China's Crackdown on Video Games

Fortress Night, Fortnite's Chinese alter-ego, is shutting down starting November 15th. While Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite, did not state why they are shutting the game down, it can be inferred that China's recent crackdown on video games is the reason why. China has been limiting how long minors are allowed to play video games.

Kids under 18 are no longer allowed to play video games on weekdays. They can only play for an hour between 8 pm-9 pm on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays. These restrictions were put in place because the Chinese government wants to curb gaming addiction in minors and promote a healthier lifestyle in young people.

Video games that promote same-sex relationships and effeminate men are also banned in China, including characters who are non-binary and wear feminine clothes. This information comes from a leaked memo during a training session organized by China's gaming association.

The memo's purpose was to help gaming developers understand China's new rules and regulations involving the release of future games going forward. They want developers to treat gaming as a new form of art and no longer apolitical. They want games to be more than just pure entertainment for kids.

According to the memo, "If regulators cannot tell the character's gender immediately, the setting of the characters could be considered problematic and red flags will be triggered."

China also does not want stories in video games to blur moral boundaries, and players should not be given a choice between being good or evil.

Furthermore, games that distort facts, provoke controversy, or refashion historical figures with established narratives will be perlustrated by regulators. In addition, games that promote the defeat of barbarians or feature Japanese warlords could be interpreted by regulators as propagating colonialism, glorifying militarism, and inciting jingoism (fanatical, extreme patriotism).