Here in the United States, politicians are set on removing video game consumption from the public, whereas in China, politicians are looking to open them up to the public. According to an unnamed source in the China Daily, the Chinese government is looking into removing a 12-year ban on game consoles.
The law itself went into place in 2000 after several top ranking officials feared that video games were harming their youth’s development, but due to recent “lightening” of many of the country’s laws, it seems as though consoles could be back on store shelves in China.
"We are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market," they unnamed source said. "However, since the ban was issued by seven ministries more than a decade ago, we will need approval from all parties to lift it.”
This change of heart could also be the result of the three major console powers’ attempts to show the Chinese government that games can be used for good among all age groups. This includes Microsoft presenting Kinect to the government in October, Sony setting up research last June, and Nintendo’s push for investment in the Chinese markets.
Source: [China Daily]
