China tightens grip on games

In a move many analysts see as protectionist at its core, the Chinese government this week moved to establish stringent limitations on music and games imported into the country. According to Reuters, the Chinese Ministry of Culture said all downloadable music, as well as tracks available via mobile phone providers, would need to be imported by "legal units" approved by the ministry. Distributors of online music, as well as games, would need to submit all imported products for approval from official censors. In addition to obtaining approval, distributors would need to file monthly reports confirming they haven't included "forbidden content" on its servers. The Shanghai Daily is additionally reporting that the ministry is looking into regulating the buying and selling of virtual items. The paper cites Chen Nian, the founder of joyo.com, a company that specializes in virtual item transactions, as saying he thought revenue generated by the sales of virtual items would soon exceed the sales revenue of the games themselves.