Online Streaming and Digital Distribution Platforms: The Introduction of Western Games to Chinese Markets

This chapter offers an overview of design and gameplay strategies used by Chinese and Western game companies and player communities up to January 2019. The study focuses on online streaming and digital distribution platforms, providing close readings of select titles and identifying three key areas of academic inquiry: multiplayerization, reversed ShanZhai, and the globalized aestheticization of gameplay. Findings include the gradual but evolving segmentation of Western PC gaming market. The Steam platform in particular has faced increasing competition from other platforms, which is a contributing factor to the growing presence and accessibility of Chinese games outside Asia. The chapter also covers region-specific alterations of in-game content, encompassing gameplay elements, translation issues, and monetization methods.