Richard Aioshi's Free Zone returns this week as the MMORPG.com columnist discusses important F2P game shows and laments the lack of Western media coverage.

Are you aware that ChinaJoy took place a few weeks ago? Do you know what it is? I'd venture to say that a great many western gamers are unaware of this annual event, which happens to be a highly significant one for companies involved in the free to play space, and for those of us who try to track it with a global perspective.

ChinaJoy is a game show that includes both consumer and trade portions. It's huge. Compared to the most similar events in North America, attendance is far greater, and many more companies participate. A lot more titles are shown, most of which are F2P. And unless you've actively searched for coverage, there's a pretty good chance you haven't seen any.

Read Out of Sight, Out of Mind III: ChinaJoy

I along with many other Americans had no Idea as you said.  About the time E3 came out I got to thinking about other gaming events around the world.

I knew about PAX and Gamescom, but what else was out there so I started scouring the internet for info. Low and beehold I found out about Chinajoy. One game in particular Being made by Snail Game called 

Jiu Yin Zhen Jing    Translated as best I can. Nine Yin True Classic) aka Nine Yin Manual

The reason I know the name is because the manual  is also mentioned in the Condor Hero Trilogy.

I'm watching this one hoping it gets a North American release sometime in the future along with other known titles like Mabinogi Heroes  and Blade and Soul.

As for China joy I will definatly be looking for it next year along with the others.

Until they start doing subscription games this event will be a nonentity for the western crowd.  F2P is still a dirty word over here.

The problem with F2P games is that they can't resist putting items that effect gameplay in the item shop, hence dooming the game to those players who would rather just throw money at it. 

ChinaJoy is of no importance to the western world cause theres simply not enough good f2p games out there, besides Perfect World, Runes of Magic, Free Realms and Atlantica Online the quality quickly deteriorates into the same old hack n slash grindalicious cash shop game.

Year after year its been proven that f2p is still something the western gamers laugh about, dont take serious or even hate.

I can only see casual games with a f2p model become something to deal with, with casual i mean a game u only want to play a few hours a week/month, so nothing serious or challenging.

As a western player, i was aware of it. I was also aware that only approved game companies could attend.

I have to confess, I had never heard of ChnaJoy until story.

Still not sure I care though, and probably won't until I play a game made in China that I really enjoy.

The quality is getting better, so I'm sure one day it will happen.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Until they start doing subscription games this event will be a nonentity for the western crowd.  F2P is still a dirty word over here.

The problem with F2P games is that they can't resist putting items that effect gameplay in the item shop, hence dooming the game to those players who would rather just throw money at it. 

 

your wrong ,9/10 player would play those game if they just putted green arrow where we need to go to register etc they dont even need to write in english but there so much writing its confusing ,or just make the place where you need to go to register and download glow  or something lol

now you see where login is but not where we register then download

On the one hand yes I would have liked to see any coverage of this Chinajoy, especially if there were some noteworthy titles that might offer something new to the F2P mix. As far as I'm concerned as long as new games are coming to market then any news is good news.

On the other hand, as a westerner, I am sure there are tradeshows from all around the world being held on subjects I'm interested in that not only will I miss out on, but I'll never even know they exist.

So the question is will I be more sad knowing that I missed out on something I didn't even know existed or will I be happier in my ignorance? Probably the latter...

I'm scared of any game coming out of china, I know some how they will find a way to give me lead poisoning over the internet! That and the f2p  Asian grinders are poorly done, pathetic and boring.  I'd say I have no idea how they make money in asian markets but after playing shadowbane after the CN takeover it is quite obvious. 

In shadowbane CN teamed up and took over entire servers, not fighting each other at all. Once they successfully eradicated anyone that was remotely interested in balanced PvP, they hit the mobs and hit them hard. Pointlessly grinding and farming for no reason, no end game.... just for the sake of killing outdated pixels that lacked any form of decent AI. Why? I have no idea, the best gear in game was easy enough to obtain, there were limits on the max gold you could carry and in your bank inventory. I always joked around that when CN dueled each other they simply compared their bank vaults across numerous accounts that needed to hold everything they spent weeks farming as there was literally nothing else to do with any of it. So the person with the highest amount of worthless crap won the duel and the other person went back to farming on a dead server of a dieing game.

That is the Asian mentality and the content of the f2p games highlights it exactly. It also explains why they make the best gold farmers in the games westerners like playing. They get sick pleasure out of doing something mind numbingly boring, they do it anyways, they pay to do it, well as a gold farmer they are paid to do it!

Sorry being new to the MMO world, I have but one queston thats been on my mind for over 8 years. What country made the first MMO?

And yes I'm American, so no what happens in Chinas gaming world means nothing to me. Thay can keep all the FREE to plays thay want.

O and whats better than that is this.

If it did matter what thay did in China, the hole gaming world would be Free to Play....with no skeletons in it...LOL

uhm, dude, I hate to tell you this, but lots of other sites give ChinaJoy a ton of coverage.  Maybe your writing for the wrong site.

~nox

Originally posted by Kyleran

I have to confess, I had never heard of ChnaJoy until story.

Still not sure I care though, and probably won't until I play a game made in China that I really enjoy.

The quality is getting better, so I'm sure one day it will happen.

 

you wont ,for them in asia ,usa is a small market they know we dont really like the rmt style they use

and for them out there ,its so popular it insane for good reason in that part of the world alone there 1300 million people 

say just 5 % play mmo it still a 60 million market just for mmo

they would never get thqat here.some try but most stay in asia so they say you want to play our game come to our server

i just wish the sign in and the register were shown in english 

i dont care for most once in game but at least to enter the game it should be writen bot english and their native tong