| |
|
Forbes:China to boost development of online games
|
|
|
BEIJING (AFX) - China's government may issue a new strategy next month to
encourage development in the online gaming industry, the China Daily reported,
citing an official at the Ministry of Culture.
Zhang Xinjian, deputy
director general of the department of the culture market under the ministry, was
cited as saying that his department, in tandem with the Ministry of Information
Industry (MII), is developing policies to further regulate the online gaming
industry.
Sales of online games in China reached 298 mln usd in 2004 -
48 pct higher than the previous year. The number of gamers reached 26.33 mln,
almost a quarter of China's Internet users, the paper said.
'There are
some problems in the online game industry, but we must solve them through
development,' Zhang was quoted as saying at the China Online Game Healthy and
Sustainable Development Forum in Beijing.
The policy will support game
developers and operators who design products celebrating traditional Chinese
culture and patriotism, the report said.
Zhang also said that a group
led by the Ministry of Finance is working on financial incentives for online
gaming companies developing these types of games, including research and
development funding and tax breaks.
Zhang said China will establish four
cartoon and online games bases in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Dalian to train industry workers.
Zhang was
also cited as saying that the Ministry of Culture and the MII are drafting a
compulsory technical standard for all online games which will require developers
to implement measures to prevent users from playing for too long.
|
(Editor:Farah Song) (From:Forbes.COM)
 |
|
|
