China is slowly becoming a little more receptive to the
demands of its people for the pleasures from the West. After all, it isn’t easy
living in an oppressive regime that squashes social freedoms and civil
liberties.
This as they’ve now allowed for the importation and sale
of Video Games, based in a decision by their highest decision-making body, the
State Council as stated in the article “After
13-year ban, China to allow game console sales”, published September 27,
2013 6:01 AM PDT by Don Reisinger, CNET News.
Not even Google can be used in China due to their
Communist Government hard-line stance, urging Chinese to use Mandarin Language
local based and Chinese owned Baidu as noted in my blog article
entitled “Google
and Apple - Case to point on Public and Diplomatic Relations”.
But that stance against Western Culture has been showing
signs of thawing of late. Most notable is that for the first time, the Apple
iPhone, now sporting a Golden Colour that most Chinese people associate with
Prosperity is coming to China Mobile, the largest Telecom Provider in China and
the world based on subscribers as reported in my blog article
entitled “NTT
DoCoMo to carry the Apple iPhone 5S and 5C in 2013 - Japan and China will both
get their bite of the Apple on Friday September 20th 2013”.
China had also removed restrictions on the use of
Facebook and Twitter in the Free Zone areas, most likely because it’s needed
for communications among the Multinationals that work there as noted in “China
to lift Twitter, Facebook bans in Shanghai free-trade zone”, published
September 23, 2013 11:37 PM PDT by Aloysius Low, CNET
News.
Video Games
and China – Video Games are Bigger Business than Movies
Interesting Fact: The Video Game Console Industry,
despite their current problems, STILL makes more money that Hollywood and the
Cable and TV Networks. After all, aside from Streaming as stated in my
blog
article entitled “Parks
Research says Roku Streaming Box is Consumer favourite - Traditional Jamaican
Free-to-Air Broadcasters in a state of Paranoia over Streaming”,
the Video Game Console is the other Device that’s attached to the Television
set that’s got everyone attention.
More and more too, Video Game Consoles are showing their
capability to Stream Content, act as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and even
make Video Calls, making them a market that’s hard to ignore. Despite the
success of Apple selling 9 million Apple iPhone 5S and 5C’s over the weekend of
the September 13th to 15th 2013, in the Video Game World,
those kinds of numbers are commonplace.
For example, Grand Theft Auto V hit the US$1 billion mark
three (3) days after going on sale on Tuesday September 17th 2013 as
stated in “Grand
Theft Auto V sales top $1B in first three days”, published September 20,
2013 9:54 AM PDT by Nick Statt, CNET News.
So this most recent development, the lifting of the 13
year band on video game consoles since 2000 means China may be the Last
Frontier where Video Game Consoles are not yet being killed off by Tablets as
stated in my Geezam blog article entitled “Console
Gaming’s Downfall - Future is up in the Clouds” and my blog article
entitled “Apple
iPad in the Summer of 2010 - The Death of the Video Game Consoles”.
The approval of each Video Game Console is dependent on
a submission of a request to the Ministry of Culture. I suspect that may also
apply to Game titles as swell, as the Chinese are keen on preventing the
corrupting influence of the West damaging their children or suggesting any subversive
material to them.
Good to note the Great Firewall of China is still
active, so this means Cloud Gaming Platforms such as Steam as describe in my
Geezam blog article entitled “Google Chrome
to do Console Gaming – OnLive and Steam in the Cloudy Post-Console Era” may
have a bit of difficulty getting past Chinese Cultural Censors.
China approves
Video Game Consoles - Traditional Gaming Consoles Half Life
This presents an opportunity for traditional Console
Game makers such as Sony PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo Wii to do
legitimate business and fight down the black market for Game Consoles in China.
It’s also a window of opportunity for other Video Game
Console Makers a well, such as Google Android based Crowdfunded
Boxer8's Ouya Gaming Console and PlayJam's Gamestick Consoles as described in my
blog
article entitled “Google
Android powers Boxer8's Ouya, PlayJam's GameStick and Nvidia's Project Shield -
Stand Up Guys are making Open Source and Open Architecture a $ellebrity”.
They’d have to fix their supply constraint and production
issues first in order to deal with the demand from China! Demand for Gaming
Consoles after 13 years of aces to only Black Market deals with no customer
Service Support means a very vicious buyers market that’s willing to spend for
quality Western Products!
Google and Amazon are both allegedly planning to debut
their own Video Game Consoles as stated in as stated
in the article “Google said
to be creating game Console and smartwatch”,
published June 27, 2013 3:45 PM PDT by Dara Kerr, CNET News and “Amazon may
be revving up its own Android game Console”,
published August 9, 2013 5:27 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News.
This is now most likely to happen, as with China now opening
up, it presents a ready market for Video Game Consoles in much the same way it
has opened up for the Apple iPhone. To wit, if Google and Amazon do end up
building a Video Game Console, then Apple will have no choice but to join suit
and target that market as well as prognosticated in my blog article
entitled “Apple
to launch TV and a Cloud Gaming Console in 2014 - How the Apple iTV and
Television Set can kill The Grandmaster in the guise of Nintendo, Sony and
Microsoft”.
A
legitimate Market opportunity has opened up for Game Consoles Makers to have a
Second Half Life and for new Players to flourish in the untamed Wilderness of
China.
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