Feng Ji, founder and head of Shenzhen-based Game Science, the developer of Black Myth: Wukong, emphasizes the importance of telling stories from a Chinese perspective while producing a game.
Officially launched across the globe on Aug 20 this year, "Black Myth: Wukong" is a highly-anticipated video game inspired by the ancient Chinese tale "Journey to the West." This release marks a bold foray by Chinese game developers into a market long dominated by Western triple-A titles.
Feng and his dedicated team spent six years bringing the project to life.
During an interview with China Media Group, Feng recalled that he was once addicted to video games for three or four months during college. When talking about making games, he stressed the positive effects of video games while noting that the games should have a good balance.
"There is indeed a risk, or a dark side, to video games. What is it? there are feedbacks on games, and if a game is strongly, deliberately, and continuously trying to induce you to play it excessively, then it would be potentially more addictive than those recreational products. This can be harmful to gamers, especially those who are not mentally mature, just like how we restrict children from experiencing certain services. So, in this regard, I think there needs to be some limits. In our company, we talk about making a game that you would feel comfortable recommending to your children, your friends, or your relatives, telling them, 'It's fine to play.' If you can honestly say this to yourself, then that might be a reasonable balance," said Feng.
According to observers, from "Journey to the West" to "Black Myth: Wukong," Chinese traditional culture has been continuously expressed, re-imagined and blended, increasingly aligning with international tastes while showcasing the charm of cross-cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Feng said the whole team has been carefully blending traditional cultural elements with modern game sets throughout the development stage, but there are more that they can do.
"As long as it's something I create, there's no need to worry about whether it's Japanese, American, or European. I believe that telling a Chinese story doesn't just mean telling a traditional or ancient Chinese tale, and it's about telling a story from a Chinese perspective. I offer my vision, my values and my perspective that perhaps even more profound, and I think this is a kind of confidence built on global views," said Feng.
With over 10 million copies sold across all platforms in just three days after its release, the Chinese action role-playing game stands as the most successful Chinese video game to date.
Black Myth creator highlights importance of storytelling from Chinese perspective
