Marketing departments everywhere brush up on their Chinese.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/36324
China temporarily lifted its 14-year ban on gaming consoles on Monday, allowing gaming companies like Nintendo to sell systems throughout the country. At the moment it is unclear how long the suspension will last.
Speculation over the end of the ban began last year but was seen as a far off goal since all seven ministries involved in its creation would have to agree to lift it.
The State Council of PCR will also allow gaming companies to open production facilities in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, but all consoles and games must still be approved by cultural authorities before they can be sold.
The ban on video game consoles started in 2000 in an effort to protect China’s youth from the negative mental influences of video games. However, gaming has become a popular pastime in China through PC titles regardless, weakening the relevance of the ban throughout the years.
Previously, several companies found loopholes in the ban by producing plug and play devices like Nintendo and Wei Yen’s popular iQue. Banned consoles and games were also easy to obtain through the black market, because many banned game consoles are actually manufactured in China, further weakening the strength of the ban.
