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China doesn’t want dead bodies or green blood in games
New government guidelines tighten the screws on getting new games approved
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Censors in China hate gore and violence, so game publishers have been coming up with some pretty creative ways to avoid trouble. Two notable changes were adding flesh to walking skeletons and changing the color of blood to green or black instead of red.
But now, even these changes may not be enough.
The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television -- the government agency in charge of reviewing new games for approval -- announced at a conference a series of new changes to the approval process. That includes some rather specific clarifications on guidelines, according to gaming research firm Niko Partners and gaming executives who spoke with the South China Morning Post.
Dead bodies or pools of blood can no longer appear in games at all. Green blood included.
That would present a unique challenge for publishers of shooting games. Right now when you gun down a character in China’s version of PUBG, a puff of green smoke bursts out. When you run around the Chinese version of CS:GO, you’ll see dead bodies lying on top of splatters of black blood, which have been compared to crude oil.
PUBG, the battle royale pioneer
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