Gamers in China who were playing the Chinese version of the massively multiplayer online role playing game, World of Warcraft received quite a shock. According to Reuters report, bones and skeletons have disappeared from the game thus receiving vicious criticism from the gamers over there.
However, a spokesperson from The9, which runs WoW in China, said that these changes were made according to China’s particular situation and relevant regulations. He also added that the bones were turned into graves and skeletons were fleshed up to promote a healthy and harmonious online environment. The public relations director of The9 also mentioned that the changes were part of an ‘operational strategy’.
These changes have come at a time when Chinese authorities are busy cracking down on internet and gaming cafes in order to curb obesity and addiction and increase censorship. But that has not gone down with the gamers in China. They have already started to protest against this. Many gamers are of the view that the modifications have made the game very dull and have now voiced their opinion on the official World of WarCraft website and have filled pages and pages of criticism. There are reports that more than five hundred Chinese gamers are planning to boycott the game altogether.
The changes related to bones and skeletons in the Chinese version of World of WarCraft were a little harsh to the gamers over there as first they had to wait for a while before the game was made available in their country and now they find these alterations. Chinese gamers even have to suffer various levels of censorships when posting online or blogging their opinions.