Thirty-six online gaming companies will be investigated for providing pornographic, violent or gambling-related content, the China's Ministry of Culture announced on Monday in Beijing.
The ministry said that the companies were found to be in violation of content regulations during a recent sweep of the online games market that began on September 28, during which 200 companies were inspected at random.
Companies licensed to operate online gaming platforms have continued to increase by 39 percent annually over the past nine consecutive years, Chen Tong, director of the ministry's Market Department, said at the Monday announcement.
Chen added that online games are considered part of China's culture market and play an essential part in spreading culture.
According to Chen, the ministry has plans to establish a national evaluation system to oversee online games, as well as provide increased training for online game developers to help familiarize them with regulations concerning content.
