The9 changes WoW in China to appease censors

canxing · July 2007

Hoping to stay ahead of the Chinese censors, The9 (which handles operation of World of Warcraft in China) has tweaked the visual apperance of the Undead race in the game in hopes of allowing the game to pass the new Chinese censorship review. As anyone who's played the game for long knows, the Undead models are part flesh and part skeleton, with bones sticking out in various places. The9 has modified Undead models to show no skeleton, thus making the race less scary and more likely to pass review. I know plenty of Undead players in the US who would love their toons not to have such a bony appearence -- but as a cosmetic issue rather than an issue of the Undead being scary.

What do you think -- are the Undead just too scary?

wow gold lotro gold

shane910 · July 2007

LOL, I always thought they were more silly lookin than scary....

That is truly pathetic. They have to censor a bone ?

I mean WTF.... they show anime's screwing a chick tied up with chains but god forbid you see a skeleton... think they got their censorship a lil ass backwards.

nutButter123 · July 2007

I didnt know china was so tight on censorship.

Have they created any images of the new undead?

Desaparecido · July 2007

i think chinese ppl are smart

ugly undeads must be censored everywhere^^

they are not scary but ugly

Aseenus · July 2007

I like the bonyness i just dont like the ugly face models

bonobotheory · July 2007

I tracked down a few images linked from another website:

bbs.wowchina.com/wow/download.aspx

bbs.ngacn.com/attachment/mon_200706/22/7_306694.jpg

nomadian · July 2007

How bizarre. Only thought they restricted use of WoW not altered other aspects of it as well.

trev9999 · July 2007

Well, it's too late now as too many players are hooked and need video game addiction treatment.

Sramota · July 2007

That's just sad....
On the updside the Chinese pay on a per-day basis so I ain't gonna argue
better payment offers worse models

The universe balances all things

Chieftan · July 2007

So Blizzard chooses the $$ over artistic expression. Just like Google.

CleffyII · July 2007

I wish they went the other way in WoW. No flesh all bones. Then I coulda done some Army of Darkness stuff. Plus could you imagine the customization options?

What kind of Crack Patterns do you want on your skull?

Do you want an Eye-patch?

Are you missing your brains?

M1sf1t · July 2007

Originally posted by canxing
Hoping to stay ahead of the Chinese censors, The9 (which handles operation of World of Warcraft in China) has tweaked the visual apperance of the Undead race in the game in hopes of allowing the game to pass the new Chinese censorship review. As anyone who's played the game for long knows, the Undead models are part flesh and part skeleton, with bones sticking out in various places. The9 has modified Undead models to show no skeleton, thus making the race less scary and more likely to pass review. I know plenty of Undead players in the US who would love their toons not to have such a bony appearence -- but as a cosmetic issue rather than an issue of the Undead being scary.
What do you think -- are the Undead just too scary?

Wait WoW's undead race were supposed to be scary? When did this happen?

observer · July 2007

They are communists, it's not surprising.

ianubisi · July 2007

Originally posted by observer
They are communists, it's not surprising.

China is a capitalist country now.

Liddokun · July 2007

Blizzard doesn't really have a choice.. as China is a communist state (abiet one that has been loosening up).. they either have to abide by the rules or NOT do any business at all. And no..there are no appeals in china (unlike here inthe US where you can appeal a billion times until your money runs out)... all decisions are final.

Sothage · July 2007

Originally posted by ianubisi

China is a capitalist country now.

Capitalistic countries operate on the assumption that the individual can operate with autonomy; causing free will to be prevalent. The very fact that they are censoring bone shows that they don't trust their public with the kind of autonomy requisite for a free-market, free-will, and free exchange of products and information. At best it is Liberal Totalitarianism.

On the note of the actual censorship. =/ If you can't guess by my previous couple statements: It saddens me.

Precusor · July 2007

Just hope that the devs dont dumb down the games just for a few extra subs..

Liddokun · July 2007

Originally posted by Precusor

Just hope that the devs dont dumb down the games just for a few extra subs..

Oh it's an all or nothing deal... if the Culture minister one day decides that gnomes are bad for the citizens of china then gnomes will have to go..there are no compromises.

ViolentY · July 2007

Originally posted by shane910
I mean WTF.... they show anime's screwing a chick tied up with chains but god forbid you see a skeleton... think they got their censorship a lil ass backwards.

The "anime's screwing a chick tied up with chains" is in an entirely different rating arena than video games... That'd be like saying "why have a G rated movie where you can't say the word 'shit' when we have porn movies where people have full-on explicit sex?"

Plus... that's Japan.

tylerwick · July 2007

They are UNDEAD... The concept of dead being brought to life is scarier than Cartoon bones sticking out of their flesh.

Not that it matters to me, im not over there

Pynda · July 2007

Isn't any kind of gore (blood), or violence with a sexual connotation against the law in Germany and France? So I suppose we'll soon be seeing a special Euro version of, for example, Age of Conan. But more likely I'd think, Funcom will just self censor the whole game and avoid all the fuss.

And don't sell short the lunatic Christian fringe and soccer mom types in America either. They've tried to legislate outright video game bans before, and I'd bet it will only be a matter of time until they succeed. Because the "majority" in America won't come right out and say this, and they may not even fully conceptualize their own beliefs themselves. But in fact to them the Bill of Rights is nothing more than an incovenient and worthless scrap of paper. What they long for is order, and for a new Furher.

observer · July 2007

Originally posted by Pynda

Isn't any kind of gore (blood), or violence with a sexual connotation against the law in Germany and France? So I suppose we'll soon be seeing a special Euro version of, for example, Age of Conan. But more likely I'd think, Funcom will just self censor the whole game and avoid all the fuss.
And don't sell short the lunatic Christian fringe and soccer mom types in America either. They've tried to legislate outright video game bans before, and I'd bet it will only be a matter of time until they succeed. Because the "majority" in America won't come right out and say this, and they may not even fully conceptualize their own beliefs themselves. But in fact to them the Bill of Rights is nothing more than an incovenient and worthless scrap of paper. What they long for is order, and for a new Furher.

Now i've read everything. You don't seriously believe that do you? Are you really insinuating that soccer moms and a ratings system are equal to Hitler?

kmilner · July 2007

I will. Soccer moms = hitler.

"Wir habst ein neubenwelt! Ein Besserwelt! Ein Foosball-muterwelt!"

My crappy German FTL!

bluecb · July 2007

Originally posted by CleffyII

I wish they went the other way in WoW. No flesh all bones. Then I coulda done some Army of Darkness stuff. Plus could you imagine the customization options?
What kind of Crack Patterns do you want on your skull?
Do you want an Eye-patch?
Are you missing your brains?

I feel the same way. When i first heard that you could play undead i thought it would be a full out skeleton, but after playing it a little, it makes sense in the story line why they are not completely bones.

CharslesT · July 2007

WoW is fundamentally an Asian and bot game with some American and European children.

M1sf1t · July 2007

Originally posted by Sothage
Originally posted by ianubisi

China is a capitalist country now.
Capitalistic countries operate on the assumption that the individual can operate with autonomy; causing free will to be prevalent. The very fact that they are censoring bone shows that they don't trust their public with the kind of autonomy requisite for a free-market, free-will, and free exchange of products and information. At best it is Liberal Totalitarianism.

On the note of the actual censorship. =/ If you can't guess by my previous couple statements: It saddens me.

BS ! There are plenty of examples in history of right-wing conservative totalitarian nations that had capitalist economic systems.

Capitalism is a label used to describe a economic system and not a form of government. Please re-read your civic and econ school books again.

P.S. Oh and before we all jump on the "I hate China" bandwagon let's realize that recently the video game Man Hunt 2 was just recently banned in the U.K., Canada, USA, Australia and other "Western" nations. So take a chill pill okay folks.

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The9 changes WoW in China to appease censors

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The9 changes WoW in China to appease censors

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