WoW, this game has no skeletons

WoW, this game has no skeletons

Bones and skeletons have disappeared from the Chinese version of the popular online fantasy game, World of Warcraft (WoW), sparking fierce criticism from the nation's army of players.
Chinese mainland gamers have waited half a year longer than their US counterparts for the upgraded version of the WoW, only to find the appearances of familiar skeletal characters have been fleshed out.
The skeletons, regular characters, grow flesh in the new version and the bones symbolizing dead characters have been changed to graves.
A staff with the public relations department of The9, which runs WoW in China, was quoted by the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily as saying the changes were made according to "China's particular situation and relevant regulations."
"It's to promote a healthy and harmonious online environment," the anonymous staff said, according to the newspaper.
However, Zhao Yurun, public relations director of The9, scoffed at the explanation in a talk with Xinhua, saying the changes were made as part of an "operational strategy."
He said the company updated the game seven to eight times each year, adding patches that required no government approval to the original version.
However, he said the changes in the latest version were the foundations for the first official expansion of WoW, "The Burning Crusade," which was awaiting approval from the State Press and Publication Administration (SPPA) and is expected to be released this summer.
"We hope the expansion pack will successfully get the approval in acknowledgement of the self-discipline of our company," Zhao said.
Wang Guoqing, director with the SPPA Video, Electronics and Internet Publication Management Department, said, "The Burning Crusade" was still under consideration of experts and she would not comment until a final decision was released.
The gamers thought the changes made the game dull and voiced their scorn on the official WoW Website, filling more than ten pages with criticism.
More than 500 gamers signed a post, announcing they would boycott the game.
"Why should we accept the so-called 'good appearance' without the opportunity of being consulted?" wrote player "Cai Xu."
"We don't need such harmony," wrote "Xue Linglong."
Wang Cong, a journalist who has played the game for two years, said he would continue to play, but "I just think it's funny to make such meaningless changes."
Zhao said the company had received no formal complaints from gamers, which should be delivered by letters or phone calls with the petitioners real names.
The monster-killing game, first launched by California-based Blizzard Entertainment in 2004, is one of the most popular online role-playing games involving multiple players. It has 8.5 million players worldwide, with over 3.5 million in China.