China is completely lifting the ban on selling and manufacturing of video game consoles which it had imposed 14 years ago, allowing companies like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to enter the huge market which was untapped till now. Chinese Ministry of Culture had issued the ban in 2000 to protect the youth of the tightly controlled communist country, but since last year the government has had change of hearts and it no longer views video games as threatening.
Restrictions were relaxed last year, with the government allowing consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox and Wii to be sold in the Shanghai Free Trade, a small 120 square kilometer free-market which is used in the country to test new economic and social reforms.
This will be big news for the console makers who have been previously denied entry into this huge market, where the gaming business is estimated to be worth $22.2 billion this year and give them a new audience to cater to. Chinese gamers have only experienced PC and mobile gaming until now and the gaming ecosystem in the country is vastly different to West.
China is second only to Japan which is known for its crazy love for gaming in Asia and now with the lift on the ban, people will now get to explore more options when it comes to gaming. Although, black market of these consoles is not something unheard of, but since the consoles will be on sale legally, the companies will have something to cheer about.
However, China’s strict control on the content of video games is likely to stay in place, meaning that a number of more violent games are unlikely to make it past the censors.