Chinese video games showcase cultural diversity on world stage

Nation's online exports seen as way to break through time and space, culturally, Hou Chenchen reports.

In the heart of Chang'an, the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a young strategist navigates challenges not with brute force, but through the delicate placement of black and white stone chess pieces on a weiqi board.

Yet this is no ordinary chess match: the protagonist, Yi Xing, a hero from blockbuster mobile game Honor of Kings, uses the ancient Chinese game of strategy and wisdom to unravel dilemmas in a meticulously reimagined Tang Dynasty metropolis, blending Eastern aesthetics with animated storytelling.

This arresting scene opens the eighth episode of Secret Level, produced by Blur Studio, which is the world-famous production company behind Love, Death & Robots. In collaboration with Tencent team, the episode immerses viewers in a world where architecture, costumes, and cultural motifs mirror the splendor of historical Chang'an. Beyond its visual grandeur, the narrative leans into Yi Xing's distinctly Eastern traits: restraint, resilience, and quiet inner strength.

"Our overseas partners suggested designing dominoes as mahjong tiles — a creative fusion of East and West," one of the Tencent team producers who preferred anonymity said.

Central to the story is the insistence on cultural authenticity: the term weiqi is used instead of "Go", correcting a historical oversight. "While 'Go' spread globally via Japan, its origin is Chinese. Calling Yi Xing a 'Weiqi player' reclaims that legacy," the team producer said.

Global audiences have responded enthusiastically to the episode, with comments from YouTube like, "This might be my new favorite …such a good story", and "It is time to research Honor of Kings".

For the Secret Level executive producer Dave Wilson, it's a validation of their mission: weaving Chinese heritage into universal narratives, one animated stone at a time.

This is not the first time an original Chinese game IP has gained global attention. The game Black Myth: Wukong of Chinese company Game Science came out last August, blending cutting-edge graphics with a cultural foundation rooted in China's classic novel Journey to the West. The game sold over 10 million copies within just four days of its launch, amassing over 270,000 reviews on Steam, with 96 percent of players giving it high praise.

Similarly, Genshin Impact of MiHoYo, a Chinese game developer, has incorporated Chinese mythology elements, such as celestial beings and traditional landscapes, into its soundtrack Devastation and Redemption, which has been played over 31 million times on Bilibili and 10 million times on YouTube, captivating global audiences with its unique cultural charm.

Another hit title of MiHoYo, Honkai series, has gained widespread recognition and been awarded the best mobile game by Google Play and ranked among the top five and top 10 grossing games on Japan's and the United States' app store charts, respectively.

According to a gaming research, consulting, and advisory firm Naavik, China became the world's largest mobile gaming market in 2016, and as of February 2025, over 50 percent of Steam's player-base uses Chinese as the client language, making China's share of the largest PC gaming audience ever larger.

China has steadily become the largest domestic market for gaming — first in mobile, then in PC.

Internationally, Chinese exports have consistently grown market share — again, first in mobile, and then in PC and console. According to the 2024 China Game Industry Report, the overseas revenue of Chinese-developed games reached $18.557 billion, marking a 13.39-percent year-on-year increase.

Bridging cultural gaps

Riding on the vigorous development of the digital boom, China's gaming industry is increasingly capturing the attention of the global market with Chinese culture, which provides significant spiritual connotations and background content support, also stepping onto the world stage, Xinhua said.

Industry analysts believe that in the current context of increasingly frequent cultural development and civilization exchanges, digitalization has provided an efficient method of popularization, and games are one of the important media that help cultures break through time and space.

The Secret Level executive producer Wilson said, "The thing I love about ... is that we are not just representing the diversity of various games, but we are also representing the diversity of culture."

Localization is also a crucial factor in reaching diverse global markets. To adapt games for different cultural contexts, Chinese developers have invested heavily in technical and content adjustments.

Finding a balance between authentically showcasing Chinese culture and catering to the preferences of global players will be the next step for Chinese game developers as they continue their expansion into international markets, game developers and scholars said.

Shui Mu, a technical lead for Love and Deepspace, a game developed by Chinese video game company Papergames, says that to address the challenge of lip-syncing of game characters across multiple languages, the company scanned millions of frames from over 30 actors across different native languages and independently developed a proprietary "lip-sync generation system".

For the international version of Honor of Kings, the hero Zhou Yu was renamed Ignis, derived from the Latin word for "fire", making it easier for Western players to associate the character with his special spells.

"The dual logic behind the success of Chinese games overseas lies in excellent traditional Chinese culture and a globalist mindset. These factors have underpinned various competitive strategies and contributed to the industry's global expansion." He Wei, professor at Beijing Normal University, said this in his research paper.

Sun Jiashan, associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, pointed out that cultural differences in various regions can lead to challenges in deep localization. In some cases, what may seem like a clever design or adaptation could actually trigger misunderstandings among local players due to historical, cultural, or religious sensitivities.

However, cultural and value differences remain a significant consideration for game designers. The Tencent game producer said in the storyline design, the team encountered clear contrasts between Eastern and Western values. The overseas team initially favored a deterministic ending, but they wanted to highlight the power of free choice through Yi Xing's journey.

Our goal "was to present the Chinese philosophical idea that 'human will can triumph over fate' to a global audience," she said.

Zhao Hairuo contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at houchenchen@chinadaily.com.cn.