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China video game industry publishes draft of self-discipline rules for promotion and distribution of new titles

  • The draft was co-written by over a dozen Chinese gaming and tech companies, including Tencent Holdings
  • The rules will help to address problems such as counterfeiting, copyright disputes, gaming addiction, excessive consumption and user privacy

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New self-discipline rules published by video gaming industry body in China. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Ann Caoin Shanghai

China’s video gaming industry association has drafted new self-discipline guidelines for the industry with “dos and don’ts” for the distribution and promotion of games, aimed at clarifying rules in another area of regulation.

The Gaming Publishing Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association published the draft on Tuesday on its official WeChat account, and will solicit opinions until April 13.

The draft was co-written by over a dozen Chinese gaming and tech companies, including Tencent Holdings, Perfect World, 37Games, iDreamSky, Kuaishou Technology and Huawei Technologies Co. It is the first detailed set of self-discipline rules since Beijing called for tighter controls in late 2021.

“In 2021, the number of domestic gamers reached 666 million … driven by the huge market and interest, a large number of games were illegally published and promoted, flooding the market,” said the association.

“A continuation of this trend is not conducive to the healthy development of the video game industry.”

People play computer games at an internet cafe in Beijing in September 2021. Photo: AFP
People play computer games at an internet cafe in Beijing in September 2021. Photo: AFP

The rules will help to address problems such as counterfeiting, copyright disputes, gaming addiction, excessive consumption and user privacy violations, according to the association.

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