Name: Anonymous 2013-08-05 11:57
China's Gamers 'Attack' Japan
Video game lets players seize Japan-controlled islands
A HIT : A Chinese soldier plays 'Glorious Mission Online' which allows players to defend contested islands in the East China Sea.
A MILITARY-BACKED Chinese video game released on 1 August 2013 allows players to satisfy their patriotism by fighting enemy forces in islands disputed with Japan, reflecting enduring tensions.
"Glorious Mission Online", China's answer to "Call of Duty", marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
The game, an online version of an earlier first-person person shooter game used by the PLA to train troops, features the East China Sea islands known as Diaoyu by Beijing and Senkaku by Tokyo.
Tensions have been mounting over the islands, which are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
Beijing's vessels regularly sail into the disputed waters and tell Japanese ships they are encroaching on its territory.
A press release for the game says: "Players... will fight alongside Chinese armed forces and use weapons to tell the Japanese that 'Japan must return our stolen territory!'"
Images from the game's website are labelled "Guard the Diaoyu islands", and a trailer posted online features shots of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
It also shows planes taking off from a computer-generated version of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which went into service last year.
Its designers, the Giant Interactive Group that developed it jointly with the PLA, said millions of users had registered to play.
Giant cooperated closely with the PLA while working on the game to ensure that weapons looked authentic and soldiers' voices were accurate, said company vice-president Gu Kai.
The release comes at a time of increased fears over the PLA's expansion among China's neighbours - Beijing is also in dispute with several countries over islands in the South China Sea.
But Mr Gu linked the game with attempts by the PLA to present itself as more transparent, including inviting foreign media to tour military bases, to boost its image abroad.
Understanding the army
He said "Through the game we want to allow ordinary people to gain an understanding of the army, which is often seen as closed-off and mysterious."
China's neighbours have sought closer ties with Washington in the face of growing concerns over Beijing's mounting military budget, which now ranks second in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Mr Gu said at his company's research offices in Shanghai that the game will boost military recruitment.
"The army aims at recruiting university graduates, and gaming is the most popular culture among students," he said.
The past decade has seen an explosion in computer games played online, with China's Internet games played online, with China's Internet game market raking in 31.3 billion yuan in the first half of this year alone, according to industry estimates.
Ms Maggie Du, director of Giant's Center for Overseas Business Development, insisted "Glorious Mission Online" would not add to the tensions between China and its neighbours.
"We need to be related to actual events, but it's not about politics, it's a commercial consideration to attract customers."
The company hopes to attract foreign gamers to fight alongside the PLA, she added, and possible future versions of the game designed for export might try to avoid identifying participant nations.
"We might replace the US and Russian armies with robots or zombies or something like that," she said. - AFP.
Video game lets players seize Japan-controlled islands
A HIT : A Chinese soldier plays 'Glorious Mission Online' which allows players to defend contested islands in the East China Sea.
A MILITARY-BACKED Chinese video game released on 1 August 2013 allows players to satisfy their patriotism by fighting enemy forces in islands disputed with Japan, reflecting enduring tensions.
"Glorious Mission Online", China's answer to "Call of Duty", marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
The game, an online version of an earlier first-person person shooter game used by the PLA to train troops, features the East China Sea islands known as Diaoyu by Beijing and Senkaku by Tokyo.
Tensions have been mounting over the islands, which are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
Beijing's vessels regularly sail into the disputed waters and tell Japanese ships they are encroaching on its territory.
A press release for the game says: "Players... will fight alongside Chinese armed forces and use weapons to tell the Japanese that 'Japan must return our stolen territory!'"
Images from the game's website are labelled "Guard the Diaoyu islands", and a trailer posted online features shots of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
It also shows planes taking off from a computer-generated version of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which went into service last year.
Its designers, the Giant Interactive Group that developed it jointly with the PLA, said millions of users had registered to play.
Giant cooperated closely with the PLA while working on the game to ensure that weapons looked authentic and soldiers' voices were accurate, said company vice-president Gu Kai.
The release comes at a time of increased fears over the PLA's expansion among China's neighbours - Beijing is also in dispute with several countries over islands in the South China Sea.
But Mr Gu linked the game with attempts by the PLA to present itself as more transparent, including inviting foreign media to tour military bases, to boost its image abroad.
Understanding the army
He said "Through the game we want to allow ordinary people to gain an understanding of the army, which is often seen as closed-off and mysterious."
China's neighbours have sought closer ties with Washington in the face of growing concerns over Beijing's mounting military budget, which now ranks second in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Mr Gu said at his company's research offices in Shanghai that the game will boost military recruitment.
"The army aims at recruiting university graduates, and gaming is the most popular culture among students," he said.
The past decade has seen an explosion in computer games played online, with China's Internet games played online, with China's Internet game market raking in 31.3 billion yuan in the first half of this year alone, according to industry estimates.
Ms Maggie Du, director of Giant's Center for Overseas Business Development, insisted "Glorious Mission Online" would not add to the tensions between China and its neighbours.
"We need to be related to actual events, but it's not about politics, it's a commercial consideration to attract customers."
The company hopes to attract foreign gamers to fight alongside the PLA, she added, and possible future versions of the game designed for export might try to avoid identifying participant nations.
"We might replace the US and Russian armies with robots or zombies or something like that," she said. - AFP.