This study explores how video game monetisation and regulation are debated in China, and what these discussions reveal about the cultural and ideological boundaries of gaming, through public responses to the proposed national regulation, “Measures for the Management of Online Games.” The regulation, currently in draft form, proposes targeting excessive online game spending and design mechanisms like daily logins and random-reward mechanisms (e.g. loot boxes). Drawing on a thematic analysis of public comments, we identify four themes structuring these discussions, showing tensions around modern play, China’s game industry, game communities and the draft regulation. Within each theme, discussions coalesced around two contrasting discursive standpoints, analytically termed premium and freemium, which reflect divergent preferences for monetisation and variations within the four themes. Informed by boundary work theory, we argue that conflicts over the draft’s proposed restrictions are rooted in competing ideologies of play, revealing a fragmented and contested gaming culture in China. To inform the regulation of game spending, we recommend further research to assess the potential harms of the monetisation designs mentioned in the draft regulation before any ban is implemented.
Zhangshao et al. (Mon,) studied this question.