I've heard this but can't really search for verification. Supposedly this law forces all Chinese videogames to be set in fantasy settings. Nothing in the real world.
If this law exists I argue it should be removed. It's holding their industry back from making any culturally relevant content because nothing can be set in our world, about real lives, people or places. You'll never get a Death Stranding or Metal Gear out of China while it exists. They should untether their industry so it can produce more of cultural relevance.
Can anyone verify?
God these are so vague that I can see it being impossibly high risk to spend millions on a title that might be rejected.
Like... Imagine a Chinese Metal Gear going through this and ask yourself if it would get through. It wouldn't. They'd find something that "damages national honour".
The work around being "never make real world content" makes sense.
I'm guessing you could make such a MG type game but it would have to almost completely ignore China and East Asian politics.
Maybe a East vs West(PDX abandoned Cold War game) could be allowed if it was stritctly from USSR/China perspective with western enemies but then again the risk you mentioned, why work on a game where you're not even allowed to make somewhat equal or a challenging opponenent.
If you want a USSR sim city i.e a cakewalk "strategy" game, you wouldn't make a grand strategy/political game?
Perhaps paradoxically, I like rules. Not all rules, I like very specific rules. It may seem ticky tacky but I like rules like: "it will be in violation of this noise ordinance to originate sound measured at 85 Db as measured anywhere on any adjacent property line between the hours of 9pm and 7am."
That's not to say that those kinds of rules can't be abused, but they're specific and measurable, and within a just system abuses can be remedied.
Specific rules and good faith arbitration result in a fair system to live within. Vague rules that allow for too much interpretation invite corruption.