WoW in China

[OmnicronX]

I hear WoW is really hurting in China. Basically Take9 (the company that distributes WoW China) just provides awful service and is down all the time... so people are moving en mass to homebrewed Chinese MMOs. Does anyone know if this is true? How have WoWs #s been in China?

I think the days of the US dominating the gaming (and MMO) industries are really over.

 

[Lariat]

I hear WoW is really hurting in China. Basically Take9 (the company that distributes WoW China) just provides awful service and is down all the time...

Are they owned by EA/Mythic?

 

[Pashta]

Are they owned by EA/Mythic?

snap:

 

[Lag]

From what I've heard, they're not exactly losing members, but Take9 is worse than blizzard (if it's possible in some aspects). The chinese government has started electro-camps to shock addicts to stop their addiction, as well as the government censoring some parts of WoW (undead arent allowed to show torn skin/bones. Theyre basically dead humans now).

http://ectweb.blogspot.com/2008/03/internet-addiction-in-dsm-v.html

http://www.avalon5.com/games/new-chinese-gaming-addiction-strategy-no-more-genital-electric-shocks/

Also hi, I'm lag.

 

[Pashta]

Hi Lag! What a name. I'd rather not become more acquainted with lag than I already have been, thanks very much. I'm just joking with ya hehe.

The Chinese editing out torn skin and bones, how odd is that... Shock camps eh? Where did you read these interesting tidbits?

 

[Eldorian]

Hi Lag! What a name. I'd rather not become more acquainted with lag than I already have been, thanks very much. I'm just joking with ya hehe.

The Chinese editing out torn skin and bones, how odd is that... Shock camps eh? Where did you read these interesting tidbits?

I'm assuming from the links he provided?

 

[Nok]

EA owns an interest in Take9.

I don't know the exact figure, but I believe it is around 25%.

 

[Pashta]

Thanks, Lag. I'll go read them now.

edit: Wow! Look at this:

It works like this (in theory anyway): Kids under 18 (everyone has to register with an ID card) can only play an online game for a max of 3 hours per day without incurring any penalties. The longer they stay on beyond this limit, the more online penalties they incur (in their individual game worlds) and therefore the more they get penalised within the game. For example, a kid breaking the online curfu in World of Warcraft would start to loose experience points rapidly, thus negating the point of playing the game. Chinese authorities have given games companies until July to implement this new control system or their games will be axed, and the new system is due to commence from the middle of April - so it’s going to be an interesting summer for Chinese gamers one way or another!

I wonder if that is really true, and if Blizzard will follow through on it so as not to lose all that Chinese cash. If it IS true, how would they deal with a level 70 player who is max xp? Still lower the xp so you could essentially go backwards to 69? LOL

 

[OleEjnar]

Was thinking we would see less gold farmers then?

 

[Emuishere]

They also have a ban in effect that men cannot play fem chars at least for one game...