Mobile games now require inspection and approval from SAPPRFT (The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China) before they can be launched. Game launched before July 1 (i.e. ios Fallen London) have a grace period until around October, I believe, to gain approval.
The problem is, any English characters (as in, alphabet letters) cannot be shown in mobile games. Traditional Chinese are also forbidden, along with some wordings. I am not joking - there are reports and complaints of native developers in mainland China complaing that their mobile games are being rejected due to commonly used words like LV, EXP ,VIP, game over, Mission Complete, etc - and more insanely, the X in 道具 X 350 (i.e. Item X 350).
SAPPRFT has tried to pull this before on news by disallowing English acronyms like NBA, but it didn’t work that well.
Whaaaaaaaaaaat? How is this going to work!?!?
Yes, exactly. any ministry of public decency will be neither decent nor exactly public. urgh.
Word on the street is that Chinese citizens are pretty good at getting around internet censorship if they really want to.
edited by Beau Mercy on 7/7/2016
I’ve got a friend who visits China on a yearly basis and she uses various methods to access banned apps such as snapchat…
According to her, it isn’t impossible to get around the censors, but it sure is a pain in the butt at times.
I suspect it is not quite the same. Getting access to these apps is easy, and Snapchat can earn money elsewhere. The ban here forbids most Chinese developers from earning money legally.
Why am I not surprised in the slightest ?
Somewhere in the deepest parts of the Neath… Mr Pages is taking notes
Outlawing English won’t be useful until Paris falls, so we have little to worry about ;)
And this is why I am so happy when my family decided not to go back to China. Not for mobile games, but for I won’t suffer from laws trying to make sure I am a dumb cow.
My parents still argue with their parents over patriotism and use of Chinese-made instant messaging. I am just glad I get exposure to so many sides, even the arguments.
My parents still argue with their parents over patriotism and use of Chinese-made instant messaging. I am just glad I get exposure to so many sides, even the arguments.[/quote]
From my experience it is hard to change their mind, but don’t push too hard.
Unlike the Correspondence, English characters are not inherently dangerous.
More cray than crayfish.
(In other news, China is now being added to the list of places I’m not sure I ever want to go.)
That depends largely upon how one defines ‘dangerous’, I suppose. :-/
As a side note, this sidebar snippet comes to mind:
"The Bazaar requires the London Magazine to change its name. The London Magazine has survived two centuries and one duel! It has published Keats, Shelley, De Quincey, Hazlitt! It will survive the translation of London to this d----d abyss, and the dictates of the Bazaar. We will continue to publish under the name, The Magazine Formerly Known As The London Magazine."
edited by Kittenpox on 7/13/2016
[quote=Kittenpox]
That depends largely upon how one defines ‘dangerous’, I suppose. :-/[/quote]
It is "dangerous" to the government because it exposes them to alternative kinds of government and politics, which supposedly would make them less obedient.
Correspondence breeds Liberation