Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Twitch Streaming Service Has Been Blocked In China
This August, the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games (a pan-Asian multi-sport tournament) were held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang. For the first time in the games’ history, esports were included among the various sporting events. As China took home two gold medals, and esports made their debut, many Chinese, and gamers around the world, were eager to watch the tournament. Unfortunately, many fans could not because state-run media, CCTV, did not broadcast the event. In turn, many Chinese citizens flocked to Twitch to watch the games, resulting in a massive spike in downloads for the streaming site.
Seemingly in response, and since yesterday, Twitch’s website has become inaccessible in China, and its app is no longer available in the country’s iOS App Store, suggesting that Chinese authorities deliberatly moved to censor the streaming service.
According to The Verge’s Shannon Liao, this block follows a regular pattern by Chinese censors who, as a precaution, will block Western media platforms that become too popular.
While Twitch has since confirmed the block in China, it has not provided any further details.
Other popular companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit have also run afoul of the Great Firewall of China. So far, Chinese authorities have not released any official statements.
[Source: BBC News]
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
