[...] Here’s some info on gaming in China : http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/03/peering-into-china/ And I’m pretty shocked at some of the responses this thread has gotten. From the looks of it, some people think people in China, India and Brazil almost live in slums. Guess what? They don’t Some of the richest people in the world live in these countries- it’s just that they don’t make it on to world’s richest lists because most of these people don’t declare their wealth, and one reason is to evade tax. Tax evasion is so common there that it affects average earning reports as well. Try looking up some pictures of places like Chong Qing, Delhi, Bangalore, Qing Dao or Shen Zhen. You’ll see anything but slums. The ignorance some people on this board possess never ceases to amaze me. I think companies don’t do well there not because people can’t afford to buy, but because people would rather buy it pirated at a lower cost. I’d say it’s a big problem in most of Asia. Here’s an analogy: you want to buy a bottle of ABC brand water and one store sells it for 10 dollars while another sells it for 5 dollars. You obviously go to the store that sells it for 5. In these countries, people just see pirated goods as a cheaper way of getting their movies and games. People barely understand the concept of copyright and sometimes those who buy originals are thought of as stupid when they could easily get the “same thing” for less. It’s more of an issue of ignorance than wealth. And anyway, companies are trying to and have succeeded in getting past the price issue by making their products cheaper in those countries. Then there’s also the fact that Japanese goods are being boycotted in some East Asian countries. It’s one of the reasons The 360 did well in Korea and it will one of the main reasons the Playstation 3 won’t do well in China. [...]

Wait.. how is this different from western MMPs?

In western MMPs, you start out clicking in a field of rabbits or wolf pups. You don’t get to see any shambling monsters until you’ve played for at least half an hour.

[...] Speaking of China, Raph has a list of differences between the Chinese market and our own. One thing I don’t see in his list is any differences in content localization. And to be honest, I’m not entirely sure what those differences are. [...]

[...] Though I feel like I’m starting to disagree with some of Mr. Koster’s views on what exactly MMOGs are, he never fails to open up the door to an interesting discussion. I’ve had his Peering into China post open in Firefox since last week, and damned if I don’t look at those numbers and go ‘guhhh’. A few thoughts on the realities of MMO Gaming on the other side of the world after the cut. [...]

They’re much more direct about it. You start your character, walk out of town, and find a field of shambling monsters. Then you start clicking.

Wait.. how is this different from western MMPs?

Wait, with a few exceptions western MMOGs are ALL hack ‘n’ slash.

You need to try a few of the Asian games. They’re much more direct about it. You start your character, walk out of town, and find a field of shambling monsters. Then you start clicking.

Do their market figures for revenues include ad revenues around the free online casual games? That’s a pretty significant segment, so if they don’t include it, the market’s actually bigger (end users paying with time that is converted into advertiser dollars)