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In UK they use the PEGI rating system for games that influences the design process. They also have OFCOM, ICO, HMRC and even more. Chinese companies cant sell g
by sbhn 8y ago
In UK they use the PEGI rating system for games that influences the design process. They also have OFCOM, ICO, HMRC and even more.
Chinese companies cant sell games in the UK without complying with all the laws.
Sounds like another case of dictator knows what dictator does.
Perhaps china is retaliating for canada locking up a huawei executive for violating US sanctions on iran, or maybe china is exercising its import customs rights just like the heavy handed customs enforcment as demonstrated by the US and the UK
- johneth 8y agoThat’s a completely pointless observation. PEGI is a pan-European (note: not solely UK - it’s an industry body) rating system. It doesn’t censor content or creativity, it just recommends that younger people can’t buy extreme content. It’s not active censorship. Ofcom doesn’t apply to games - it’s TV, radio, phones, communications regulator (Office of Communications). The ICO regulates data protection and privacy. In what way is this related to game and creativity censorship? HMRC is tax collection. The only way this can affect game design is via tax breaks - these tax breaks are not predicated on specific creative requirements. So - how is the UK in any way similar to China in terms of game censorship?
- sbhn 8y agoPerhaps you answered your own question. Uk has many cards up its sleeve to censor china for whatever reason it needs.
- johneth 8y agoI just pointed out how the UK does not have cards up it’s sleeve. But as you seem to know something I don’t, please enlighten me - any examples of the UK government actually censoring games?
- sbhn 8y agoGames are media. Even the app store has censorship requirements that you must follow. You can lobby to your government to introduce more stringent cencorship laws on Chinese exports to your country if you want, because, well, its just not fair that chinese has inport laws, just like many other countries.
- johneth 8y agoThank you for not answering my question.
- sbhn 8y agomy first comment illuded to the eagerness of the hacker news community to engage in china bashing. I also pointed out that censorship is considered during the design process. Here is a list of games we are allowed to know about before PEGI was enforced. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games Games you are not allowed to know about would be sympathic to the cause of afghans, iranians, iraqis, syrians and many more things that sell newspapers and political elections.
- johneth 8y agoPointing out hypocrisy in the Chinese government's policies (competition, human rights, etc.) is not 'bashing'. Just as pointing out those things in other governments is not X bashing. The reason it seems to occur more often with China is because China is the rising power, and probably the power of the 21st century - its actions will be scrutinised because its actions have major consequences for the rest of the world. I will happily 'bash' my (UK) government over a whole range of things. Censorship in creative industries is not one of them. China has a long history of creative suppression and censorship. I would assume that games sympathetic to the causes of Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis, Syrians, and others are not 'banned' or creatively stifled, just that there is no commercial interest or reward in such games. This is not censorship by a government. There's nothing stopping anybody making games on such subjects. That's the difference between China (and other similar governments) and, for lack of a better category, western governments. China's government will intervene in creative processes, western governments will not.