The realities of virtual play: video games and their industry in China

Recent years have witnessed the rapid growth of video games in China. This study traces their development and then investigates them using some perspectives drawn from cultural studies and political economy. It is argued that globalization and cultural proximity play different roles in two distinct markets: single PC games and online games. This study suggests China has a fast-moving home-grown game industry dominated by non-state players, and that the state assumes various roles to cope with this new social phenomenon, which is also a billion dollar business. The state monitors and regulates the market, facilitating a domestic game industry, and incorporating video games into its own nation-building agenda. The study concludes by noting two trends: (1) China potentially shifts from simply being a market for foreign games to become a center of online game exports in the regional geo-cultural market; (2) Chinese online game giants attempt to expand into domestic traditional media sectors, but may collide with the authoritarian state.