts towards practically anything else, and goes back to working for the leader.
Same thing in Brave New World. As long as social activities such as experiencing 'feelies' (akin to seeing a full-sensory movie, in the future they're called "feelies") depicting adventure that is currently unobtainable by the masses --or rather hard to come by-- exists, people can escape their current lives and live as someone else in another adventure, if just for a few moments, and return to the reality refreshed, and having been experienced with your partner or the collective in the theater.
This reminds me some of how when I first watched Evangelion, I craved for a big adventure like those darned lucky Eva pilots. Eventually it made me depressed, apathetic, and I soon got over it anyway. It doesn't mean I tried any harder to seek out the adventure, I just expected it to fall on my lap.
Geez, look what I've done. I'm rambling now. Sorry, I love talking about mass movements/mob mentality, etc!
Very nicely put. Maybe it's because I've been working on an analytical essay for days now, but that was a nice read.
If you ever want to discuss this sometime let me know. I'm a communications major and this is one of my favorite topics!
I agree with petit, nice point, I'm studying psychology thus I'm interested in this sort of things.
Disagree, undeads in "World of Warcraft" can be exchanged for chinese government, army and police (in eyes of chinese players) and "if" someone act like hero they will join him... but i dont know why they ban only skeletons (acting like feminist - act without logic). If they will see some hero they will join him because player think this way: "I have see this before (in game)... i finaly can act like hero from my favorite game!". AND! That "hero" can be anyone who never see game or film... (that one who will lead them). If all inhabitant will never see game or film like this then they will act in unformed rebellion (easy to force them, all rebels cant be leader...).
I'm not a fan of gore, but to use tombstones for dead enemies??
WoW, that's overdoing it..
Also, time limit for a MMORPG?!?!
If a person is paying for a monthly fee, why limit the time? ("o.o)
China uses a "pay per hour" system for WoW, not a monthly fee like the rest of the world.
oh, didn't know that..
Thanks for the info =)
and also the time limit is 2 hour per day maximum per account, only apply to minors.
that be so sux when raiding the dungeon D:
sigh....this is just embarassing...
(why dont they just import it I wonder...)
They still have to connect to WoW through their Chinese internets... also, good luck importing a banned video game.
what about pirate servers?
caz even if imported it would need to connect to the net. and china has a wonderfull habit of blocking websites they deam bad this also includes MMO links and such stuff
The people who import mostly are the gold farming businesses ones who work for foreigners. They connect to non-Chinese servers. The ones who play in chinese language servers need the Chinese version and thus the servers they connect to are fixed to the content changes.
That being said, Chinese servers get China only events/items/gifts like Korean servers get their own junk too.
This was weird the first time I read about the skeletons being banned, and it's still weird now.
I believe the skeleton issue is due to taboos or cultutal beliefs. A similar change was done to several Magic: the Gathering cards for the Chinese version.
Lol. Yea I have heard about it. No chump-blocking, regenerating skeletons for Chinese...It's pity that Alara has so many skeletons and zombies in the set.
Yeah yeah, taboo uh?
And I just beat some skeleton monster on China-made MMORPG, perfect world.
They just made-up some random excuse so that they can ban WOW.
This is why people there pirate things... x__x
this sounds excesive and more like the government is afraid so of revolt that they sensor anythign they fear might spark even the smallest dought in the people
Nah, they just have some more..."conservative" views on things. As long as you can still get a McDonalds bigmac meal for 10 yuan in China, nobody's gonna cause a ruckus...
Nah. In fact, they're working _against_ securing themselves against a revolt. Think about it, having most of the nation addicted to WoW would be the best prevention, since most people would be content with just playing WoW. By not allowing this, they're adding to people's growing pile of grievances against the government.
one problem with warcrack addiction and china, if you spend all your time playing WoW in china and dont work then you are seen as a lazy bum to be delt with by the state.
Lulz. Oh well, we can still nurture our starcraft/war3 players...
I get it, skeleton=capitalism! That's why it must be censored!
LOL
Lol@teh stupidity
A three hour limit? How are they supposed to get any raiding done with a limit like that?
I dunno, but they get it done some how. If I remember correctly they have some pretty bad ass guilds.
Start raiding 3 hours before roll over ;)
Blizzard probably just made the raids shorter for the Chinese version.
Funny how the chinese goverment want to control everything in the country. When will they start telling people what cerials to eat?
I believe homo sapiens can't digest cerials.
LOL Well, truthfully the communism is still 'heavy' there. >.<
Chinese dont have cerials, they have only rice and fishes... that is why they have communism government. Without communism, they will eat themselves.
you buy gold now kk @ youbuygoldnowkk.com?
seriously, i dont get how they farm so much gold in so little time
Banning WoW? there are worse things out there than WoW
guanxi = favor
I love chinese, treat a guy to lunch and a pack of cigars and he could help you get anything from a tank to a mistress.
aha,it is not too over,any way we call it "hexie"
a rule in the world biggest Piracy land!??
HUAHJAHAHAHAHA THIS IS SO FUNNY!
Why they not rule for girl to use mini skirt!??
i would instantly apply for chinese citzenship.
They tried.......
DOWN WIT WOW!
I'm done ranting...
It must really suck to live in China, not that I like WoW, but still...
how about they replace skeletons with Chinese vampires and put some paper on their forehead that says, "I sucked."
if only they applied such stringent regulations on copyright issues....