WoW 'rejected' in China, government at odds with itself over decision
by Randy Nelson 
{ Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:00AM } 
China's General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) has ordered NetEase, which has been operating World of Warcraft in the region since September, to cease collecting subscription payments and signing up new players for the game immediately, calling these acts "illegal behavior." According to a report by the site JLM Pacific Epoch, the GAPP (most recently in the news for outlawing foreign investment in Chinese online gaming) has suspended its review of the game and returned NetEase's application to operate it in the country.
For its part, NetEase claims it has yet to receive any sort of official decree from GAPP. At the same time, an official from China's Ministry of Culture is said to have stated that GAPP's actions are "not appropriate." The situation now becomes one of which agency has final say, and if it's simply "shut it down," why.
We're pretty sure this isn't the kind of Cataclysm Chinese WoW fans were hoping for.
[Via WoW.com]
Source -- GAPP Halts WoW Review
Source -- GAPP Says No for the Operation of WoW in China
Source -- NeatEase statement regarding announcement by GAPP
For its part, NetEase claims it has yet to receive any sort of official decree from GAPP. At the same time, an official from China's Ministry of Culture is said to have stated that GAPP's actions are "not appropriate." The situation now becomes one of which agency has final say, and if it's simply "shut it down," why.
We're pretty sure this isn't the kind of Cataclysm Chinese WoW fans were hoping for.
[Via WoW.com]
Source -- GAPP Halts WoW Review
Source -- GAPP Says No for the Operation of WoW in China
Source -- NeatEase statement regarding announcement by GAPP
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mykel @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:04AM
who will get my gold for me now
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:20AM
Nigerians.
Just don't mention them in a commercial.
21centuryboy @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:58AM
i loled
brian @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:36PM
ok i get it, very funny.
but in all seriousness, you do know that whoever is selling you gold is actually playing on your servers and not chinese servers?
(inc vote drop or tons of whooshes directed at me)
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:06AM
Take it from the United States Government, you don't f*** with China.
midnightprince7 @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:10AM
I'm proud to be an American
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:12AM
Umm.. Ok?
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:17AM
I think you mean Mother Russia...
Skaz @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:14AM
But we DID eff with China. We stuck higher tariff rates on Chinese rubber.
OOH YEAH!
Anti-Villian @ Nov 27th 2009 12:45PM
Why are you proud to be american?
Noah @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:07AM
Thems fightin words.
xtremeholymuffin @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:09AM
lol @ China
Hooch is Craaazey (The artist formerly known as Street Justice, and Prince depending on the day) @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:38AM
Don't you think it's funny that most people on this thread agree with the chinese banning WoW.
I think we all know it's for the good of mankind in the long run.
Emblazin @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:50PM
@Hooch is Craaazey
Don't you realize what the chinese are doing? They are preparing for an invasion! All they have to do is tell all the pissed off WoW players the U.S. took thier WoW from them and BLAM! WWIII.
It is a sad day indeed... *Takes off cap*
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:18AM
Ah, the failures of communism.
I doubt China will remain Red for more than another twenty years.
Azerael @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:33AM
Funny, I live in Australia, and we have similar problems with the classification of video games. Thing is, we're not communists. It's social conservatives who are causing our problems.
freaparn @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:43AM
How's 1978 treating you anyway, Bradwart?
ybfelix @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:57AM
Virtually no one here in China can say "We are communists" with a straight face now. We are a capitalist country with a authoritarian government.
For the topic, in-fightings between ministries are not too rare a sight, while a single party government, within it there are various clinques and factions, it's human nature.
Wes @ Nov 3rd 2009 2:03AM
@ybfelix
That's the point Felix. If you've ever read some of the original writings on communism, particularly Marism communism, you'd know that you need a raging capitalist system to establish a true communist society.
The idea behind marxism is that basically, capitalism is a corrupt, vile, evil machine that eventually will destroy itself. When it does destroy itself, the CEOs, bosses, etc get overthrown and companies start being ran by company workers. With profits being shared equally, etc. Where people get paid for the work they actually do, etc etc.
Part of the idea is to let capitalism run wild. When an offical allows dangerous chemicals in milk and it kills a whole bunch of babies, well that's not communisms fault. That official got greedy, was bribed with money and we blame that on capitalism. Damn him for being a capitalist! Anytime anything goes wrong in China, its blamed on Capitalism.
Sooner or later, the theory is Capitalism will be destory via revolt and you'll get actual communism as workers take over their own companies, share profit equally, happily-ever-after. We'll see Carl Marx. We'll see.
ybfelix @ Nov 3rd 2009 2:31AM
Most opinion I saw about milk incident is directed at greed or neglect and corruption of regulation. The word "communism" and "capitalism" fall out of everyday chinese life - the government itself silently discouraged their use, because they feel embrassed about that too.
For changing of the government, you have to consider that it was the same regime publicly used tanks to murder protesters 20yrs ago, it cannot be dealt with in the same logic of western governments. Without major survival problem I doubt it's possible to incite a civil uprising. Especially that - when was the last time you saw the military sided with "the people" in a confrontation with the govt, whichever country?
Xizer @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:00AM
China is not a communist country.
tylur_durden @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:27AM
All countries should ban wow, I've seen it ruin one too many lives.
Wes @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:59AM
Aye, you speak the truth. I was quite a wow addict for a while and was playing like six hours a day. I'd do a few assignments, little study and tons of wow.
Every evening I'd log in ...just for a few minutes...to ...you know, do the dailies.
3 hours later, on right, my homework. We'll, I'll wake up early tommorow morning to do it.
3 hour later, wow, I should be getting to bed. 2 hours later, sweet I got my last two slots of roic gear on my third lvl 80. 3am rolls around...right...so now to ...wake up early tomomrow and do my homework prior to school starting at 8am ... ummm....
Goes to bed, sleeps in till 8-10ish, doesn't finish homework and hands it in three day late losing him 30% off the mark he actually received. Repeat and rinse till I nearly failed my fourth semister of university. Luckily, I've learned and no longer subscribe to any mmorpgs during university classes. I do subscribe for 3 months during the summer though and go back to the crazy lifestyle of mmorpgs which I find easier to balance with 8am-5pm style jobs since there's never 'homework' or 'after-work' stuff to do.
Uncontrol @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:46AM
wes what the fuck are you eight years old or something?
borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:11AM
@Uncontrol: "wes what the fuck are you eight years old or something?"
I'd say he's honest. No one posts on a game blog after all without a little bit of obsession on the topic. And if he got himself off that MMPORG addiction then he's better off than 90% of addicts of any stripe.
You don't have to be a carebear to avoid being a dick UC.
Freedom Town @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:02PM
Don't blame a videogame for your f'ups. Learn to prioritize, be a man and take responsibility of things.
Ban WoW because some people are irresponsible....right....
brian @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:40PM
i agree with both sides on this.
the game is very addicting (in before manage time better, it's addictive to some people simply because when playing it, thats all they balance there time around), but no, censorship is never the answer.
i tried to quit last year, but i was weak, and 6 months ago i started again, im doing the same thing as wes (im not near to failing yet, but damn it's scary close)
so i went to a party this weekend (one of my first) and i had an amazing time, and im just sitting there asking myself... really? i would be raiding now? then tomorow id raid another 5 hours? FUCK THAT SHIT
so now im in the process of selling my account for 1800, and at this point, i dont even give a flying rats ass if i get scammed, i just want the account gone with no chance of my going back.
i've learned the hard way that MMOs are just not for me.
acme @ Nov 3rd 2009 1:49AM
the government just did the population a favor
Skaz @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:19AM
Tru dat
BigFat @ Nov 3rd 2009 2:04AM
Its a shame that in the 21 century we still have oppressive governments. Sometimes i really do believe that Christianity (or any religion for that matter ) has set us back 1000 years.
ybfelix @ Nov 3rd 2009 2:00AM
But China is the least religious among large powers?
BigFat @ Nov 3rd 2009 2:08AM
Well maybe not religiousness, but maybe the right word is, conservatism?
ray @ Nov 3rd 2009 3:25AM
Wow. This has nothing to do with Christianity and yet you bring it up. How does it feel to be an angry Atheist?
Soliduck @ Nov 3rd 2009 3:38AM
I think trying to name the subset of people who are responsible for society's ills as anything more specific than "human beings" is a waste of time.
My admittedly uninformed impression from snippits about this over the last couple of months is that it isn't like Australia at all, really. I think the motivations here are (or would be, in case this isn't anything actually happening) ultimately economic and any "WoW is terrible for people so we are banning it" is mostly just a rationalization.
BigFat @ Nov 3rd 2009 4:11AM
i didnt just say chrisantity, i said all religions in general and there desire to impose there morales on other people.
but this is really off topic, so sorry for that.
acme @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:32AM
wtf does religion have to do with communism?
Taylor @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:20AM
@ BigFat, you're an idiot.
snowleopard233 @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:31AM
People fail to remember that western thinkers began pursuing scientific discovery as a way to better understand and be closer to God. Even before that, the church was a place of learning and civility in what was truly a chaotic Europe. The clergy were some of the few people who kept written language and art alive in what was an age where competing warlords would burn down entire towns over mere insults. Therefore, I’d reason to say that the western world would be about 1000 years behind had it not had any organized religion to provide the basis for learning and academic ambition that would later become modern science.
It’s not as black and white as religion makes people fools, communism is evil, and conservatives have no legitimacy whatsoever. Certainly these arguments are frustrating to the liberal young but what are we if we only argue with those that agree with us and scorn those who see otherwise? We are ostriches in the sand, dogmatically listening to the safe foundation we have laid below than the world above our lofty egos.
Uncontrol @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:48AM
"How does it feel to be an angry Atheist?"
kinda depressing tbh
borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:27AM
"How does it feel to be an angry Atheist?"
Godly, Godless, we all have the potential to be judgmental, interfering, shitheads. But taking away a WoW addict's access? Jihaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
80scartoon @ Nov 3rd 2009 3:03AM
Humanity will thank China decades later
Kadamon @ Nov 3rd 2009 7:19AM
If Humanity has to thank a country later down the line for banning a game and their freedom of choice, I think we're all in a lot more trouble than people realise and the people above that've posted as such need to maybe give that a little more thought.
WoW isn't horrible. People are just hating on the popular thing as their wont and looking at the bad cases as an extreme.
If you get addicted, don't blame the game, it's your own fault for letting something control you, just like anything else in life. Don't hold games on a higher pedestal than anything else, it takes the same amount of time to play as to say read a book or watch some TV.
Kadamon @ Nov 3rd 2009 7:21AM
People are going to hate me to oblivion for that. o_O;
Anyway.
Why is the GAPP (heh) trying to ban something they've already approved once already? The9 sold subscriptions pretty handily.
Then again, it's not really going to make a difference to a good bunch of Chinese people because they play on North American servers already.
Lurkero @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:05AM
Coincidentally, the Chinese government has just announced the release of "Warld of Worcraft" to be released in stores soon.
Users subscribe by declaring their allegiance to the People's Republic of China and handing over 20% of their monthly income.
makimak22 @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:41AM
Funny how the legitimate game franchise got shut down so many times, while the rest of the Chinese gaming community keep on enjoying pirated version of PS2/PSP/DS/Wii/Xbox360 games without any kind of punishment. Forgot to add pirated PC software as well.
makimak22 @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:42AM
I think NetEase is paying the wrong Chinese officials.
borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:18AM
Apologies to this thread, since I replied to a vanished Chinese spambot. Damn those admins are quick.
borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:16AM
Topical spam...will wonders never cease.
John @ Nov 3rd 2009 12:56PM
This is why China will never be a great nation
tBanzai @ Nov 3rd 2009 12:25PM
Well, that's ONE thing they've done right...