China gamers rattled over 'WoW' skeletons

Chinese mainland gamers have waited half a year longer than their U.S. counterparts for the upgraded version of WoW, only to find that some of the game's regular characters who in the past have appeared as skeletons are now fleshed out.

A staff member in the public relations department of The9, which runs WoW in China, was quoted by a Guangzhou-based newspaper as saying the changes were made according to "China's particular situation and relevant regulations."

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"It's to promote a healthy and harmonious online environment," the anonymous staff member said.

However, Zhao Yurun, public relations director of The9, told Xinhua the changes were made as part of an "operational strategy."

Some gamers thought the changes made the game dull and made their feelings known on the official WoW Web site, filling more than 10 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?" Xinhua quoted one player, going by the name "Cai Xu," as saying.

"We don't need such harmony," wrote another, signing his comment "Xue Linglong."

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.

China has urged Internet companies to clean up Web sites and offer only legal and "healthy" content. In April, China announced a new campaign against Internet pornography that would also take aim at fraud, illegal lotteries and "rumor-spreading" to protect the country's mainly young Internet users from "negative online influences."