China may lift 13-year video game console ban

China might be treated to current-gen video game consoles

James Etherington-SmithJanuary 28, 2013

Speculation is doing the rounds that the Chinese government may lift a ban enforced in 2000 that saw home video game consoles banned. The reason for imposing the ban was to “safeguard children’s mental and physical development.”

As reported by Reuters, the China Daily quoted an unnamed source from the Ministry of Culture as saying:

“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.”

“However, since the ban was issued by seven ministries more than a decade ago, we will need approval from all parties to lift it.”

Speaking to Reuters, an official at the ministry’s cultural market department (which is responsible for the legislation) denied the report:

Perhaps coincidentally, Sony and Nintendo shares were trading higher than usual on the Nikkei.

While China may have legally missed out on the current generation of consoles, there is a thriving PC gaming and mobile gaming market.