Report: China To Ban Sexualized Online Game Ads

The Chinese government is cracking down on sexually-charged online game advertising that features women involved in areas such as pornography or sex scandals, according to China Daily. The Ministry of Culture will ban online game companies from using sex to sell their products, and also will ban the promotional use of violence and gambling in advertising. The report noted that one company commissioned an online sex video star Shou Shou to promote its online game, and another enlisted a Japanese adult video actress to promote the game Warrior OL. A 24-year-old Beijing resident told China Daily, "It is unnecessary to ban the porn star advertisements, because the players do not really care who is the spokesperson of the game." In the same report, Wu Jun, VP of Warrior OL developer 9you.com, said he welcomed the new policy. China's ban on sexually-themed online game advertising is part of new online game regulations revealed in late June. The regulations are effective August 1, and are aimed at protecting users from "unwholesome" content. Analysts project the Chinese gaming market could hit $11 billion by 2012. There are around 69 million online gamers active in the region, with internet penetration of about 27 percent. An estimated 230 million Chinese are expected to be playing online by 2012.