Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Latest World of Warcraft Expansion Blocked In China

Posted by Soulskill on from the mourn-the-farmers dept.

The Opposable Thumbs blog reports that World of Warcraft's most recent expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, is not being allowed into the Chinese market. The Escapist brings further details, saying, "According to an insider, two specific shortcomings included the presence of skeleton characters and a 'city raid.' Nor did the submitted version contain the starting area for the game's new Death Knight class." The Chinese version of World of Warcraft has been modified in the past to remove skeletons and zombies.

35 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. WTF? by Moraelin · · Score: 4, Funny

    WTF? So what did they replace the whole plaguelands, undercity, Tirisfal, and Silverpine with? Evil Tibetans? ;)

    --
    A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    1. Re:WTF? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Informative

      My wife is Malaysian Chinese. The Chinese are a bit weird about death. They avoid the number 4 (sounds like death in Mandarin). They avoid cemeteries. For them, death is kind of a shameful thing. Not to be discussed in public.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    2. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      If we combine chinese and US censorship, will there be anything left?

    3. Re:WTF? by Yvanhoe · · Score: 3, Funny

      So you mean that gothic kids are taken seriously there ?

      --
      The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
    4. Re:WTF? by kinnell · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I can imagine a similar response by many western governments if naked characters were actually naked, with visible genitalia

      --
      If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
    5. Re:WTF? by Fred_A · · Score: 3, Funny

      If we combine chinese and US censorship, will there be anything left?

      There goes my concept of a game with devil worshiping big breasted skeletons... Back to the drawing board.

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
    6. Re:WTF? by bsane · · Score: 4, Funny

      There goes my concept of a game with devil worshiping big breasted skeletons... Back to the drawing board.

      I know you've probably never felt any breasts (this being slashdot and all), but to the best of my knowledge they don't have bones.

    7. Re:WTF? by Fred_A · · Score: 4, Funny

      There goes my concept of a game with devil worshiping big breasted skeletons... Back to the drawing board.

      I know you've probably never felt any breasts (this being slashdot and all), but to the best of my knowledge they don't have bones.

      Given my target customers, you can trust me, this is completely irrelevant.

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
    8. Re:WTF? by Zebedeu · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Methinks you have the wrong idea about Europe.

      While it is true that in some countries you can see naked women (as in, bare breasts, not genitalia) in advertising in broad daylight and afternoon tv, I've yet to see anyone with their tits out in public, and I've been basically everywhere in Europe. I'm no lawyer, but I think it's illegal everywhere here.

      Exception made to the fore-mentioned nude beaches and parks.

      Basically, restirctions to nudity are more relaxed here than in the US, but they still exist. On the other hand, violence is more strictly controled here, specially in the central germanic countries. Though I must say that if I had to choose between blood and tits, I'd rather take the second :-)

    9. Re:WTF? by Adriax · · Score: 2, Informative

      /silly on a female undead character, cycle through till you get your answer.

      --
      I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
    10. Re:WTF? by The+Ultimate+Fartkno · · Score: 2, Funny

      Though I must say that if I had to choose between blood and tits, I'd rather take the second :-)

      I'm from Hallmark, a leading world-wide manufacturer of greeting cards. Could I speak to you about perhaps doing some copywriting for our Valentine's Day collection?

    11. Re:WTF? by Zebedeu · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sure man. I'm a veritable fountain of romantic sayings.

      Here's another freebie: If I had to choose between yogurt and tits, I'd take the second.

    12. Re:WTF? by SupremoMan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah but display swastika in your game and good luck in the European markets.... To me censorship of nudity makes a whole lot more sense than censorship of history.

    13. Re:WTF? by lordtoran · · Score: 3, Funny

      Must feel sort of uncomfortable there, with the lakes etc. slowly starting to boil and vaporize during midday, as the temperature goes past 100 degrees. So far I thought 42 degrees in southern Spain were really hot...

      --
      Want to hear the voice of GOD? cat /boot/vmlinuz > /dev/dsp
    14. Re:WTF? by khellendros1984 · · Score: 2, Funny

      The Egyptians found out that da Nile doesn't make it go away, either.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    15. Re:WTF? by Dhrakar · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Yes, they are real. They are not mine, but they are real."

    16. Re:WTF? by FreakWent · · Score: 2, Interesting

      interesting contrast to the south American 'death festivals' isn't it?

  2. Anonymous Coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Read the article...
    "Chinese players of World of Warcraft, a hugely popular online role-playing game, have expressed outrage after their 'undead skeleton' characters were suddenly clad in new flesh, apparently in order to comply with a secret government ban on bare bones."

  3. This is it... by sakdoctor · · Score: 4, Funny

    The one liberty that they shouldn't have messed with.
    There will be a real life city raid (bloody revolution in Beijing), and China will be a democracy by May.

    1. Re:This is it... by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      There will be a real life city raid (bloody revolution in Beijing), and China will be a democracy by May.

      Never happen. Gold farmers can't go into the sunlight, they'll burst into flames.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Reminds me of my childhood by microbee · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am a Chinese. When I was young (~1988), at one time they banned a very popular TV series from Hongkong because, rumor had it, there were skeletons in it.

    The funny thing was it wasn't even the first time it was aired on TV. It had been broadcasted nationwide many years ago already.

    Anyway, there are always a lot of stupid people in the government. Not news anymore.

    1. Re:Reminds me of my childhood by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What exactly is the problem with skeletons?

      It is a problem with death generally. Its a bit like in western culture there are things people prefer not to discuss in polite company like what you do in the toilet but in other cultures people are more open.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
  5. Great! by Talla · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now my gold will be much more valuable in the future.

  6. This is the least of your problems. by jack2000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cartoony skeletons with poorly chosen color palettes? Really china? THIS is what you're going to worry about?

    1. Re:This is the least of your problems. by xtracto · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A small nipple? a small female nipple that was seen in 4 video frames and which those you are "protecting" have been touching and sucking daily ?

      THIS is what you are going to worry about?

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    2. Re:This is the least of your problems. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And so the american media censor themselve to avoid being punished after some redneck gets upset.

      What is the difference?

    3. Re:This is the least of your problems. by Dread_ed · · Score: 4, Funny

      As someone who has, in the interests of science only I might add, studied those 4 frames you mention quite intensely for hours and hours and hours on end, I can officially state that was not a "small nipple."

      Based on my extensive measurements, it is soundly in the upper 84th percentile of the "humongous" category. Sadly, it doesn't quite reach the rarafied heights of "gargantuan" (except possibly on my 60" TV), but she isn't hungarian either so that wasn't to be expected.

      In the future please leave the classification of nipple sizes to qualified experts. It is already hard enough for the average layman to get back the results he wants from Google when searching between "large," "big," "huge," "giant," "GIANT," "humongous," and the aforementioned "gargantuan" without you hacks muddying these oft-motorboated waters with your slipshod appraisals.

      If you are so inclined, I do have quite a few reference documents (867 gigs) that will help you with your future attempts at nipple classification. Alas, the accompanying certification classes have been cancelled due to lack of attendance. For some reason no one shows up after the first day when we distribute the resource materials.

      --
      When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
  7. Re:Lobby price too low by gzipped_tar · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh, probably I forgot to explain myself. In the Chinese login screen the frost wyrm is just missing. "Harmonize" is a sarcastic term used by Chinese people to mean "censor", as a pun on the government's self-proclaimed goal of "developing a harmonious society" ;)

    --
    Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
  8. Lobbying at work, not censorship. by mynickslongerthanurs · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually censorship does not contribute as much as lobbying from competition in this case.

    WOW has dominated the Chinese MMORPG market for years and currently all the OTHER MMORPG companies are spending big fortunes on lobbying (aka bribing) the "department of (anti-)culture" to delay WLK as much as they can. They know that WOW will eat their lunch with the new expansion pack and one more day delay of WLK's debut means gain in millions for them.

    So as any corrupt agency will do, the DOC is busy inventing ridiculous reasons to deny clearance for the game. "Oh noes! References like the Massacre of Stratholme are so harmful for the helpless minds of our young people! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!1!".

    I don't think Nineth City (agent for WOW mainland) has much chance in this "9C vs Everyone Else" war. By the way, almost all my WOWer friends have quit playing and those who are really into that game (shame on them) have switched to servers in Taiwan anyway.

    Oh yeah I am Chinese. No penis jokes please.

    1. Re:Lobbying at work, not censorship. by Ogive17 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Oh yeah I am Chinese. No penis jokes please."

      I can't resist quoting this after seeing your user name :). Compensation?

      --
      "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
  9. I'M CHINESE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    i'm chinese

    son of a bitch skeleton

    skeleton is pig

    do you want rotten flesh?

    do you want no eyeballs?

    skeleton is pig disgusting

    zombie is an evil

    FUCKING SKELETON!

    1. Re:I'M CHINESE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Burma Shave

  10. Re:On the other hand by MichaelSmith · · Score: 3, Interesting

    All the Chinese movies with ghosts in my experience present the ghost a bit like in the Sixth Sense. As an intact body but not with the same behaviour as a living person. Of course the special effects are cheaper that way ;)

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  11. confused by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    i saw chinese ghost story recently and there was a scene where clearly rotting corpses were trying to drag the main character into the cellar

    there was even a transvestite tree spirit pimp of dead ghost whores

    so no skeletons... but transvestite tree spirit pimp of dead ghost whores is ok?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:confused by Desiderius · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nerf transvestite tree spirit pimps of dead ghost whores.