Mobile Games in China: Development and Current Status

Abstract

This chapter documents a broad range of characteristics pertaining to the nature of Chinese mobile games. The discussion commences with an overview of the general mobile games market in China, including highlighting subtle differences in how games are classified and a brief analysis of the current leading titles within each key genre. The chapter then moves onto a consideration of how mobile games are distributed and accessed in China, followed by how particular social and cultural elements may determine certain features in the composition of Chinese mobile games. Focus is placed on explaining the reasons for playing particular games, the choice of games, and how games are played by the Chinese audience. This is supported by two distinct case studies of highly successful titles to illustrate the various features and characteristics of Chinese games and audiences.