For fifteen long years, video games were banned in China. It all began in 2000 when country officials were afraid that the 3D worlds of video games would have a negative effect on the mental and physical development of children. However, that decision was recently reversed.

Last year, China decided to allow an 11-square-mile area in Shanghai to become an experimental testing ground for console developers. However, despite the restrictions being loosened, there were still some obstacles the companies had to overcome. For instance, each company had to enter into a contract in order to build in the area. On top of that, each console sold had to be individually inspected, and approval for the sale of consoles had to obtained from regulators.

Fortunately, China has finally decided to completely do away with their restrictions on video game consoles. Therefore, companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo (amongst others) now have the ability to manufacture and sell consoles anywhere in the country. While China has the potential to become a vast new market, console developers will have to essentially build their customer bases in the region from scratch.

What do you think of this turn of events? Do you think introducing consoles into the Chinese market will help or hurt developers? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Source: The Verge

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