During the First International Digital Creative Industry Summit held in Wuhan, representatives from the Chinese online game industry called on relevant government departments to introduce a classification system into China's game industry to promote the healthy development of the industry.
Jointly held by the China Youth Internet Association and the Wuhan Propaganda Department, the First International Digital Creative Industry Summit invited industry insiders to hold discussions about several topics, including the digital creative industry and and the promotion of new Internet economy. Chen Yingru, vice general manager for Jiangsu Global Digital Culture Experience Park, said that online games are vehicles that can carry both unhealthy contents like violence and healthy contents like puzzle games that make users more intelligent. They key factor lies with the guidance of the government, which is the biggest stakeholder in this industry.
Chen says many foreign countries use classification systems to divide online games and define which games are suitable for youngsters and which games are not. For those viewed as unsuitable for youngsters, only adults can gain access to those online games.
Xu Hui, founder and CEO of the 3D digital world HiPiHi, told attendees online games have become the mainstream entertainment for Chinese teenagers. People of different ages have different demands. These demands should be defined, but this mission cannot be completed by companies or parents alone. It needs the mandatory regulatory measures launched by the government authorities.
Early in 2004, the China Youth Internet Association set up the "Recommended Standard for Green Games", in which it set different grades for online games. However, because it was launched by a non-governmental organization, the standard did not attract much attention in the industry or the Chinese government.