A Chinese blockbuster video game sparks debate about sexism in the Chinese gaming industry

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Chinese video game blockbuster, hailed as a milestone for China's gaming industry, has cast an unexpected spotlight on long-standing allegations that sexism is widespread in China's male-dominated gaming culture.

While some gamers are basking in the runaway success of action-adventure title Black Myth: Wukong, others are complaining about sexism in Chinese games and making accusations against the game's Shenzhen-based developer, Game Science, for posting offensive messages online.

Critics posted screenshots of the messages on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with one compilation garnering over 400,000 likes. One of the posts, which critics say is from founder Feng Ji, uses descriptions of oral sex as a metaphor for the positive response to the game's promotional video. Other examples include offensive recruitment posters.

AP could not independently verify the screenshots, although players interviewed reported seeing the posts. Game Science did not respond to an email seeking comment and has not publicly commented on the controversy.

The criticism reflects simmering anger among Chinese women working in the industry, who say they have long been the target of misogynistic comments and behavior.

Gender inequality is a global problem in the heavily male-dominated gaming industry. Although women make up nearly half of gamers worldwide, they only made up about 22% of the gaming workforce in 2020, according to UK-based organization Women in Games.

Skylar Hu, the only woman on her 20-plus-person game development team, said her male colleagues frequently posted sexual jokes in work chat groups. She said when she asked the perpetrators to stop, her messages were ignored.

“Offensive jokes are so common and explicit,” Hu, 23, said in a telephone interview. However, out of concern for her safety online, she was conditioned to be quoted using her English name.

For Jessica Hua, a former video game industry operations manager, the controversy surrounding the game was a reminder of the toxic environment she experienced as a woman in the gaming industry.

“Many people think this is just a joke. But I cannot accept such misogynistic remarks,” Hua said. “I take this very seriously.”

Black Myth: Wukong is China's first AAA game, a term for high-budget productions comparable to A-list films. The game made history when over 2.4 million people played the game simultaneously online, breaking the record for the most played single-player game on Steam, a major online gaming platform. Three days after the game's debut, it sold over 10 million copies.

Many in China's gaming industry say they see the game as a matter of national pride that promotes Chinese culture and challenges Western dominance in the industry.

“There is no doubt that this is a milestone in China's gaming industry,” said Feng Xu, secretary of the Chengdu Cyber ​​​​Game Industry Association. “By introducing Monkey King to the world, authentic Chinese culture will be exported.”

China, which is known for limiting the amount of time children can play video games and trying to curb excessive spending on online games, has fully supported Black Myth. The government of northwest China's Shanxi province worked with the game's developer to promote local tourism, and state media have also published a number of articles praising the game.

Feng Xu does not believe that the allegations against Game Science will have a major impact on the game's success. “Political correctness has nothing to do with the game,” he said. “We gamers just play the games and all we care about is that the game is good and entertaining.”

Others say it was only a matter of time before the issue of sexism became more mainstream in Chinese gaming culture.

“Most game developers are men. In many games you see women being unnecessarily sexy and objectified,” says Ashley Li, cultural critic and game enthusiast. “But I think that will gradually change in the future. We need to give it some time.”