When moving to China, one of my biggest worries was not being able to game. However, within a month of staying here, I am pleased to announce those fears were very, very much unfounded. China has a robust gaming culture, and I have had the privilege to experience it just a tiny bit.
First off let me establish that, in China, people prefer PC gaming over console. Consoles are still relatively new, expensive, and all around harder to find than a PC. Furthermore, with the rise of downloadable games, plus the fact that a PC is a multi use tool (in contrast to a console being, at best, a system that doubles as a Blu-ray player) it's easy to see just why PC is KING of gaming in China.
One of the most popular games in China is League of Legends, which the Chinese call LoL (pronounced Elle oh Elle). League is SUPER popular in China; it is played by all ages, from school children to adults. Wearing a shirt with a League character on it is sure to draw positive attention to you from children. Likewise, the game is popular with both men AND women. In fact one of my coworkers, a woman in her late 20's, not only plays ranked, she's Platinum.
Another extremely popular game in China is Overwatch. This isn't surprising, as Overwatch is a damn good game. Other franchises that are popular in China are Counter Strike, Call of Duty, and so on. The Chinese can be very competitive, but they enjoy a good round of gaming.
It is not unusual for big cities to have Internet Cafes in local shopping malls. In the town I'm in (Shouguang), I have visited no less than two cafes. These cafes are frequented by online players; most of them will be playing League, Overwatch, or CS. Because China is slightly more lax about indoor smoking (as far as I can tell) it is also common for patrons of these cafes to smoke during games. However, the cost per hour for these cafes is actually reasonable: Around 5 Yuan an hour where I live. Of course, you'll need a citizen's card to become a member of the cafe, and one cafe I went to was member's only.
Mobile phone games are popular as well. Athough I cannot pronounce their names correctly, there is this one game that is similar to League that is played on mobile. My first experience with it was actually on my first day in China; as I was boarding the Beijing Subway for Beijingnam Station, I caught a pair of Chinese youths (apparently college kids) playing the game while waiting for the train to arrive. Quite a sight!
I had mentioned that console gaming isn't as big as PC; this does not mean consoles have no place in China. The students I teach are well aware of both the Playstation as well as the Xbox brands, though both are too expensive for them. Indeed, a Playstation 4 pro with 1 TB RAM costs around 2399 Remninbi on Taobao, which is essentially the Chinese version of Ebay. A Nintendo Switch comes at around 3200 Remninbi as well. Typical games cost anywhere from 150-350 Remninbi as well.
For those not in the know, Remninbi is the official currency of Mainland China. It is also known as the Yuan.
Steam is also available in China, but as far as I know, it isn't as popular. This is because Tencent and QQ are the dominant gaming forces in China. A QQ email account opens up a world of opportunities to play THOUSANDS of games for the Chinese, including League of Legends, DoTA2, SMITE, Overwatch, MapleStory, among many others. However, like most everything in China, you need to read Chinese in order to enjoy the variety of games offered on the site.
In many ways, Chinese gaming is not so different from the rest of the world! Chinese youths LOVE gaming, like we do! They have their own gaming communities, their own tournaments, and even their own fanworks! And if you have an open mind, they'll teach you a thing or two about their gaming customs. So don't be afraid to game with the Chinese!
Mobile phone games are popular as well. Athough I cannot pronounce their names correctly, there is this one game that is similar to League that is played on mobile. My first experience with it was actually on my first day in China; as I was boarding the Beijing Subway for Beijingnam Station, I caught a pair of Chinese youths (apparently college kids) playing the game while waiting for the train to arrive. Quite a sight!
I had mentioned that console gaming isn't as big as PC; this does not mean consoles have no place in China. The students I teach are well aware of both the Playstation as well as the Xbox brands, though both are too expensive for them. Indeed, a Playstation 4 pro with 1 TB RAM costs around 2399 Remninbi on Taobao, which is essentially the Chinese version of Ebay. A Nintendo Switch comes at around 3200 Remninbi as well. Typical games cost anywhere from 150-350 Remninbi as well.
For those not in the know, Remninbi is the official currency of Mainland China. It is also known as the Yuan.
Steam is also available in China, but as far as I know, it isn't as popular. This is because Tencent and QQ are the dominant gaming forces in China. A QQ email account opens up a world of opportunities to play THOUSANDS of games for the Chinese, including League of Legends, DoTA2, SMITE, Overwatch, MapleStory, among many others. However, like most everything in China, you need to read Chinese in order to enjoy the variety of games offered on the site.
In many ways, Chinese gaming is not so different from the rest of the world! Chinese youths LOVE gaming, like we do! They have their own gaming communities, their own tournaments, and even their own fanworks! And if you have an open mind, they'll teach you a thing or two about their gaming customs. So don't be afraid to game with the Chinese!
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