By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
A Stunning Yet Polarizing Take on Chinese Mythology Captures Worldwide Attention
The release of "Black Myth: Wukong," the most successful Chinese video game to date, has sparked widespread debate within the gaming community. The game, based on the classic 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West, became a sensation, quickly amassing over 2.1 million concurrent players and selling more than 4.5 million copies within 24 hours of its launch on the streaming platform Steam.
However, the game’s success was accompanied by controversy. The developers issued guidelines to content creators and streamers, advising them to avoid discussing topics such as “feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse” while livestreaming the game. This move was met with backlash from some players, who saw it as an attempt to censor discussion and stifle freedom of expression.
Despite the controversy, "Black Myth: Wukong" has been widely praised for its high end graphics, sophisticated gameplay, and for bringing Chinese cultural narratives to a global audience. The game is the first AAA release from China's video game industry, a title typically reserved for big budget productions from major companies.
The game’s storyline revolves around "The Destined One," an anthropomorphic monkey with supernatural powers, inspired by Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, a central character in Journey to the West. The novel is a cornerstone of Chinese literature, drawing from Chinese mythology and religious folklore.
"Black Myth: Wukong" is seen as a milestone for Chinese media, showcasing Chinese mythology and culture on the international stage. The game has even spurred a surge in tourism in Shanxi Province, where many of the game’s locations are based, with visitors flocking to real world sites featured in the game.
While the game’s release has been a major success, the controversy surrounding the developers’ guidelines has not gone unnoticed. Some content creators refused to review the game, while others openly defied the warnings during their livestreams. The controversy also led to the banning of 138 users on the Chinese social media platform Weibo for violating guidelines in their discussions about the game.
Despite the backlash, experts believe that the game’s success far outweighs the controversy. Haiqing Yu, a professor at Australia’s RMIT University, emphasized that "Black Myth" represents a significant achievement for the Chinese video game industry and its ability to tell Chinese stories to a global audience. She also suggested that the guidelines issued to streamers were likely a precautionary measure by the company to avoid potential issues with Chinese authorities, rather than a directive from the government itself.
In the end, "Black Myth: Wukong" stands as both a cultural triumph and a flashpoint for debate, highlighting the complex interplay between art, commerce, and politics in the global gaming industry.
