On August 20th, the first domestically produced "3A" game (referring to a game with high development costs, long development cycles, and excellent production - journalist's note) "Black Myth: Wukong" was officially released, which has been continuously attracting the attention of global netizens and players in the past two weeks, and has also provided a new way for global players to understand Chinese culture. On August 21st, when asked by foreign media reporters about this matter, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "Thank you for bringing me to this game. From the name, this game is based on the Chinese classical literature classic 'Journey to the West'. I think this also reflects the attractiveness of Chinese culture." Why 'Circle Fans' Global Players According to statistics, as of August 23rd, the sales of' Black Myth: Wukong 'on major gaming platforms have exceeded 10 million sets, with the highest simultaneous online number reaching 3 million people. Why is this game adapted from the classic Chinese literature novel "Journey to the West" favored by players worldwide? According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), high-end visual effects, intricate game design, and sufficient pre promotion all contributed to the success of "Black Myth: Wukong". Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao commented that Black Myth: Wukong is not only a game, but also the inheritance and innovation of Chinese traditional culture. The reporter saw on the foreign game live streaming platform Twitch that as of August 28th, there were 47000 followers under the tag of "Black Myth: Wukong", and game bloggers from all over the world were experiencing the "81 difficulties" in the immersive game. On the foreign social media platform Reddit, foreign players exchange many Chinese cultural details in the game that they do not understand, such as the meaning of "kasa", the background story of "Journey to the West", and the real Chinese historical sites in the game scenes. In addition, many foreign players have shown great interest in the presentation of a Shaanxi storytelling "intangible cultural heritage" in the game, stating that "although they cannot understand the specific content, the excellent game performance and the melody full of Chinese flavor make this song full of magic". Professor He Wei from the School of Arts and Media at Beijing Normal University and Vice Chairman of the Game Committee of the China Audio and Digital Association told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Net that the reason why "Black Myth: Wukong" has gained popularity is due to the excellent quality of the game itself, with realistic and detailed graphics and visual effects, rich character skills, exciting and outstanding action moves, and a thrilling combat atmosphere that support the core gameplay experience of the game. The content is rich and substantial; The second is the tremendous blessing of excellent traditional Chinese culture. The game is based on a large amount of scanned and replicated art materials from China's real cultural heritage, creating characters, props, and scenes with distinct styles and rich Chinese cultural flavor. In terms of plot, worldview construction, audio-visual gameplay, etc., it is infused with various unique forms of Chinese cultural art, adding cultural value and artistic charm to this game. In addition, He Wei also mentioned that this game belongs to the "buyout single player game" in terms of business model, and is an "action role-playing game (ARPG)" in terms of game genre. "These two fields are regarded as the" pearls on the crown of the game "by global players. For a long time, domestic games have been almost blank in this field." Black Myth: Wukong "not only fills the gap, but also directly ranks among the world's top popular products of the same type. Alternative "Chinese tourism" has become popular this summer. China's 72/144 hour visa free transit policy has sparked a global craze for "Chinese tourism". "Black Myth: Wukong" has also promoted the popularity of "Chinese Journey to the West", allowing global players to embark on a dozens of hours long "Journey to the West" in the virtual world. Benedict, from the UK, is a seasoned gamer who has been following the progress of "Black Myth: Wukong" since the release of its trailer in 2020. I have played games with themes such as Norse mythology and Greek mythology before, most of which are full of Western cultural elements. This time, through "Black Myth: Wukong", I felt the epic sense of Chinese mythology. Benedict told a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network that he did not understand Chinese mythology, but in recent days he had also "patched up" a lot of background knowledge related to "Journey to the West". "The aesthetic design of this game is really great, and I really want to see these classical Chinese landscape buildings filmed in person. Liu Xiangyan, the director and associate researcher of the inbound tourism research project at the China Tourism Research Institute, stated in an interview with reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network that the game's realistic filming of ancient buildings and artifacts in Shanxi and other places provides a "very good opportunity" for these cultural attractions to be showcased, allowing more domestic and foreign audiences to see the value of these cultural heritages and attracting more Chinese cultural enthusiasts to come to China to experience and feel them firsthand. "In the past, many foreigners' perception of China may have stayed in cultural symbols such as kungfu, pandas, and dragons. The phenomenal influence of Black Myth: Wukong will undoubtedly broaden overseas audiences' understanding of China's excellent traditional culture." The explosion of telling the Chinese story Black Myth: Wukong with digital games has also attracted global media attention and debate. According to a review by Nikkei Asia, "Black Myth: Wukong" will become a "milestone" in China's gaming industry, and China's international influence in the gaming field will continue to increase. Black Myth: Wukong may also form a lasting cultural heritage like Japanese games such as Super Mario and Pok é mon. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted analysts in its report as saying that this game "helps to showcase Chinese mythology, traditional customs, culture, and real-life scenes to the world. According to an analysis by the American magazine Diplomat, "The Black Myth: Wukong" indicates that China's cultural soft power is not a "myth" and that China will have new sources of cultural soft power in the field of electronic games. Digital games have become a popular and silent disseminator of Chinese culture and art among young people In He Wei's view, in international communication, foreign cultures in media content may attract audience attention, but they may also 'discourage' audiences due to high cognitive and learning barriers and costs. According to He Wei's research, the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture in digital games can be divided into the "three realms" of "symbols knowledge concepts": symbol realms evoke players' emotions through audio-visual symbols and aesthetic styles that integrate traditional cultural elements, knowledge realms enhance players' cognition through the dissemination of traditional cultural knowledge and information, and concept realms shape players' values through interactive narratives that embody traditional cultural concepts and spirits. He Wei stated that "Black Myth: Wukong" is not perfect and may not even be the best in its class, but it has set a milestone in the history of Chinese gaming. It also demonstrates how excellent traditional Chinese culture can "go global" and how Chinese stories can be told well - firstly, it needs to be at the forefront of global cultural content products of the same type, and withstand universal quality tests and artistic evaluations in terms of audio-visual performance, technological application, narrative skills, and audience experience; At the same time, it also requires cultural heritage and innovation to meet the growing appreciation needs of international audiences and the human nature of constantly seeking knowledge and innovation. "Only in this way can China's games and even all kinds of cultural products build bridges across national boundaries, nations and cultures, and help people to people exchanges, people to people connections, and civilization harmony among countries." He Wei said. (New Society)