Frenzy over China's "Black Myth" game ignites growth in multiple industries

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Following the debut of China's hit game "Black Myth: Wukong," a seasoned gamer from Shanghai bought himself a two-meter-long "golden cudgel," the iconic weapon wielded by Wukong, who is better known in English as the legendary Monkey King.

The "golden cudgel," now a popular item on e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Tmall, is claimed to be an accurate replica of the prop from the game. According to the gamer, it weighs over five kilograms and is priced at nearly 3,000 yuan (about 422 U.S. dollars).

"It's well worth the money. After all, it's not technically easy to make the exact product as in the game," said the gamer in a social media post.

Since its debut on Aug. 20, the China-made action role-playing game inspired by Wu Cheng'en's iconic 16th-century novel, "Journey to the West," has not only captivated the gaming world but also created a "black myth" effect across several related industries.

During the week around Wukong's release, sales of home video game consoles on Tmall surged over 80 percent compared to the previous year. Other gadgets, including computer processors, keyboards, mice and headphones, also saw significant increases in sales. Even stock prices and valuations of related businesses were pushed higher.

The game has also inspired players to visit real-world locations depicted in its settings, particularly the meticulously recreated historical sites and ancient architecture. North China's Shanxi Province, which features many of the game's filming locations, has seen a surge in visitors eager to "follow in the footsteps of Wukong."

According to online travel platform Fliggy, on the day of the game's release, tourism interest in Shanxi doubled compared to the previous month. Sites like Yuhuang Temple, Chongfu Temple and Tiefo Temple, featured in the game, saw a surge in popularity.

Wang Zhenjun, director of the cultural industry research center at Zhengzhou University, attributed the successful crossover development in the cultural industry to flourishing digital technologies, the internet and new media.

"Young consumers have increasingly diverse demands for cultural products and focus on cultural significance and emotional value over mere functionality," Wang said.

Considered the first Chinese-developed "Triple-A" title, "Black Myth: Wukong" allows players to step into the role of Sun Wukong as they embark on an epic journey to vanquish a host of formidable monsters. The title topped the "most-played games" list on Steam, a leading gaming platform, merely an hour after its debut. Within three days, over 10 million copies were sold across all platforms.

Triple-A video games are to the gaming world what blockbusters are to the film industry. They signify high-budget, high-profile games that are typically produced and distributed by large, well-known publishers.

Cai Shangwei, director of the cultural industry research center at Sichuan University, suggested China's cultural industry further integrate with the real economy, citing the sci-fi industry as a successful example in this regard.

Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has established a comprehensive sci-fi industrial chain, covering over 1,000 businesses involved in publishing, film and television, games and related gear. From 2018 to 2022, the city's sci-fi industry generated total revenue of 127.63 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 19.11 percent.

"Besides pure consumption of cultural content, developing peripheral products is an effective way to boost sales and expand profits," Cai said.