Fortnite and PUBG Banned in China For Cultural Reasons

As gamers, we've all heard of the apparent 'violence' inducing nature which certain studies and people tend to suggest, although such a claim is still to be confirmed. The Chinese government has taken this a step further by banning some of the world's most popular titles, as they allegedly 'promote incorrect values'; with concerns on gore and depiction of female characters. 

With that claim, the government has banned the BRs of Fortnite and PUBG outright, with no warning of any sort. These titles failed the critique proposed in the review process the Chinese government underwent. Alongside these blatant bans, many titles have been warned in requiring 'corrective action' in order to avoid a potential ban. Twenty games were reviewed; titles, including esports giants, such as League of Legends, Overwatch and World of Warcraft, are all stationed in this category. These games are yet to respond to the accusations. 

Although one could possibly justify the 'gore' accusations, even though age restrictions are present for a reason, banning Fortnite on such parameters seems a little odd. Regarding the representation of women, the titles of LoL and Overwatch are indeed culpable for perhaps revealing more than the minimum, which keenly upset the government. Will Riot Games and Blizzard heed to China's requirements and mend their games? 

The other factor would have to be the state of game chat within these multiplayer titles, often having no restrictions at all. 

The following are effects which such bans could have. Removing esport titles from China will certainly reduce the state of the esports industry within the country, potentially affecting the international state of the title. China is definitely one to apply pressure to the rest of the world, with certain developers often creating versions of games just for the Chinese market. 

We'll be keeping up with the situation, as this may definitely switch up how some of the largest esport titles in the world present their titles.