Science & TechNewsChina is banning same-sex relationships in video gamesThe homophobic regulations are part of a wider crackdown on gamingShareLink copied ✔️October 5, 2021Science & TechNewsTextSofia Mahirova China is further clamping down on its video game restrictions by banning in-game portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters and relationships. According to a new government memo acquired by the South China Morning Post, the country has laid out new regulations for video games stating that any “effeminate” male characters, established queer relationships, and characters with “no clear gender” are banned. “If regulators can’t tell the character’s gender immediately, the setting of the characters could be considered problematic and red flags will be raised,” it said. Subsequently, games that give players an option to be a good or an evil character have been deemed as inappropriate. The ban also includes any games that “deliberately provoke controversy” within their plot or gameplay. The new guidelines come as part of a wider government crackdown on gaming. Last month, a law came under effect banning under-18s from playing online games for more than three hours a week. Previously, the country banned the sale of Animal Crossing after activists took to the game as part of the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MORECould the iPhone 15 Pro kill the video game console?Is Atlantis resurfacing? Unpacking the internet’s latest big conspiracyElon Musk’s Neuralink has reportedly killed 1,500 animals in four yearsCould sex for procreation soon be obsolete?Here are all the ways you can spot fake news on TikTokWhy these meme admins locked themselves to Instagram’s HQ Why did this chess-playing robot break a child’s finger?Twitter and Elon Musk are now officially at warAre we heading for a digital amnesia epidemic?Deepfake porn could soon be illegalMeet Oseanworld, the internet artist tearing up the metaverse rulebookThe worlds of technology and magic are closer than you think