China to ban video games that promote ‘effeminate males’ and ‘gay love’ – Telegraph.co.uk
China is to ban video games that promote “effeminate males” and “gay love” as part of its latest attempt to tighten its grip on the country’s technology sector.
According to a leaked memo obtained by the South China Morning Post, Beijing no longer sees gaming as “entertainment” but as an art form that must promote “correct values,” and has implemented a raft of changes.
Characters must have a “clear gender” and plots cannot “have blurred moral boundaries”, the memo says, reflecting the undercurrent of anti-LGBT attitudes in government.
“If regulators can’t tell the character’s gender immediately, the setting of the characters could be considered problematic and red flags will be raised.”
University of Hong Kong associate professor Geng Song told AFP that the crackdown is driven in part by the perception that “effeminate men are physically weak and emotionally fragile,” and are thus unable to effectively defend the nation from threats.
People playing computer games at an internet cafe in Beijing
Credit: GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images
Other new rules mean that games which encourage players to defeat “barbarians” could be flagged for spreading “colonialism” while historical events and figures “must not be refashioned.”
China is also attempting to curb gaming addiction amongst its youth and in August set out new regulations which restrict the amount of time children can be online. It has also been cracking down on online fan culture.
Under 18’s can now only play games for an hour a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and everyone is required to register using their real names.
The number of new games coming to market has also slowed dramatically.
A source quoted by the SCMP said that the goal is to “cut the number of new games” and “reduce gaming addiction,” amid concerns that the number of games approved in the first half of 2021 was “a bit too aggressive.”
No new domestically produced games have been approved since July, and no imported games have been approved since June.
The recent robust policies have seen the value of gaming giants Tencent and NetEase drop by 10 per cent.