Um, we're sure you're really interested in new trends within the Chinese gaming industry on display at the 9th China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference (aka Chinajoy) held in Shanghai over the weekend. After all, there's all sorts of exciting developments about the country's still maturing digital entertainment landscape, which has yet to produce the sort of world-beating entertainment properties regularly featured at game conferences like the Tokyo Game Show, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held annually in Los Angeles. However, we have little to say on the subject, and unfortunately can only provide as a consolation prize this modest gallery of women (and perhaps at least one or two males, we really can't say for sure) hired for, uh...um...sorry, we lost our train of thought. We're just going to look at a few more pics to figure out what they were hired for. It'll come to us, we're sure. more ›

The legendary footballer Diego Maradona has sued "The9 Limited", a Chinese online games company, for infringement. The company had used his portrait in their online game "Winning Goal" that they launched last year. Maradona claims that he was never contacted let alone asked permission and never agreed to any co-operation with The9 Limited. They, on the other hand, claim that they were cheated by a sports agent named Lu Weiping, whom they paid $250,000 for signing the former football player. An apology letter from the online game company was rejected by Maradona, as he considered it insincere and an excuse to avoid responsibility. He was quoted as saying "I do not accept the apology from The9 Limited, and I will continue to protect my legitimate interests through legal procedures". He also said that he believes that Chinese court will bring him justice. At least he didn't tell them to suck his d***... more ›

The Guardian brings us this little nugget today: A former prisoner at a labor camp in Jixi reports that prisoners are being forced to mine "virtual gold" online for up to 12 hours at a time, in addition to their daily physical labor. If you're unfamiliar with the term "gold farming", it basically refers to the building up of online currency (like weapons, credits, character levels, whathaveyou) with hours of play, which is then sold for real money to gamers. From the Guardian: more ›

According to a statement released by Netease earlier today, the General Administration of Press and Publication has suspended government approval for their operating World of Warcraft. As if WoW players didn't have enough problems earlier this year, the GAPP cited “gross violations of regulations” as the reason behind suspending NetEase’s operating rights to the massively popular online game. more ›

There's a lot to protest about in China: ethnic tension in Xinjiang, forced eviction and resettlement, and even gay rights. Now you can add video games to that list as well. more ›

China’s online gangster/mafia games are now officially sleepin’ with the fishes. According to Xinhua, the Ministry of Culture banned all websites and servers running, publishing, or offering links to online games involving gang-related subject matter and warned that violators of the ban will face an unspecified but "severe punishment." more ›

• Eclipse at Sheshan Hill [The Atlantic] "The forested slopes of Sheshan Hill rise a hundred meters above the plains of once rural, now suburban, Songjiang District in the southwest corner of sprawling Shanghai. At the top, China’s only Catholic basilica - an eighty-year old red brick building with an onion dome - is flanked on one side by the white dome of a modern telescope, and on the other by the century-old buildings that constitute the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. Most mornings, the hilltop is silent but for a handful of priests and a few locals willing to climb the old stone stairways to go to mass. But this morning was a bit different: Sheshan was in the path of the century’s longest eclipse, and the local media had recommended it as one of three ideal locations for watching the event."
• In China, a Rocky Ascent for Basketball [NYT] "With 1.3 billion potential fans, China is increasingly seen as a financial promised land for N.B.A. stars through endorsement deals, and the league itself has established a robust organization here valued at $2 billion. But China’s own professional league, the Chinese Basketball Association, has hardly enjoyed a smooth ascendance alongside this country’s basketball boom. American players and agents describe broken contracts, unpaid wages, suspicions of game-fixing and rising resentment toward foreign players. Several players have left China after failing to receive paychecks. Last month, the league announced that it lost $17 million last season, which ended in May."
• Sweeping Africa under the rug: where is China in Darfur? [The Carter Center] "Given the importance of China's financial ties to Sudan, many in the international community have expected China to play a much larger role in the Darfur peace process. Development aid from China goes directly into the hands of President Omar al-Bashir's National Congress Party, which has been accused of war crimes relating to the Darfur crisis. Consequently, the Chinese government's practices run contrary to their ideology."

Following their somewhat bizarre picture last month of Obama and a "dapper" donkey, the latest person to grace Baidu's homepage gives a slightly clearer message. The picture is of "Wheelchair Angel" (as she's been dubbed in some sections of the press) Jin Jing clutching the Olympic Torch to her chest, a position she adopted when pro-Tibetan protestors tried to snatch the flame from her in Paris last month. Clicking on the picture takes you through to a page headlined with the words "Protect the scared flame, make China faster, higher, stronger!" more ›