A screen grab of Shenwu, a game produced by Guangzhou Duoyi Network Technology Co Ltd.

Online characters must follow one-child policy

Authorities have demanded that online games should abide by "family planning policies": that if a character has a second child, he or she should pay virtual "social compensation fees", a fine levied on people who are not allowed to but have more than one child in China.

Once Xu Youzhen, head of Guangzhou Duoyi Network Technology Co Ltd posted this information on social networking site Sina Weibo, and it generated a huge online discussion.

"Will a female character get maternity leave after having a baby?" "When can game characters use health insurance cards to buy over-the-counter medicines?" asked some web users sardonically.

In our next story: woman returns Taobao fakes to JD.com.