Black Myth: Wukong, a movie Chinese video game, sold more than 10 million copies in the first few weeks of its release past month, and the Asiatic power has hailed its success as a soft-power triumph.
Nevertheless, as a Chinese language states,” the purpose of the drunk lies not on the wines, but on other purposes”.
In response to US silicon trade restrictions that aim to stifle Chinese AI analysis, China’s entry into the gaming sector also serves a “harder” form of energy.
Black Myth: Wukong, a tale set in the Ming dynasty, takes people on a quest of wars and treasures inspired by ancient Chinese myth.
The wide, high-budget game is the first Taiwanese production on this scale to accomplish for global success. Black Myth: Wukong, a studio run by technical large Google and produced and published by Game Science, illustrates how popular culture can uphold the advertising compulsion to “tell China’s account well.”
Blockbuster gambling with Chinese features
Despite criticisms in the West media, the game is a powerful social export and a vehicle for Chinese social soft power, as I have previously stated.
As exemplified by a well-known article circulating on Taiwanese social media platforms, it is a source of national pride for Chinese players who are tired of playing game in international settings:
你曾在大马士革骑过马
在美国西部小镇开枪决斗
也在埃及当过刺客
现在
你终于可以回到家乡
做自己的英雄
Or in English ( my translation ):
You again rode a mare in Damascus,
In a small American city in the West, two people fight with weapons.
even acted as an murderer in Egypt.
Now
You may go home in the end.
And be your own warrior
Chinese gaming economy at its height
Gambling is not a new form of government assistance in China. For example, Beijing Municipal Government issued guidelines in 2019 to help make it the “international funds of online activities” and use games as a moderate to tell powerful Chinese stories.
Greater policies adopted in 2021, 2022, and 2023, which aim to promote the development and expansion of high-quality activities that are compatible with Chinese culture and values, have strengthened the “go world” strategy for gambling.
Black Myth: Wukong was created for the more expensive and exclusive system and PC gaming markets, both of which demand more sophisticated software and hardware, in contrast to the previous successes with smart gaming. More money has been poured into China’s gaming sector to create significant projects as a result of the game’s success.
China is the nation’s largest single sector for games, but home restrictions such as repression, limits on children’s game moment, and controls on in-game spending and gambling have curbed revenue for Taiwanese game developers. In reply, they are looking to world markets.
Blockbuster sport development can be a winner-takes-all company, and the high development costs suggest resources usually concentrate among major companies. Therefore, China may need to travel a long way to truly dominate the world entertainment industry.
Hardware is a major obstacle, especially given the technological prowess and the need for developing and producing it, particularly in terms of supply of innovative cards. This is the essential linchpin for electronic China’s worldwide supremacy.
Heavy-duty game hardware
Foreign policymakers, tech firms, members of the entertainment industry and players are acutely aware of the components bottlenecks resulting from the US-China technology war. The US has placed limits on the trade of sophisticated chips to China over the past two years.
The regulations apply to cards that can be used for AI, but they also apply to high-end video game like Black Myth: Wukong.
The game is promoted by American chip manufacturer Nvidia, which is the market leader in graphics processing units ( GPUs ) required for cutting-edge graphics and machine learning. Nvidia boasts it helped raise Black Myth: Wukong’s design and engineering to the highest amounts.
A person may have a Nvidia GPU like the RTX 4090, which costs upward of A$ 3, 000 to fully experience the show’s photos. Players may also make their PCs with several AI-powered “upscaling” solutions, such as Nvidia’s DLSS or alternatives made by rival chipmakers AMD and Intel.
Chinese game developers and players are left without domestic options as a result of American companies producing the best GPUs and upscaling technologies.
China has made significant investments in its domestic chip-making capabilities. However, it is not yet competitive when it comes to the advanced chips needed for cutting-edge gaming, which are also useful for AI and military applications.
In accordance with its comprehensive national security plan, China has targeted chipmakers in the Netherlands and South Korea.
Serious games
The realms of semiconductor microchips, computer gaming and national security are deeply intertwined. The expansion of the gaming sector will result in a rise in demand for advanced chips, opening up a market for increased manufacturing capabilities. Industry-driven, bottom-up initiatives will proceed alongside state-led, top-down investments.
It is no wonder that social media influencers and affiliated Chinese state media outlets have all been promoting the game. It does more than just support the Chinese gaming industry or deliver compelling Chinese stories ( and, in doing so, inspire Western players to become more knowledgeable about Chinese culture and Chinese players to take pride in their own culture ).
The game is a part of China’s strategic strategy to defeat the odds by upholding Mao’s advice to” circle the cities from the countryside.” The short-term focus on video games ‘” countryside” is for the long-term goal of taking over the” cities” of advanced chip manufacturing.
Haiqing Yu is professor at the School of Media and Communication, RMIT University
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