By hannover-web.com With the continuous growth of China’s gaming industry, domestic games have not only achieved remarkable success in the local market by incorporating rich elements of traditional Chinese culture, but they have also garnered widespread attention and acclaim internationally.
These games expertly blend traditional cultural elements with modern game design, integrating aspects such as traditional music, poetry, ink wash painting styles, and martial arts. This combination not only enriches the cultural depth of the games but also allows global players to enjoy the fun of gaming while experiencing the profound essence of Chinese culture. Statistics show that in the past five years, the number of games featuring elements of traditional Chinese culture has nearly tripled. One particular game based on ancient mythology has attracted over 50 million players worldwide.
The Central National Orchestra, responsible for the soundtrack of several domestic games, plays a pivotal role in this cultural exchange.
Zhao Cong, the conductor of the Central National Orchestra, shared, “We’ve incorporated many popular elements and electronic music into our compositions. It’s essential to have a good rhythm alongside melodies that are visually engaging and have a strong narrative. We are continually innovating while preserving tradition, which means we need to express ourselves using the language of our time.”
Game technology has also found wide applications in the realm of traditional culture propagation, thanks to its interactivity, realism, immersion, and real-time rendering features. For instance, the large-scale ancient martial arts game “Naraka: Bladepoint” collaborated with the designer of armor for “The Longest Day in Chang’an,” Wen Chenhua, to recreate China’s first “Tang Dynasty Mingguang armor” using unique 3D scanning and imaging technology. They even teamed up with museums to create a 1:1 replica of a horsehead dagger that embodies the cultural exchanges witnessed along the ancient Silk Road. Through modern gaming, the culture of the Silk Road transcends time and space, reaching players across the globe.
Sun Jun, an art developer at a gaming studio, stated, “We utilize cutting-edge technologies such as graphic engines, motion capture, and 3D scanning to accurately recreate traditional culture in high quality and precision. For example, with motion capture technology, we invited experts from the Beijing Wushu Association and several top athletes to embed various martial arts styles and signature moves into the game. Additionally, we collaborated with the Zhejiang Provincial Museum to develop unique 3D ink wash rendering techniques, showcasing the complete ‘Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains’ in a large scroll format within the game.”
Li Xuesong, a lecturer in the Film Technology Department at Beijing Film Academy, remarked, “Traditional games have evolved to embody cultural dissemination attributes alongside their entertainment value. The scenes, props, patterns, and textures featured in these games draw heavily from our classical literature and history. From this perspective, it’s clear that our traditional culture still holds significant influence on a global scale.”
(Reported by CCTV journalists Liu Xiaoyue, Li Zhigui, and Xia Zhou)
