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China bans Mahjong; no blood, dead bodies in video games

A 9-month freeze on introduction of new video games was implemented in China on Monday this week. Recently, the company began accepting new apps and games from publishers again, but with a few caveats.

China has considerably stepped up its regulation of the gaming industry. It has introduced a slew of new rules to regulate the gaming industry. The country’s top media regulator, the State Administration of Press and Publications (SAPP), has banned all games depicting dead bodies or pools of blood, not even colour change is allowed by developers.

Mah-jong, a popular game in China, has also been banned. China already had a ban on violent, sexual and politically sensitive content in just about everything from TV shows to rap songs to video games.

China recently cracked down hard on illegal gambling houses with the use of drones. Last July saw a total of 31 persons arrested in Luchuan County in Guangxi Province after police used drones to locate the illegal den. Another raid involving drones happened in a remote wilderness area in Anhui Province.

China, though hard on problem gambling and other negative features of video games, has recognized esports as a profession. There was a list released by Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, which also has esports managers in it.

Coming to the ban, China has also banned what are called imperial harem games, which involve the player to play as noble lords or emperors in feudal China and collect wives and concubines. Recently top game developers like Tencent and NetEase even introduced some strict in-game restrictions, especially for children below 12.

In September last year, Chinese authorities shut down Tencent’s poker app too, and WSOP, which hosted its first tour in China, didn’t re-run in the country after that point. Keep reading GutshotMagazine.com for more such gaming industry updates and for general gaming news from around the world.

Check out our online poker rooms section, where you can read reviews on the biggest and best poker rooms in the country, while also taking advantage of their bonuses and promotions. Check out these top poker rooms HERE.Gaming, China

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