Real-name rule won't impact game firms

BEIJING - The Chinese government's recent regulation that requires online game players to register with their real names will not have a great impact on Chinese online game vendors, as many of them have already adopted similar requirements in daily operations.

But experts said the regulation's ban on some features such as gambling may hurt their business in the short term.

The Ministry of Culture issued a regulation on Tuesday that requires online game players to register using their real name. The regulation, which will take effect on Aug 1, applies to all multiplayer role-playing games and social networking games.