For a lot of students in the US and Europe, the first year in college signals a time of changes. If you're a Chinese online gamer entering college, however, your world just might flip over.

Chinese education authorities have taken notice of rampant delinquency among students hooked to online gaming. The incidents of students flunking subjects has reached very significant numbers, prompting academic institutions to act drastically.

Prominent institutions such as Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University have recently taken action in the form of a total ban on freshmen bringing computers with them. This is supposed to help them restrain themselves from all-night gaming sessions that cause them to neglect their academics.

Other institutions have taken similar action in the past, but the problem does not seem to die down amidst pressure against it. It has been noted that freshmen simply turn to internet cafe services for their gaming needs. Others resume the habit when they reach their sophomore years.

Internet addiction experts say that the academe should re-think its policies and try to address the root cause of the problems than trying to stop or delay the inevitable. Tao Hongkai, one such expert, says that educators should try to motivate their pupils to get over their addictions rather than try to curtail their fixes on their vices.

Several hours ago, we reported that Electronic Arts had agreed to buy a 19 percent stake in The9 Ltd. for about US$ 200 million. The9 is currently mainland China's exclusive distributor of Blizzard's World of Warcraft MMORPG, with this deal (according to Shanghai Securities News) giving the Shanghai-based company further rights to EA's FIFA Online game.

That is, if this report had been confirmed.

EA spokesman Jeff Brown has just stepped out into the open to announce that contrary to reports from publications like the Shanghai Securities News, EA had not entered into any business dealings of the sort. "There is no signed agreement with The9," Brown said, further commenting that EA did not comment on rumors and speculation like this. Given that this is all EA has to say at the moment, we'll let the readers know in case we run into more clarifications on this whole matter.

Mike Musgrove of the Washington Post admits that he doesn't get World of Warcraft. He claims that although he's tried to like the game because all of his acquaintances - sister-in-law included - are into the game, he just can't seem to play into the wee hours. His solution? Hire other folks to do the grunt work for him.

Yep, Musgrove has a report that takes a look, a newbie guide if you will, to the murky world of outsourcing and power-leveling services in World of Warcraft. Known companies like Shanghai-based IGE (the largest outsourcing one around) are looked at, and Blizzard Entertainment's problems with power-leveling services are looked at.

It's a "welcome to the Internetz!" type article; Up on Washington Post so that elder folks can get clued in on what you young'uns (and young-at-heart) are doing with all your free time.

The argument for power-leveling services? Here's IGE's chief operation officer, James Clarke:

The practice is analogous to someone who maintains a beautiful garden but doesn't always have enough time to perform all the yard work himself, and therefore hires a gardener. ...Some purists might call hiring a gardener 'cheating,' but we believe most people are quite comfortable with it.

Yeah, that argument. Not only is it a service, it's the livelihood of thousands of underpaid third-world gamers who'd rather get (under)paid to improve some idiot's Paladin than have to push some papers, mop floors, or make coffee.

The end of the tale? Musgrove got his character back after spending US$ 24. His character, Johnmullet is now Level 20, he's now enjoying the game with his family. Thing is, he's now wondering if he'd enjoy the game more if he spent a bit more than 24 bucks.

If you're curious about his adventures into having underpaid third-world gold-farmers improve his in-game ego, feel free to read Musgrove's entire report via our "read" link below. Oh, and before we go, just one thing: Musgrove who's character is in the Ursin server, is looking to get rid of his gear before Blizzard shuts him down for violating their terms of service.

"A Game Developers Conference in China is long overdue," said Hugo Shong, President and CEO of IDG Asia. "At long last, there will be an opportunity for Asian and Western game makers to discover everything that the Chinese game market has to offer."

Yes folks, the GDC is coming to China. CMP Technology, the people behind the GDC, have partnered with IDG to produce GDC China. The inaugural event, featuring content programmed by an advisory board consisting of local Chinese developers who share a commitment to promote and support their country's game industry, is set to take place August 27 to 29 in Shanghai.

The most telling difference between GDC China and the original GDC is that GDC China will be produced "by China, for China," offering unique learning, sharing and networking opportunities for the Chinese market, and those looking for a vertical reach into that market.

"GDC is about connecting the worldwide game development community, but it has become more and more apparent to us that certain markets require a unique, specialized experience," said Meggan Scavio, Senior Conference Manager of CMP's Game Developers Conference. "The local developers on the GDC China advisory board hope to make that experience a reality and give the burgeoning Chinese market an infusion of creative ideas and strategic partnerships."

Thanks to revenue from Blizzard's World of Warcraft, Shanghai-based online game operator The9 Limited has reported a 54% rise in its net income for the fourth quarter. The company reported net revenues of US$ 36.2 million in the fourth quarter, a 21% increase from the third quarter of 2006 and a 54% increase from the previous fiscal year.

Of its net Q4 revenues, The9 attributed US$ 36.1 million to its operation of WoW, which recorded peak and average concurrent user numbers of 680,000 and 340,000, respectively, in the fourth quarter. This includes revenue from game-playing time, merchandise and installation package sales. The9 began operating the game in mainland China two years ago.

Based on the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the epic fantasy MMORPG, Kingdom of Warriors will headline WEBZEN Inc. which is about to showcase a number of exciting MMORPG titles at China's largest entertainment software show, ChinaJoy, on July 28-30.

Kingdom of Warriors is being developed to attract the rapidly growing Chinese online gaming market. It has been in the top five most anticipated games consistently, as compiled by respected Chinese website 17173.com

"I'm thrilled that our online games, including Kingdom of Warriors, have received such a great response from Chinese gamers and the local press," said Nam Ju Kim. "WEBZEN plans on stepping up its brand awareness in China through this year's ChinaJoy, and solidifying its image as a global brand in the local market." He is also slated to give a specila presentation at the convention on July 27, 2006, will cover successful global strategies for video game companies.

The much-anticipated massively multiplayer online first-person shooter Huxley and Project Wiki, a casual fairy tale based MMORPG with intense levels of cooperative interaction, will also be showcased alongside Kingdom of Warriors.

WEBZEN invites everyone to drop by their booth and give Kingdom of Warriors a try. They are located in the center's main exhibition area, Hall 1, at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).