This week’s video game community uproar was caused by an anthropomorphic monkey and a campaign against “feminist propaganda” after the most popular Chinese game ever released.
A list of themes to avoid while livestreaming the game, including “feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse,” was issued by the company behind Black Myth: Wukong, which infuriated a lot of gamers.
Even yet, in the twenty-four hours following its launch on Tuesday, it surpassed 2.1 million concurrent players and sold over 4.5 million copies to become the second most played game ever on the streaming service Steam. Based on the beloved 16th-century Chinese epic Journey to the West, the game is regarded as a unique instance of Chinese legends being televised in popular media on an international stage.
What is Black Myth about?
In the action game Black Myth: Wukong, players assume control of “the Destined One,” an anthropomorphic monkey endowed with superhuman abilities.
The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, is a pivotal figure in Journey to the West and the inspiration for The Destined One.
That book, which is regarded as one of the best in Chinese literature, extensively incorporates mythology from China, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Numerous worldwide motion pictures, television programs, and animated cartoons have drawn inspiration from it, such as the well-known Japanese anime series Dragon Ball Z and the 2008 Chinese-American fantasy film The Forbidden Kingdom.
Why is Black Myth such a huge hit?
Black Myth, which was first teased with great success in August 2020, finally made its debut on Tuesday after four years of waiting. It is the first AAA title—usually reserved for high-profile, big-budget video games from major publishers—to be released in the Chinese video game market.
Its success has been largely attributed to its intelligent game design, high-end visuals, and intense marketing. China has the largest gaming community in the world.
Haiqing Yu, an Australian professor at RMIT University who specializes in the sociopolitical and economic effects of China’s digital media, told the BBC that the game isn’t solely aimed at the Chinese market or the Chinese-speaking community. “A Chinese cultural component is incorporated into a game that players play all over the world.”
This has grown to be a major source of pride for the nation. The Shanxi Province Department of Culture and travel, which oversees many of the game’s locations and set pieces, unveiled a film on Tuesday showcasing the real-world sights, sparking a travel boom known as “Wukong Travel.”
Following the release of Black Myth, videos were uploaded to TikTok featuring tourists swarming the game’s temples and shrines—what one X user called a “successful example of cultural rediscovery”.
Black Myth, according to Niko Partners, a business that studies and analyzes Asian video game industries and consumers, “helps showcase Chinese mythology, traditions, culture, and real-life locations in China to the world.”
Why has it sparked controversy?
A company connected to Black Myth’s developer sent a list of things to avoid discussing while livestreaming the game, according to some content creators and streamers. The list included things like “feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse.”
Although the exact meaning of “feminist propaganda” remains unclear, a widely shared report by the video game journal IGN in November claimed that staff members of Game Science, the studio that created Black Myth, had a history of acting in a sexist and improper manner.
The list, which has been extensively circulated on social media and YouTube, also contained themes like politics, Covid-19, and China’s rules regarding the video game industry that were labeled as “Don’ts.” Co-publisher Hero Games issued the directive, which has sparked debate outside of China.
Because they believed the game’s makers were attempting to restrict discourse and restrict free speech, a number of content producers declined to review the game.
Some opted to disobey the warnings outright. “Covid-19 Isolation Taiwan (Is a Real Country) Feminism Propaganda” is the title of a Twitch stream that one creator, Moonmoon, started. While playing the game, Rui Zhong, another streamer, talked about China’s one-child policy on camera.
Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, suspended 138 individuals on Thursday for allegedly breaking the rules while talking about Black Myth.
Some of the banned Weibo users were “deviating from discussing the game itself but instead using it as a platform for spreading ‘gender opposition,’ ‘personal attacks,’ and other irrational comments,” according to an article on the state-run Global Times news website.
Has this affected the game’s success?
Black Myth has received an overwhelmingly positive review, despite the controversy garnering a lot of attention in foreign media and online.
Within 24 hours after its debut, 4.5 million more copies of the game were sold, bringing in $53 million from presales alone. It shattered the record for the most-played single-player game ever made available on Steam in the same amount of time.
Numerous comments are praising the game’s success on websites like Weibo, Reddit, YouTube, and others. There are others who argue that the impact of the issues surrounding the game’s release has been exaggerated. Black Myth is a “industry and overall market success,” according to Ms. Yu, who concurred.
“It is inevitable for discussions about Chinese digital media and communication platforms to touch on the subject of censorship,” the speaker stated. “Black Myth is a prime example of how to effectively convey the Chinese narrative and increase Chinese cultural influence around the world. There doesn’t appear to be any censoring.
She also noted that it was doubtful that Chinese authorities themselves had made any of the apparent attempts to control or censor what reviewers said. Ms. Yu proposed that the list of “Dos” and “Don’ts” was more likely to have originated from a business attempting to stay out of trouble.
“The corporation notifies the central government so that it can say, ‘Look, I already told them,’ if any representatives of the government stop by to speak with us. I have no power to prevent anyone from expressing their opinions.
She said, “They’ve basically covered their own ass, to use the colloquial term.” “In my opinion, it’s more of a politically correct ploy to appease the Chinese censors than a genuine directive from the top down.”
