China is trying hard to crack down on its gaming laws specific to kids. Last month, the country passed a handful of strict gaming curfews that restricted children from playing video games for more than an hour a day, three times a week. However, the Chinese government isn’t stopping there. They are now passing a legislation that prevents developers from making games with the “wrong set of values”. In specific to violence and effeminate men.
If this surprises you then don’t be. China hasn’t shown much appreciation for flamboyant male characters in video games up to now. They have in the past, forced developers to remove LGBT+ content from games before greenlighting them for release in the country. This new move will now prevent developers from including males who may show signs of flamboyance.
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The new law will reportedly have gaming companies and platforms examine new upcoming releases more closely for not only violent themes but also “money worship and effeminacy”. In addition, China is now cracking down on games that showcase potential monopolies being built in the mechanics. They are also avoiding games that include any sort of addiction as part of the game design. So live-service games might get rejected from release in China going forward. China is also cracking down on games that include celebrity endorsement ads.
While the other restrictions are quite intense, the crackdown on effeminate men in gaming is quite over the top. According to reports, China believes that effeminate men are physically weak and emotionally fragile. This makes these men unable to defend the nation from threats.
Chinese leaders believe that these men in video games are contributing to a softening of characters in the nation’s young men. While there is no direct evidence of this, it could also be contributed to China’s distaste for LGBT+ themes in all media.
An example of this is the League of Legends character Taric. In the West, Taric features a flamboyant personality and fans believe him to be gay. In China, Taric is the complete opposite and is a hardcore knight that wields a massive shield. You can see the original Taric character in the West at the top and the Chinese version underneath. Keep in mind that this character has been in League of Legends for around ten years now. However, it gives you some sense as to what China are aiming for going forward.
Source: PC Gamer