Comments on: China Bans Foreign MMO Investment

By: Theory

Theory — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:12:21 +0000

Global exports are certainly where the money is, Jad. But you need strong domestic industry in the first place to take advantage of them. That can’t develop as effectively (or at all in some cases, I expect) if it has to compete with everyone in the world.

By: Nurdbot

Nurdbot — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:44 +0000

Oh god no, will this effect WW2OL?

By: what

what — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:12:32 +0000

Yeah definitely not.

By: what

what — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:10:20 +0000

I find it interesting that most (looks like all but 1 person) people here don’t understand how free trade works. You use free trade to oppress poorer less developed nations. You put up trade barriers when you want to develop your own industry. This is how the west has worked for hundreds of years. China knows how the game is played. They protect their own industry in order to develop it and then unleash it once it’s better than WoW or Wow2.

By: anonymous17

anonymous17 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:59:13 +0000

Never underestimate the lengths to which minor officials in China completely and utterly screw up the country. Cutting of games funding will just mean developers in China can continue turning out the shit they already constantly do without any reason to innovate. No innovation, no development, (capitalistic/creative thinking) backwardsness is continued (amplified).

It’s like 1949 all over again. ~(except digital and with more teenage angst)

By: anonymous17

anonymous17 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:58:58 +0000

It’s like 1949 all over again. ~(except digital and more teenage angst)

By: Tei

Tei — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:40:58 +0000

“China wants to be a superpower in every conceivable sense, ”

It could be, that in the modern world you need democracy for that.
A uninformed horde of “Yes, party” people could be not creative enough to give you the real boost you need to make your country the best one. This is not the Cold War, where building more missiles, or launching a big rocket to the moon was enough. Freedom and creativity have a strong relation, so you can’t really have one with the others. If China want to be a superpower, sould be ready for a surprise.

By: Anonymous Coward

Anonymous Coward — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:29:51 +0000

I think the theory is that this will allow their weak domestic game production some relief from having to fight with World of Warcraft et al. They won’t convert everyone to Made in the PRC games, obviously, but WoW’s a hard opponent even for established Western companies. Ultimately, China wants to be a superpower in every conceivable sense, and they do have the potential to become one in about one to one-and-a-half more generations if they play their cards right. That’s going to mean building their domestic industries and keeping some capital at home, and video-games are one itty bitty little piece of that. I don’t buy their flavor of “think of the children” moral paternalism as anything but an excuse for service to the Chinese economy. Also, prohibitions on foreign investment mean even less international scrutiny toward Chinese industrial espionage and intellectual property theft, since fewer foreigners will be in place on the mainland to notice these funny little things or to cultivate the connections necessary to fight infringement. It worked for the beginning of the United States’ Industrial Revolution, and it could easily work for Chinese modernization. Given that there have long been pirate WoW servers all over the darn place, it’s no stretch to think that some company out there could reinforce their shitty product with some solid internal code designed by a better-funded firm. Yes, I’m a pessimist; so sue me.

By: Wisq

Wisq — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:05:55 +0000

Obviously, China is trying to compete with Australia to see who can impose the greater number of gaming-related bans.

Next up: Australia bans everything; China bans the mere concept of “everything” …

By: Heliocentric

Heliocentric — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:27:46 +0000

To be fair, i’m sure he’d love to undermine china.

By: Pantsman

Pantsman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:24:17 +0000

The marxist-leninist club at my university claimed that the Dalai Lama is a tool of Western agitators who only wants independence for his country so that he can use it to undermine the glorious people’s republic of China.

Ugh.

By: Ybfelix

Ybfelix — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:04:07 +0000

Oh yeah? Soldiers? Where would they come from? China’s a WTO member, why no one file a complaint for this? Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
So why nobody actually do something about it, if this is deemed important.