Gaming is one of the most profitable industries in China’s tech sector. It’s the cash cow powering the rise of Tencent, the multi-billion dollar firm behind WeChat. It's also an industry with some of the most notorious examples of copying, but also the most stringent rules -- which Chinese game developers and gamers tirelessly find creative workarounds for.

China is the largest gaming market in the world by revenue, raking in almost $40 billion last year, despite a 9-month licensing freeze that prevented game developers from monetizing new games. But as the Chinese government rolls out more rules to increase controls on an already tightly regulated market -- banning blood, mahjong games, and more -- what will happen to China's vibrant gaming community, and how will tighter content restrictions impact the country's game developers?

Topics covered in this episode:

Publication numbers and censorship

Copycat products and Chinese game quality

Creative freedom and the future of gaming in China

Guests:

Haohai and Li Motian, two hardcore gamers based in China

Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at market research and consultancy firm Niko Partners

Wang Miaoyi, a Beijing-based independent game developer

Hosts: Eva Xiao & Tom Xiong

Producer: Jacob Loven

Music rights: Licensed by Epidemic Sound