WebProNews

China has banned websites that feature online games, which glamorize violence, saying violators will be "severely punished," state media said on Tuesday.

China's Ministry of Culture said such games violated regulation on Internet administration, because they "advocate obscenity, gambling, or violence," and "undermine morality and Chinese traditional culture," a posting on the ministry's website said.

"These games encourage people to deceive, loot and kill, and glorify gangsters' lives. It has a bad influence on youngsters," the posting read.

Officials will beef up their control over "cultural content" on the Internet the ministry said. The ban on websites hosting violent video games starts immediately.

"The ministry ordered its law enforcement bodies to step up oversight and harshly punish those sites that continue to run such games," but did not specify the punishment.

The online game industry in China is on track to grow between 30 and 50 percent this year, with sales revenue of $3.5 billion.

China has about 200 million people who play online games and over 300 million Internet users, the largest number in the world.

China has a long history of cracking down on websites it considers to be "vulgar" and its censorship system is known as the "Great Firewall of China."