JULY 31, 2010 • As of June 2010, the number of Internet users in China climbed to 420 million, compared to 384 million at the end of last year, according to a report from the China Internet Network Information Center. China’s Internet penetration rate was 31.8% on June 30.

Impact: Internet access in China is highly centralized, but that is changing fast. The Chinese government is encouraging infrastructure stimulus in a big way, and fast connections are a major part of that process. Even now, China Telecom and China Unicom account for 20% of all broadband subscribers in the world. As more consumers get broadband connections, the potential for online gaming will go from huge to astronomical.