Homegrown games revive glamour of Chinese traditional culture

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- After an early-morning train ride, Jiang Han, dressed in traditional Chinese attire, joined a long queue at the 21st China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy 2024) in Shanghai, eager to craft her own ancient-style lacquered fan at the "Wuhua Mixin" game booth.

The young game enthusiast, hailing from the nearby city of Nanjing, has not missed a single ChinaJoy since 2018.

"As a trend-setting event in the world of animation and gaming, ChinaJoy now showcases an increasing number of innovative displays of traditional culture. I just had to come and see it for myself," Jiang said.

The "Wuhua Mixin" booth that attracted Jiang to this year's ChinaJoy features a game where players collect gems of Chinese cultural heritage, including traditional painting, calligraphy, poetry, porcelain and embroidery. "The game is like a mobile museum, offering both entertainment and an opportunity to learn about history," said Jiang.

Developed by the online video-streaming platform Bilibili, the game has quickly garnered over 5 million sign-ups since its launch in April.

"Wuhua Mixin" was not the only entertainment product showcasing the allure of traditional Chinese culture at this year's ChinaJoy. In the demonstration zone for the 2024 China Game Innovation Awards, "The Bustling World," an open-world role-playing game, captivated many visitors, including a student surnamed Yi from Donghua University in Shanghai.

"The Bustling World" offers nearly 2,000 types of architectural components, allowing players to recreate a wide range of ancient Chinese structures. It also provides almost 1,000 options for decorating these structures, including ancient furniture, lamps, vases, paintings and calligraphy.

"I can see how the gaming industry intertwines with traditional culture to blend virtual and real-world experiences and create new cultural symbols. This insight has greatly inspired me for my final thesis on a similar topic," Yi said.

The boom of indigenous games inspired by traditional culture occurs against the backdrop of China's burgeoning game industry and people's growing consciousness to carry forward the country's rich cultural heritage.

According to an industry report, in the first half of 2024, the sales revenue of the domestic gaming market reached 147.3 billion yuan (about 20 billion U.S. dollars), up 2.08 percent year on year, with the number of users in China reaching a record high of 674 million.

Building on this momentum, domestic game developers are fueling a growing global interest in Chinese culture by incorporating traditional themes, such as Wuxia -- or martial arts chivalry -- into their creations.

One notable example is "Naraka: Bladepoint," an action game developed by 24 Entertainment, a subsidiary studio of Chinese gaming heavyweight NetEase.

Based on the sage of chivalrous warriors, the game features ancient weapons, scenes and character roles with traditional outfit designs. Players can switch to customized in-game looks based on ancient folklore "Legend of White Snakes" or the traditional costumes of the She ethnic group powered by cutting-edge technologies like 3D scanning.

According to its developer, "Naraka: Bladepoint" has attracted over 40 million players from more than 160 countries and regions in the world, including the United States, Vietnam, and Japan.

"Black Myth: Wukong," scheduled for release on Aug. 20, is another Chinese game that has made a splash among gaming communities worldwide with a series of trailers and hands-on previews.

Inspired by Journey to the West, one of China's ancient literature classics, the third-person action game features Sun Wukong, also known as Monkey King, as its main character, and showcases a variety of traditional architecture, costumes and cultural elements.

Within three days after its pre-sales began in June, "Black Myth: Wukong" broke the 100-million-yuan mark, making it one of the most popular games on platforms such as Steam and WeGame.

Observers believe that by blending traditional Eastern aesthetics with modern video game technology, "Black Myth: Wukong" will offer game players around the world a unique opportunity to explore and appreciate China's rich history and cultural heritage.