WOTLK ban in China because of bones?

[apocrypha]

Story here.

World of Warcraft's second expansion, "Wrath of the Lich King" is being blocked by Chinese censors for showing too much bone.

According JLM Pacific Epoch, China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has twice rejected applications from Blizzard Entertainment and its domestic operator, The9, because of the game's all-too-frequent depiction of skeletons.

Anyone know what this is really about? Is there a taboo regarding bones and skeletons in Chinese culture or is it semi-random government censorship?

[Merusk]

Government censorship to promote "a healthier, friendlier online environment." It started at least 2 years ago. 

http://popsci.typepad.com/popsci/2007/07/banning-skeleto.html

[K9]

Yeah, it's odd when you see screenshots from a chinese WoW client and they have tiny little gravestones for deceased player characters, rather than skeletons.

[Sjofn]

The forsaken look better though. 

[pants]

Yeah, apparently it is a chinese cultural thing - showing dead people lying around as skeletons etc is the equivalent of flying penises shouting "nigger nigger cunt cunt".  Something like Halloween with people dressing up as skeletons and ghosts would never occur over there.

[tazelbain]

It's just protectionism.

[Oban]

Uh... Mainland China could give a flying fuck about Skeletons and Ghosts...  It is not like saying nigger or cunt.  Not sure where this is coming from.  The older generations think it is bad luck to dress as a skeleton, that is about it.  Bad luck.

You can buy skeleton masks and costumes in gift shops in China.   People in mainland China do not generally celebrate Halloween, maybe that is where the confusion comes from.   They do celebrate April Fools Day and Christmas, as well as other Western holidays.

This is just business, WoW is doing a lot of business in China and it is a way to hinder their success. 

[Trippy]

It's just protectionism.

Hardly. Vivendi sees very little of the revenue generated by WoW in China, relatively speaking. This hurts The9 much much more than it does Vivendi.

[Oban]

It's just protectionism.

Hardly. Vivendi sees very little of the revenue generated by WoW in China, relatively speaking. This hurts The9 much much more than it does Vivendi.

I think, hope, he meant that it is protectionism by the Chinese gaming companies that compete against The9 and Vivendi.

[Trippy]

[Oban]

Business related, not nationalistic, protectionism.

[Trippy]

No I know what you meant but that's the wrong use of the word.

[Oban]

No I know what you meant but that's the wrong use of the word.

Pretty easy for a well connected business to lobby the Chinese government in order to prevent The9 from distributing foreign content.  Protectionism executed as an administrative barrier.

[raydeen]

Does this mean there will be fewer gold farmers? Please say yes and if so, I'm going to make an alt and kill them repeatedly so that the landscape will be littered with bones.

Edit: Ok, so Mainland China won't see my bones, but hopefully it'll scare off any of the little farmers not using the chinese client.

[Trippy]

No.

[Nevermore]

Yeah, it's odd when you see screenshots from a chinese WoW client and they have tiny little gravestones for deceased player characters, rather than skeletons.

Zomg!  DAoC flashback!

[Sjofn]

Every tombstone is a monument to a healer that failed.

[apocrypha]

Uh... Mainland China could give a flying fuck about Skeletons and Ghosts...  It is not like saying nigger or cunt.  Not sure where this is coming from.  The older generations think it is bad luck to dress as a skeleton, that is about it.  Bad luck.

You can buy skeleton masks and costumes in gift shops in China.   People in mainland China do not generally celebrate Halloween, maybe that is where the confusion comes from.   They do celebrate April Fools Day and Christmas, as well as other Western holidays.

That's what I suspected.

Still haven't managed to find any real info on the reasons behind this.

[Tannhauser]

Every tombstone is a monument to a healer that failed.

Every tombstone is a fool I let die.

/mainly plays healers

[Chimpy]

Does this mean there will be fewer gold farmers? Please say yes and if so, I'm going to make an alt and kill them repeatedly so that the landscape will be littered with bones.

Edit: Ok, so Mainland China won't see my bones, but hopefully it'll scare off any of the little farmers not using the chinese client.

Gold farmers use the U.S./European client. The Chinese client cannot connect to US/EU servers iirc.

[Teleku]

You know, since China has been harping on us about protectionism, and they keep saying they are fully against it, I've always wondered if we could use that against them on their censorship crap.  Claim that since they ban the vast vast majority of our movies/games from being available in the country, it is an OBVIOUS attempt to protect their industries while staving off competition.  Then take them to the WTO.  Might be a way to force them on free speech/censorship  .

Probably not actually possible, but hey, would be funny.  I kind of wonder if it is possible to do that under WTO rules, or if they already covered IP as untouchable.

[Oban]

You know, since China has been harping on us about protectionism, and they keep saying they are fully against it...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.  Oh wow, that was a good one.

[Ingmar]

Not to mention, when the hell was the last time you even SAW a gold farmer?

[LK]

They likely don't farm anymore. They steal accounts, take their gold, then use that for their sales.

[Xanthippe]

Not to mention, when the hell was the last time you even SAW a gold farmer?

I'm pretty sure they are around - the kind who gather materials and sell them.  The other day, some level 1 advertised saronite ore for 20g/stack.  I sent a tell saying I'd buy it all.  They sent back, "all 65 stacks"?  I'm assuming the level 1 alt is the bank toon for the farmers on the account.  In our exchange, it became clear that the person I was talking to was not a native English speaker.

I've never personally had a problem with farmers collecting mats in game.  I report gold sellers.  Farmers, though, it seems, keep mat prices down.  Don't get me wrong, I'm against gold selling and rmt but I do sometimes wonder how much they oil the materials economy on my server.

What I really hate are botters and battleground afkers.

[Dren]

What I really hate are botters and battleground afkers.

I'm pretty sure the people standing under that dead floating city you spend a lot of time at for quests (use a disguise, control various undead, sabotage their operations, etc.) and killing things all day long aren't there for anything other than collecting cash.  I'm terrible at remembering ingame names of things, thus the vague description.  Anyway, I just did those quests again yesterday on my 4th alt.  Everytime I'm there, there is somebody camped out on top of the teleporter thing just nonstop killing things for hours.  Maybe they are just power leveling....dunno.  It is just very odd.

[Soulflame]

Every tombstone is a monument to a healer tank that failed.

Two can play at that game.

[Gobbeldygook]

I'm pretty sure they are around - the kind who gather materials and sell them.

This is true. They're pretty easy to spot; some will dump 50+ stacks of mats on the AH every day.  The big auction house players on your server typically know who they are and will try to intercept them.  Others will even go so far as to setup 'deals' with the Chinese farmers: They'll buy what they're farming directly at some gold price every day.  Chinese farmer fulfills his quotas, American gets cheap mats that become easy gold, everybody wins.

[Nonentity]

Every tombstone is a monument to a healer tank that failed.

Two can play at that game.

As a tank, I can say that it was probably the healer's fault.

Sjofn wouldn't let me down!

I wish I weren't a tank, but now I'm prot. THANKS, GUILD

[Teleku]

You know, since China has been harping on us about protectionism, and they keep saying they are fully against it...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.  Oh wow, that was a good one.

I didn't say they actually believed or followed it!   

[Sjofn]

My quote was pretty much for the people who played my server in DAoC. I mostly play tanks these days, but I have definitely done my time as a healer. I think we can all agree that the REAL failures are the DPSers. 

[Lantyssa]

Every tombstone is a monument to a healer that charged a group while their tank was distracted by something shiny.  There's plenty of blame to go around.

[SurfD]

If the Tank Dies - Its the Healers Fault
If the Healer Dies - Its the Tanks Fault
If the DPS dies - Its their own bloody Fault.

[Teleku]

If the Tank Dies - Its the Healers Fault
If the Healer Dies - Its the Tanks Fault
If the DPS dies - Its their own bloody Fault. Its the Tank AND the Healer's fault.

Sorry, had to correct for the way blame actually gets handed out IRL.   

[Rasix]

If the Tank Dies - Its the Healers Fault
If the Healer Dies - Its the Tanks Fault
If the DPS dies - Its their own bloody Fault.

That breaks down in so many encounters that I cringe every time it's posted.