The mainland's culture regulator plans to promote 'serious video games' with educational functions to combat online violence and pornography, according to an official.
Tuo Zuhai, deputy director of the Department of Culture Markets with the Ministry of Culture, said the bureau would support the design and promotion of these games by encouraging local governments to provide funds and awards to software developers.
The plan was revealed on Sunday at the Serious Games Innovation Summit, one of the events of the ninth China International Digital Content Expo in Beijing.
'Serious games' are designed not only to be entertaining, but also to educate players such as by making them better at science or by 'laying the groundwork for military training', Tuo said on Sunday.
The remarks followed a meeting last month by the Communist Party's Central Committee, which discussed boosting the nation's soft power and cultural security in an attempt to assert the party's role as an arbiter of social morality before a leadership transition next autumn.
The Ministry of Culture in August tightened its control over online games by ordering the implementation of a real-name registration system. It also banned a computer game called The Republic of China - which featured characters such as Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek - saying it seriously damaged national culture security, media reports said.