Enmeshed in games with the government: Governmental policies and the development of the Chinese online game industry

Abstract

The policies and regulations of governments affect the online game industry in a variety of ways, especially in countries with extensive state involvement and a low degree of transparency in the economy. This article examines the influence of governmental policies on the development and operation of online games in China. The stance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) toward online games has been influenced by three aspects of state policy: (a) information control, (b) technonationalism, and (c) social fears/pragmatic nationalism. CCP's specific policies toward the online game industry were put forward by CCP ministries and the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) as a response to the economic potential and increasing influence of the rapidly growing online game industry in China. The interaction of these different policy fields has had complementary and contradictory elements shaping their implementation. © 2008 SAGE Publications.