Media: China is introducing a gaming rating. Games with a low rating will not be able to be released in the country

The Chinese authorities are going to tighten the regulation of developers. To do this, a special game rating system is being introduced in the country. Projects will be evaluated according to several criteria at once, which will form an overall assessment on a five-point system. Games that have received a low score will not be allowed to be released.Perfect World

The decision of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee to introduce a system for evaluating games became known from Chinese insiders.

The GameLook edition reports that the new rules formally came into force on April 1.

The main goal of this initiative is to make the game evaluation system more accurate, as well as to make developers take their games more seriously.

A special commission will evaluate all games by five parameters, for each of which developers will be able to get 5 points. At least two experts will be involved to check each project.

Main evaluation criteriaConcept.

• This parameter determines how much the game corresponds to the values of socialism, whether it carries a positive message, whether it contributes to the moral education of the player, and also whether it contains the right view of history and life values. If the project clearly distinguishes between good and evil, it can get 3 points or higher. If there are obvious problems with these concepts and moral guidelines, the game can be set to 0.The originality of the design.
• This is a test of the game for the presence of new ideas and gameplay mechanics in comparison with other similar titles, as well as for artistic and design innovations. If developers are caught openly copying other people’s ideas and plagiarism, the game can be set 0 for this criterion.The quality of execution.
• This is an assessment of the level of elaboration of game scenes, characters and plot. The game gets 3 points if the quality of these elements is at a similar level with projects of the same type. Further, developers can add or subtract points in accordance with the listed criteria.Cultural value.
• This parameter takes into account how much the game promotes Chinese culture, whether it contains reliable scientific and cultural knowledge, and also checks whether it contributes to the expansion of horizons. The points can be withdrawn from the developers if the game improperly treats national, religious and historical themes.The quality of development.
• This is an assessment of the technical part of the game: whether it is completely completed, whether it can be completed to the end, whether there is a finished plot in it, whether it contains technical and other critical errors.What does the total score consist of?

The final score is an average score based on five main criteria.

• At the same time, the commission rounds the final score down or up, depending on the overall impressions and the quality of the game. For example, the average score of the game is 4.2 — it can be rounded up to 4.5 or reduced to 4.The passing score is 3. Games with a score of 4 points or higher receive priority when issuing a release license.
• Projects that have received less than 2 points from several experts at once are sent for revision. In some cases, as well as when receiving 0 points, the game may not be allowed to be released in China at all.Experts take into account not only the final version of the game, but also the state of its earlier modifications.
• The commission may deduct points if the developers do not finalize the game properly in accordance with all criteria.The Propaganda Department will ensure that the principles of objectivity and fairness are observed in the evaluation of each project — without taking into account the subjective preferences and antipathies of individual experts.
• Each assessment must be justified, but it is not yet clear exactly how these points will be observed and controlled.