Chinese regulators are close to releasing a new verification system to monitor peoples' video game usage. Any Chinese citizen wanting to play a game like Pokemon Unite will be required to log in by using their real name when this system is implemented next month.
Abacus reports that this system was announced last Friday by the state media during ChinaJoy, the country's largest video gaming expo. Feng Shixin, an official from the Communist Party's Central Publicity Department, stated that when this system is rolled out, game developers will be requested to join this system in batches. Some companies, like Tencent and NetEase, are already on board with their own verification systems with some of their games requiring players to use facial recognition software to log in. So far, there are few concrete details about how this national verification system will work or whether it will replace the independently-created systems already in place.
This system has been in the works for a good amount of time, and the Chinese government has been pushing for regulations such as these by arguing that they need to protect minors. However, many of these regulations and technologies, sometimes referred to as the Great Firewall of China, are oftentimes more about censorship. Just earlier this year, China banned the sale of Animal Crossing: New Horizons via imports because people were making user-generated content to post "Free Hong Kong" messages. This goes against one of its many censorship laws that state that games cannot contain anything that "threatens China's national unity, sovereignty, or territorial integrity." Another bizarre rule frowns upon Winnie the Pooh due to memes comparing him to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
During ChinaJoy, Feng also said that regulators have been inspecting games to ensure they comply with the country's laws, with more inspections on the way. Over 100 games have already been penalized in the first half of this year for operating without proper authorization. In addition, over 2,000 games were removed from the Chinese version of the iOS App Store when Apple started adhering to China's National Press and Publication Administration policy.
Despite regulations like these, the Chinese video game industry hasn't suffered too much from China's censorship. A good part of this is due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people indoors, resulting in a major boom in sales. Last Thursday, the China Game Industry Report released by the ChinaJoy-associated China Digital Entertainment Congress (CDEC) reported that Chinese game sales have increased by 22% to 139.4 billion yuan ($19.9 billion US) in the first half of 2020.
Source: Abacus