An Assessment of U.S. and Chinese Online Gaming Environments and Futures

摘要

Global development of online gaming, especially of Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) has been phenomenal, but has evolved in different ways in different countries. The experiences of this industry (and its developers, players, regulators, and other stakeholders) in the US and China have been particularly interesting. Whereas China has seen the growth of gameplaying in Internet cafes, American gamers play mostly at home. China's gamers live mostly in urban areas where fast Internet accessibility is available, whereas US adoption has been more ubiquitous. An analysis of the gaming industry in China is presented, along with a framework for assessing the popularity of games in China in the future. Finally, a forecast for future gaming industry developments is provided.