China lifts 13 Year ban on Video Game Consoles - Open Floodgates spells opportunity for debutantes Google, Amazon and Apple to enter the Video Game Arena

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 13^th to 15^th 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 17^th 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.