The emergence of digital content ecosystems in China

ICTs have been at the core of the Chinese economy’s growth, and have enabled the birth and development of robust Internet companies. In the early 2000s, these companies started to provide an array of services, of which videogames were the leading and most popular ones. They also ushered in some innovative business models, such as “freemium” games and virtual items and gifts. After their mobile turn, they morphed into platforms delivering constellations of apps and digital content. IT companies have recently been making moves outside their home market, in search of new growth opportunities. This paper offers a history of the Chinese video game market (market structure, players, etc.), stressing the specific combination of parameters that characterizes this market and accounts for its growth. Focusing on the role of local content (localization) and of uses (communities), it reveals how mobiles and videogames have been key for the setting up of an all-encompassing digital content ecosystem in China.