If consoles are every legally permitted to be sold in China, the 1-2 million current users of Xbox 360 would face the same punishment as the 600,000-1 million players Microsoft claims to have banned for modifying their consoles or playing illegally downloaded games. However, Chinese gamers are savvy and they have devised workarounds, such as switches to fake the Xbox Live network into thinking that no modifications have been made when they log onto the network. The longer it takes to overturn the ban on consoles in China, the longer Chinese gamers have to figure out all kinds of ways to use their illegally obtained consoles and games in the country.

Tencent, China's largest online game operator based on online game services revenue, continues its impressive growth and domination. The company announced a 92.3% increase in Q3 2009 profit over Q3 2008, and as has been noted in Niko reports as well as in the press Tencent is building quite a presence in North Anerica as well as China. He who has the most capital wins, as it seems.

With 21% of China's 65 million online gamers categorized as hard-core, meaning they play 22+ hours per week, the Chinese government has attempted to help some of those gamers who they see as "addicts" get over their addiction. One need not be a gamer to be considered an Internet addict in China though, and it seems that at least several thousand teenagers have been treated for the condition. Thankfully such addicts will likely not be banned from use of the Internet forever, as it is such an important part of life these days, but some of the rumored rehabilitation practices might serve to scare the hard-core gamers into finding other pastimes to supplement their fun with online games.