The gaming industry in China is continuing to enjoy rapid growth, spurred on by increasing numbers of Chinese citizens getting access to the Internet. In 2009, the industry earned 26 billion yuan, or about $3.8 billion, which was an increase of 39.5 percent over the previous year. Games developers overseas are looking at the market as a high priority investment.
However, it is the domestic game developers that will continue to get large pieces of the pie, according to experts. Games offered up by homegrown firms are more closely tailored to the tastes and preferences of Chinese people. "Foreign game developers are having a tough time competing in China," said Daniel H. Vlad, a senior analyst at JLM Pacific Epoch.
"So far only one Western game, World of Warcraft, has really succeeded in China. Chinese users spend significantly more time playing games than their Western counterparts. Foreign games typically fail to deliver enough content... Chinese gamers eventually lose interest and move on."
Opaque regulations and tight control over the Industry by the ruling Communist Party is the "biggest hurdle" for the growing industry, according to Lisa Cosmas Hanson, the founder of Niko Partners. Analysts predict that by 2012, the market will triple from its 2009 haul to about 73 billion yuan, with an estimated 270 million players in the country.
That will depend on the government taking no drastic action however, having previously expressed concerns about the trend and citing a survey that alleges 24 million young people (about half identified as gamers) are addicted to the web. Some gamers spend hour after hour in Internet cafes' engrossed in RPGs and other games.
"So far only one Western game, World of Warcraft, has really succeeded in China. Chinese users spend significantly more time playing games than their Western counterparts. Foreign games typically fail to deliver enough content... Chinese gamers eventually lose interest and move on."
Opaque regulations and tight control over the Industry by the ruling Communist Party is the "biggest hurdle" for the growing industry, according to Lisa Cosmas Hanson, the founder of Niko Partners. Analysts predict that by 2012, the market will triple from its 2009 haul to about 73 billion yuan, with an estimated 270 million players in the country.
That will depend on the government taking no drastic action however, having previously expressed concerns about the trend and citing a survey that alleges 24 million young people (about half identified as gamers) are addicted to the web. Some gamers spend hour after hour in Internet cafes' engrossed in RPGs and other games.
