[photopress:Legend_game.jpg,full,alignright]There is a semi-official forecast that revenue from China’s online gaming industry could reach RMB32 billion (say US$5 billion) by 20190. In 2006 it was RMB8 billion (about US$1.04 billion.) Wu Shulin, the deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publication said online gaming revenue in China will grow 30% annually to reach RMB30 billion by 2010.
These amazing, and perhaps frightening statistics were released at the 2007 China International Audio-Video and Electronic Publishing Expo in Shanghai.
IDC believes, with good reason, that young people between the ages of 18 and 30 account for the majority of the estimated 31 million people playing games online in China. Internet cafes across the country are often packed with people playing online games till the early hours.
Previously, American and Japanese games dominated the market, but China-made online games held 65%the domestic market in 2006 and had export revenues of US$20 million last year.
‘Navigation World,’ a game produced by Suzhou Snail Network Game Technology Co., has been successfully exported to Europe and the United States. This is the first time this has happened.
‘Legend of Knights Online’ — which is very possibly illustrated above from a game actually being played — was the first online game developed by Beijing-based Kingsoft company in December 2003. Since then Chinese game makers have developed over 40 online games.
The Information Industry Ministry has included online gaming in the 2006-2010 plan for software and information service development and, according to Wu Shulin, will support the healthy development of the industry.
Source: English Daily Online
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