The China Angle: ‘Pushing The Regulatory Envelope’
The regulatory environment of China’s media industry has been known as largely unpredictable to international media corporations and online game publishers. But at the same time, a lot of the rules are not yet well-defined, which may provide a certain level of flexibility depending on how these policies are interpreted. According to this article from Gamasutra, since advertising game related content is prohibited on Chinese television, some online game companies in China think of ways to publicize their companies instead of their products.
“China’s regulatory environment, especially for new growth sectors, is highly undefined. Government ministries have overlapping areas of oversight, and often release conflicting regulations. With only vague rules on what should and should not be done, companies have developed thick skins and learned to bend the rules to outrageous limits until the government cracks down. So far, the government has not responded.”