BEJING - Internet game players in China exceeded 120 million in 2010, up 37 percent year on year, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Culture.

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Meanwhile, the country's online gaming market last year grew by 26 percent to 34.9 billion yuan ($5.3 billion), according to a report entitled "2010 China Online Game Market Report."

Noting the market's comparatively slow growth in the past two years, the report said that the booming number of online game users showed that the market was still developing.

Further, Chinese-made online games saw high exports last year, with overseas revenues of nearly $230 million, up 116 percent year on year, said the report.

This year, the Ministry of Culture will strengthen the protection of minors and implement a self-checking system for online game operators in a bid to regulate the online game market, according to an unnamed official with the ministry.