Andre Yoskowitz
28 Jan 2013 20:58
According to a China Daily report, the Chinese government is reviewing the country's long-standing ban on video game consoles with the possibility of reversing it.
The ban was put in place in 2000, effectively keeping Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft out of the nation of 1.3 billion citizens, officially.
Ministry of Culture sources added: "We are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market."
In order to lift the ban, all seven ministries that originally issued it must approve the reversal. The ban was first placed to protect youths from violent and sexual games.
Of course, the gray market for consoles in China is huge, and Chinese officials have only loosely enforced the ban for the last few years. PC gaming remains huge in the nation, as does mobile gaming.