Recently, China's AAA game Black Myth: Wukong has become a hot topic and has sparked a tourism boom in Shangxi province, home to 27 of the 36 ancient architecture locations featured in the game.
The popularity of the game has initiated discussions among some Christians. While the game is well-made, it’s heavily influenced by Buddhist elements. Some wonder, what if the church had games like this—wouldn’t it help people better understand the gospel? Others ask why Christian-themed video games are almost non-existent. How should we view these concerns?
First of all, the Chinese Church is conservative on the whole because of its believer structure and theological teaching. Most people are still critical of and oppose games, as they believe that indulging in games will negatively affect daily work and life. Games can also lead to addiction, and man could be game-ruled and lose their godliness to the Lord.
In such an environment, few will think of spreading Christianity through games. After all, it is difficult to get the support of the churches, and it is more likely to cause undue controversy. A preacher pointed out that he once had the idea but hardly got support in the church. When most people are negative about games, it is naturally difficult to produce games with Christian elements.
Secondly, the success of Black Myth: Wukong isn’t due to its religious aspects, but rather its fusion of cutting-edge technology with a famous Chinese novel. A game focused purely on spreading religious messages would struggle to gain mainstream acceptance and might only resonate within faith communities. Journey to the West, the novel behind the game, uses Buddhist and Taoist elements as a backdrop, but its real strength lies in its critique of society and celebration of heroism. People's love for this novel is not because it spreads religion, but the charm of the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, and other characters. What's more, the works contain a lot of mockery and criticism towards religion.
Due to the lack of a wide audience of pure religion-theme games, it is impossible to focus on religious themes in the interest-oriented game industry. Even Christian enterprises will not develop products only for the mission but lack economic benefits. An owner of a Christian software company once had the idea of developing a game about Christianity but decisively chose to give up after in-depth market research. The lack of a wide audience is an important reason for the absence of Christian games.
Finally, although there are no pure Christian games, some games still contain some Christian elements. For example, Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi appeared in a simulated game of the late Ming Dynasty named Canal Towns, while Joan of Arc, Godefroy de Bouillon, Baldwin IV, and other notabilities in the church history appeared in the war game Blood of Steel. In addition, a preacher who has played Arknights for a long time pointed out that the game has many Christian nouns for reference.
As such, some games may not be aimed at spreading the gospel, but there are many church-related elements, which is positive for people to become interested in and deepen their understanding of Christianity. People who want to develop games can start from this angle.
In short, whether there are Christian games is not the key, as a mission is different from games and should not be bound together. The developer of Black Myth: Wukong draws materials from novels rather than preaching religion. If you want people to know about Christianity in the game, you can integrate related elements into it.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a a Christian in Fujian.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
这段时间，国产3A游戏《黑神话：悟空》成为人们热议的话题，同时也带火了山西旅游，有位山西姐妹就在朋友圈发布游戏与旅游的信息，向群友推介家乡旅游。
《黑神话：悟空》火热的背后，也引发了一些基督徒的思考。这款游戏是好，但基本是有佛教元素的游戏，什么时候教会也有这样的游戏，那不是能让人更好了解福音吗？有的肢体则指出，为何几乎看不到基督教题材的游戏？对于这些问题我们要如何看呢？
首先我们要看到，中国教会由于信徒结构以及神学教导等原因，总体看还是较为保守的，对于游戏这玩意，多数人仍是持批判、反对的态度。认为游戏会导致信徒玩物丧志，影响日常的工作生活。游戏也会导致人们上瘾，从而遭到其辖制，失去了在主里的敬虔。
在这样的氛围下，自然也就很少有人会想到通过游戏来传播信仰，毕竟这种做法很难得到教会的支持，更容易遭致不应有的争议。有位传道就指出，他曾经也有这种想法，可是其观点在教会中几乎无法得到共鸣。在多数人对游戏持负面评价的处境中，自然也就很难产生基督信仰元素的游戏了。
其次《黑神话：悟空》的火爆，并非来自于宗教因素，而是科技与中国著名小说的结合。如果只是基于传播宗教的游戏，是无法得到大众认可的，最多只能在信徒中流传。可《西游记》却是一部借着佛道，实则揭露社会现实，赞扬英雄主义的文学作品。人们对于这部小说的喜爱，并非其宣传了宗教，而是孙悟空、猪八戒等人物的魅力。更何况这部作品对于宗教也存在着诸多的戏谑与批判。
由于纯宗教题材缺乏广泛的群众基础，在以利益导向的游戏开发中，自然也就不可能以此为主了。即使是主内企业，也不可能去开发缺乏经济利益，而仅仅为了所谓宣教的产品。比如有位主内软件公司老板萌生过开发相关游戏的想法，可他深入调研市场前景后，果断选择了放弃。缺乏广泛的受众面，也是没有基督教题材游戏的重要因素。
最后尽管没有纯基督宗教题材的游戏，但有些游戏中也会蕴含了某些基督信仰的元素。比如有个明末模拟经营的游戏《江南百景图》就出现了利玛窦与徐光启两位游戏角色，而《铁甲雄兵》这款战争类游戏中，也出现了圣女贞德、布永的戈弗雷、鲍德温四世等等教会历史上的名人。此外有位常年玩《明日方舟》的传道人指出，游戏中常有借鉴基督教名词的内容。
可见在当前有些游戏中，虽然不是以宣传福音为目的，但却存在不少与教会相关的元素，这对于人们对信仰产生兴趣，从而进深理解是有积极作用的。而如果有主内老板想开发游戏，是可以从这个方面的入手的。
总之有没有基督教题材的游戏并不是关键，因为宣教与游戏是两个不同领域，不必强行拉到一起。《黑神话：悟空》的开发者，也是从小说中取材，而非宣扬宗教。当然如果想让人了解信仰，是可以在游戏中融入某些相关元素的。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系福建一名基督徒。
为何没有基督教信仰题材的游戏？
Recently, China's AAA game Black Myth: Wukong has become a hot topic and has sparked a tourism boom in Shangxi province, home to 27 of the 36 ancient architecture locations featured in the game.
The popularity of the game has initiated discussions among some Christians. While the game is well-made, it’s heavily influenced by Buddhist elements. Some wonder, what if the church had games like this—wouldn’t it help people better understand the gospel? Others ask why Christian-themed video games are almost non-existent. How should we view these concerns?
First of all, the Chinese Church is conservative on the whole because of its believer structure and theological teaching. Most people are still critical of and oppose games, as they believe that indulging in games will negatively affect daily work and life. Games can also lead to addiction, and man could be game-ruled and lose their godliness to the Lord.
In such an environment, few will think of spreading Christianity through games. After all, it is difficult to get the support of the churches, and it is more likely to cause undue controversy. A preacher pointed out that he once had the idea but hardly got support in the church. When most people are negative about games, it is naturally difficult to produce games with Christian elements.
Secondly, the success of Black Myth: Wukong isn’t due to its religious aspects, but rather its fusion of cutting-edge technology with a famous Chinese novel. A game focused purely on spreading religious messages would struggle to gain mainstream acceptance and might only resonate within faith communities. Journey to the West, the novel behind the game, uses Buddhist and Taoist elements as a backdrop, but its real strength lies in its critique of society and celebration of heroism. People's love for this novel is not because it spreads religion, but the charm of the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, and other characters. What's more, the works contain a lot of mockery and criticism towards religion.
Due to the lack of a wide audience of pure religion-theme games, it is impossible to focus on religious themes in the interest-oriented game industry. Even Christian enterprises will not develop products only for the mission but lack economic benefits. An owner of a Christian software company once had the idea of developing a game about Christianity but decisively chose to give up after in-depth market research. The lack of a wide audience is an important reason for the absence of Christian games.
Finally, although there are no pure Christian games, some games still contain some Christian elements. For example, Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi appeared in a simulated game of the late Ming Dynasty named Canal Towns, while Joan of Arc, Godefroy de Bouillon, Baldwin IV, and other notabilities in the church history appeared in the war game Blood of Steel. In addition, a preacher who has played Arknights for a long time pointed out that the game has many Christian nouns for reference.
As such, some games may not be aimed at spreading the gospel, but there are many church-related elements, which is positive for people to become interested in and deepen their understanding of Christianity. People who want to develop games can start from this angle.
In short, whether there are Christian games is not the key, as a mission is different from games and should not be bound together. The developer of Black Myth: Wukong draws materials from novels rather than preaching religion. If you want people to know about Christianity in the game, you can integrate related elements into it.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a a Christian in Fujian.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
The Absence of Christian Games — Examining Black Myth: Wukong’s Success
