The seventh "China Digital Entertainment Summit Forum" was held on July 22 in Shanghai. Sun Shoushan, vice director of the General Administration of Press and Publications, disclosed during the forum that the total income of China's online gaming industry in the first quarter of 2009 hit 5.51 billion yuan, up 8.3 percent from the previous quarter. The actual sales income of China's online gaming industry in 2009 is expected to increase by between 30 and 50 percent, reaching between 24 and 27 billion yuan. The industry will bring a direct income of around 67 billion yuan to related industries such as the telecommunications, IT and other industries.

Since the publication and operation of China's first online game in 2000, the online gaming industry developed rapidly over 10 years. Sun said that according to the "Report on China's Gaming Industry 2008," the actual sales income of the industry in 2008 reached 18.38 billion yuan, up 76.6 percent year-on-year. It significantly surpassed the income for the three traditional entertainment industries including film, TV shows and audio-video products.

By People's Daily Online

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2009-07/23/content_302746.htm