China plans to invest 1.5 billion yuan (US$185 million) to
develop 100 kinds of online games with independent property rights
in the next five years, the Shanghai Youth reported.
Yu Yongzhan, deputy director with the General Administration of
Press and Publication (GAPP), was quoted as saying that the PPAC
will make joint efforts with other government departments to
speedup the construction of game software development centers in
Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou cities and Sichuan province where10
to 30 home-made online game companies are expected to be launched
within the next three years.
"This will give impetus to the growth of game industry across
the country," Yu was cited as saying.
The number of Internet users in China, the world's
second-largest Internet market, grew by nine million in the first
half of this year to reach 103 million.
The development represented an increase of 18.4 percent over the
same period last year in a market that still has a vast potential
for further growth, the China Daily reported on July
22.
The burgeoning online gaming market proved especially lucrative,
with Internet gamers spending some four billion yuan (US$483
million) on virtual equipment for their online alter-egos in the
first six months.
(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2005)