China should legislate to control virtual item trade: official
11/12/2006 15:49
China should legislate to control the virtual item trade (VIT) by online
video gamers after a spate of frauds and thefts of virtual assets, says a
Ministry of Culture (MOC) official.
"The government has paid great attention
to criminal cases such as illegal earnings from the trade of virtual assets from
online games," Tuo Zuhai, deputy director of the Cultural Market Division under
the MOC, was reported as saying by Southcn.com.
VIT or real money trade
refers to online video gamers using real money or objects off-line to buy
virtual assets such as weapons, prepaid-cards, online game accounts and
passwords used in an online game.
A virtual item can enhance play or offer
benefits, such as saving many hours of game play that can be rewarded with a
virtual item.
"Online games should be entertainment and relaxation, and
nothing else," Tuo said, explaining why the government should control VIT.
He
said the government supported the game industry in general though problems
always existed.
Virtual assets and Internet addiction were key problems to be
addressed in the government agenda, including stealing personal information or
game accounts, said Tuo.
A survey by a game website showed more than 70
percent Chinese gamers did not oppose VIT and more than 35 percent had conducted
it.
Trades ranged from a bottle of soda for a weapon, or tens of thousands of
yuan for a special "diamond ring" used as a trump, the survey showed.
China
has 460,000 regular online gamers, each of whom spends an average of 500 yuan
(US$62.5) annually in trade.
According to Shanghai-based iresearch, China's
VIT volume reached more than 1.5 billion yuan (US$187.5 million) in 2004.
The
VIT volume for the game Chuanqi, or Legend, one of the most popular role-playing
games, is estimated at tens of millions of yuan.
Chen Nian, the founder of
joyo.com, one of the biggest e-business centers in China, predicted VIT volume
would exceed the sales revenue of games in the next few years.
However,
online virtual assets have no legal protection. Many problems have emerged such
as whether trade earnings should be taxed.
As most virtual asset transactions
are purely spontaneous with no official or legal guidance, many gamers have been
humiliated.
A young gamer wrote online how he had been beaten by a gang of
criminals when he traveled to another city to buy a virtual item.
Legal
experts believe a ban on VIT would be unwise as it cannot be totally
eradicated.
Laws and regulations on virtual assets should be introduced as
soon as possible to clear up the chaotic market, experts
suggested.
Xinhua
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