Research On Chinese Newspaper Coverage Of Online Game Players

Online Games have always been a controversial topic in China.Since the beginning of 20 th century,online game industry has made a great contribution to the growth of China’s economy.On the contrary,the effect of violent and pornographic contents of online games has been widely criticized.The great contrast between market value and reputation has been a unique phenomenon of the developing process of online games.Online game players have also been a special group which draws extensive public attention.Through the analysis of Chinese newspaper coverage of online game players from 2000 to 2016,this study explored the image construction of online game players on the perspective of news framing and make constructive suggestions on objective reporting of online game players for Chinese media industry.Results show that Chinese newspaper coverage of online game players focused on negative reports of criminal issues,game behavior issues and health issues.The findings show diachronic changes of the media image of online game adolescent players,which indicates the interaction between mass media and social changes.There are some problems in Chinese newspaper coverage of online game adolescent players,such as the use of sensational words,dramatic themes and the deprivation of the narratives of online game adolescent players,which can be harmful to a balanced and rational view of this group.News framing of newspaper coverage of online game players was influenced by economic factors,political factors and cultural factors.Findings of this study provide insight for media practitioners on the reporting practice of Chinese online game players.