#Genshin Impact##""How can the game industry do a good job of Chinese culture going overseas? #
Abstract:This paper takes the domestic game Genshin Impact as an example to analyze how it uses traditional Chinese cultural elements in the process of going overseas to achieve the goal of cultural dissemination. By studying Genshin Impact's performance in terms of map scenes, humanistic spirit, and character design, this paper aims to reveal its innovative ideas and practical achievements in the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture.
I. Introduction
In the context of globalization, games, as a medium of digital content, are of great significance in conveying cultural connotations and eliminating language and geographical barriers. The Chinese civilization has a 5,000-year-old history and rich cultural elements. As a game going overseas, how "Genshin Impact" can play an active role in spreading traditional Chinese culture has become an issue worthy of attention.
As the carrier of digital content dissemination, the depth of connotation and attractiveness of games are the core issues that game practitioners need to continue to pay attention to. No matter where we are, the essence of the human spiritual pursuit is the same, including the pursuit of beauty, the desire for knowledge, the search for justice, and the pursuit of meaning. These spiritual resonances may manifest themselves differently in different cultural contexts, and the answers to this may be different. But in today's globalized world, we need to understand these differences, and what we all share.
Looking back on the 5,000-year history of the mainland, whether it is physical geography or cultural landscape, it has a rich cultural heritage, and there are many cultural elements that can be explored. Known as the ninth art, the game integrates sound, painting and interaction, and uses the game as a carrier to effectively dialogue with the world, convey the spiritual core of Chinese culture, and eliminate misunderstandings and prejudices caused by language and regional differences.
The core game experience of Genshin Impact is based on open-world adventure game mechanics, and the depiction of the ecological environment includes both realistic and freehand, which not only restores the natural and geographical features, but also interprets cultural characteristics such as social customs, order, and rules. The worldview of the game is not completely detached from reality, but a reflection of the real world style and social rules, and a free space for the coexistence of virtual and reality.
The open-world nature gives players a high degree of autonomy and freedom, allowing them to explore the game world in their desired order and method, interact with game elements, trigger random events, and drive the storyline forward. In the virtual game world, open-world games have a strong narrative and can lead players to deeply engage. After the game is over, its cultural attributes can still stimulate players to create and share content outside the game, which is conducive to the dissemination of cultural knowledge and the mining of cognitive surplus.
2. The application of traditional Chinese elements in Genshin Impact
2.1 Personas
In Genshin Impact, the character settings, costumes, and hairstyles of many characters are full of traditional Chinese cultural characteristics. For example, characters such as Xiangling, Zhongli, and Hu Tao have borrowed elements from the costume elements of the ancient Han people, showing the richness and diversity of Chinese culture. In addition, the names of the characters in the game are also quite cultural, such as "walnut", walnut is commonly known as walnut, and the folk proverb has: "walnut does not leave the hand, Hades can not take it away", and peach wood in the mainland folklore, known as [fairy wood], as early as the pre-Qin period, people have the custom of using peach wood products to block disasters - "peach arc and thorn arrows, to remove disasters" - "left turn"
"Genshin Impact" Hu Tao
In Taoism, peach wood has the saying of driving away ghosts and warding off evil spirits, and is widely used in the production of ritual utensils. Hu Tao himself is the owner of the "Hall of Death" in the game, mainly engaged in the funeral industry, so it is full of Chinese views of life and death from character names to costume design. In fact, the vast majority of people have more or less misunderstandings about the Chinese-style concept of life and death, especially Confucius's sentence "Unknown life, no one knows death", which is full of imagination. But in fact, ancient China did not deliberately ignore death, let alone stay away from death, but many people misunderstood it because they had a prescient understanding. Further, the Chinese's view of life and death is actually exactly - whoever is remembered is immortal.
It is based on this visual cultural symbol, which condenses the huge amount of information accumulated by the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, that the character of "Hu Tang Master" is created that players all over the world love very much.
2.2 Geographical environment
The game's map design also incorporates traditional Chinese geographical elements. For example, the tranquil Liyue region has geomorphological features that complement the mountains and rivers of Guilin on the mainland, while Liyue's Yubi Mountain is similar to Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan. The design of these geographical landscapes vividly shows the beauty of traditional Chinese culture.
Overlooking Zhangjiajie
"The Story of Wandering Bao Zen Mountain" said: "The wonders of the world, the strange, and the extraordinary view often lie in the danger and distance, and the people are rare." Yiyun in the Book of Songs: "Mount Tai Rock Rock, Lu Bang Sees", "Song Gao Weiyue, Jun Ji in the sky". China's vast land brings together thousands of beautiful scenery, and the five famous mountains are even more earth-splitting, and the air is overwhelming, which makes people sigh at the magic of nature. For thousands of years, the emperor has been worshipping here, monks and Taoists have practiced and chanted scriptures here, good men and women have burned incense and made wishes here, and celebrities and elegant guests also like to write poems and paintings here. The strange mountains and rocks in the world have left many cultural relics for future generations.
Landscape culture is a unique part of the traditional culture of the mainland, which is deeply rooted in the soil of the Chinese nation and has become a unique source of artistic creation. Since ancient times, artists in mainland China have been keen to depict the beauty of mountains and rivers, integrating natural landscapes with humanistic spirits, thus creating batches of masterpieces with rich meanings and far-reaching artistic conceptions.
Chinese landscape art stems from the love and awe of nature. Since ancient times, people have admired "learning from nature" and believed that the landscape of nature is the greatest artist. In the long course of history, countless literati and artists have gone into nature, experienced the magical charm of nature, and integrated natural landscapes into their artistic creations. As a result, China's landscape art has gradually become rich and diverse, forming a unique aesthetic taste.
The development of Chinese landscape art is also inseparable from the influence of traditional philosophical ideas in the mainland. Confucianism advocates the "unity of heaven and man", emphasizing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, while Taoism advocates "Taoism and nature", emphasizing conforming to nature and governing by inaction. These philosophical concepts are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, making landscape art an important carrier for people to pursue the beauty of nature and embody the philosophy of life.
In the fields of painting, poetry, and prose, works on the theme of landscape emerge in an endless stream. Paintings such as Fan Kuan's "Traveling in Streams and Mountains" and Huang Gongwang's "Fuchun Mountain Residence" are all treasures of landscape art. These works not only show the beauty of nature, but also contain the artists' deep thoughts on life and society.
In addition, landscape art has also had a profound impact on the architecture, gardens, sculptures and other fields of the mainland. Many ancient buildings and garden landscapes are integrated with landscape elements, making these buildings complement each other with the natural environment and present a harmonious beauty.
Liyue scenery
The Liyue region, which is based on China in Genshin Impact, is the domain of the god of rocks, with mountains and rocks as iconic landscapes. Combining this landscape culture, these natural landscapes are intertwined with the game's rich story, characters, and creative gameplay, creating a vibrant picture. In addition, the rocky landscape of Liyue is also unique, with huge rocks standing in the mountains as if they were the embodiment of the gods, witnessing the historical changes of the land.
The landscape design of the Liyue area not only reflects the magic of nature, but also incorporates traditional Chinese landscape culture. In the traditional culture of the mainland, mountains and rivers have always been regarded as a source of inspiration for poets and painters. The ancients often used mountains and rivers to imply the philosophy of life and express the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. In the Liyue region, this landscape culture is fully embodied. Players can enjoy the beautiful scenery and feel the strong cultural heritage in the game.
In addition, the landscape of the Liyue region is rich in symbolism. In the game, mountains represent firmness and stability, while rocks symbolize strength and tenacity. These symbolism echoes the characters, story, and gameplay in the game, providing players with a deeper gaming experience.
The Liyue region in Genshin Impact is based on China, combining mountains and rocky landscapes with traditional landscape culture to present players with a beautiful and culturally rich picture. This land not only shows the magical charm of nature, but also contains the unique insights of the ancients on the culture of mountains and rivers. In the game, players can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Liyue region while feeling the strong cultural atmosphere and gaining rich spiritual enjoyment.
2.3 The display of architectural art
In the game, the "Dihuazhou" fully absorbs the characteristics of Guilin's cultural scenery in terms of visual interaction design, such as fishing boats, fishing songs, reeds, cooking smoke, etc., to build a more delicate and vibrant world.
"Pipa Xing" said: "Xunyang Jiangtou night send-off, maple leaves and flowers in autumn. "The style of Dihuazhou in the Liyue region is controlled by the fantasy aesthetics that are unique to the East. This kind of solitary and arrogant and cold, group is elegant and magnificent, and at the same time has a fantastic natural beauty, which is where the oriental fantasy charm lies. Therefore, the art of architecture that is in harmony with the natural landscape must also be organically integrated with the surrounding natural environment.
Ogi Flower Island
After arriving at Dihua Island, the player will inevitably find the building in the center of the area, the Wangshu Inn. Qu Yuan's "Chu Ci Lisao" said: "The former Wangshu made the pioneers, and the latter Feilian made the subordinates." "Wangshu is the god of the moon in Chinese mythology and legend, and is one of the synonyms for the moon in ancient Chinese.
The design prototype of Wangshu Inn is borrowed from the martial arts movie "Dragon Gate Inn": the appearance is sparse and ordinary, seemingly peaceful and simple, but in fact it is a place where Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and short-handed soldiers meet. Wangshu Inn has the advantage of being on high ground, almost acting as a watchtower. Being in an inn can better open up your vision. At the same time, in Liyue's lore, the Wangshu Inn is also one of the strongholds of Liyue's immortals, who use it as a secret base to cleanse the four wilds of monsters. At the same time, considering that the finished building should have a good long-term effect, the appearance of Wangshu Inn also refers to the ancient stilted building.
Wangshu Inn
Not only that, but this huge flat rock below the Wangshu Inn also has a history. According to the IP file, combined with the ancient Chinese legend of the Sho Tuan, the ancient Dihua Island was set to a state of flooding from time to time. In order to escape the flood, people built their homes on huge rocks to avoid damage and use stones to control water.
Liyue Harbor, the central area of Liyue, was inspired by the Hanging Temple of Shanxi and the Ancient City of Phoenix. Haiti, the scene artist of "Genshin Impact", once said:
"The Chinese elements of the palace, the airtight city walls, and the very grand tiled layout are not the fantasy we want to express. At that time, the students of the art team saw a lot of scenic spots and felt that the Phoenix Ancient City and the Hanging Temple had the basis of fantasy packaging."
In the end, the current three-dimensional port city by the mountains and the sea was designed.
Liyue Harbor
3. The transmission of the humanistic spirit of Chinese culture
In addition to the presentation of external scenes, it is more valuable for the spiritual core of Chinese culture to penetrate into the game's plot. The combination of oriental scenes and Chinese humanistic spirit in the game can allow overseas players to better and more deeply perceive Chinese cultural temperament.
3.1 Immersion in traditional Chinese festivals and folk customs
The early festival culture originated from the worship of nature and ancestors in the early days of human beings, and originated from the belief in the harmonious coexistence of heaven and earth. In ancient agrarian societies, people chose to worship gods and ancestors in addition to living and working in peace and contentment, and there were various regular festivals. The abundant sacrifices and tributes developed into festival feasting and drinking activities, and gradually formed some conventional celebration methods, that is, the so-called festival folk customs.
The Han Dynasty was the first period of great development after the unification of China, and the economic and cultural exchanges between the north and the south also integrated the customs and habits, which provided good social conditions for the spread and popularization of festival customs. After the Han Dynasty, the cultural exchanges between the north and the south made the integration and spread of festivals and customs, and the main traditional festivals have been popularized throughout the country. The festival developed to the Tang Dynasty, has changed from a serious primitive worship to entertainment and etiquette, since then the festival has become rich and colorful, many sports, hedonistic activities appeared, and soon became a fashion popular, these customs have continued to develop, enduring. The emergence of traditional festivals reflects the Chinese nation's understanding and respect for the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, contains heavy historical and humanistic feelings, and has rich cultural connotation and spiritual core.
Lantern Festival
Among the events in Liyue are the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is based on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Lantern Festival, which is inspired by the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival. During the event, the layout of the game scene will change according to the festival, such as Cantonese mooncakes placed in the shops on the street during the Moon Festival, and the lantern festival in the middle city is full of lights, and tourists come and go to celebrate the festival. In this way, the vivid scene layout in the open world game enhances the sense of immersion in the atmosphere, helps players feel the traditional Chinese festival folk customs, and conveys the profound cultural connotation of the ritual and music civilization.
3.2 Character design based on Confucian values
The Chinese nation is known as the "State of Etiquette", and people get along with each other to respect each other, respect and love each other. As the mainstream cultural philosophy that originated in China and influenced and spread to East Asian countries, Confucianism is not only the result of social and economic development in the Spring and Autumn Period, but also the inheritance and development of Confucianism's people-oriented thought in the Yin and Zhou dynasties, as well as the measures to stabilize social order and appease people's hearts in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it is also an important ethical and moral concept respected by Chinese society for thousands of years.
"Benevolent people love others, morality people" is not only the general moral sense of individual "benevolence" and "love people", but also focuses on the relationship between politics and the people, requiring politicians to love the people, enrich the people, benefit the people, teach the people, adhere to the people-centered development thinking.
In an open-world game, a good character design is not only a good model, but also has a certain amount of depth, such as aesthetic characteristics and cultural heritage. A character design with "personality" and "spirit" that is both inside and out can impress players thoroughly. Secondly, the character modeling in the style of two-dimensional celluloid also makes it easy for the new generation of young players to accept and spread.
Zhongli
Liyue's character modeling shows a Chinese aesthetic in terms of clothing, temperament, behavior, and language style, among which Zhongli, the rock god who governs the Liyue region, is the most popular. Zhongli's character PV received more than one million views and nearly 110,000 likes a few hours after it was launched on the foreign video website YouTube, ranking 14th on YouTube that day. Among them, the ink cutscenes, folk music sound effects, martial arts silhouettes, and listening to books and teahouses carry the elements of ancient Chinese culture, and output the image of Zhongli, a benevolent and righteous emperor with great virtue in the context of traditional Chinese culture.
Compared with the narrative of individual heroism in the West, the tasks related to Zhongli, the god of rocks, more reflect his majestic atmosphere as a ruler for the country and the people, a benevolent person who loves others, and an inner saint and an outer king. The spiritual realm pursued in Chinese aesthetics is to maintain the original intention after thousands of sails, and to gain open-mindedness and calmness after experiencing prosperity. During the 3,700 years he has been in charge of Liyue, he has been the epitome of countless gentlemen and kings, carrying the steadfast belief that man will conquer heaven and the good wishes of the people to live and work in peace and contentment. Erudite and talented, the scholarly temperament and the calm and brave temperament make the character image taste more mellow. Zhongli's kindness, chivalry, modesty, tolerance and other beautiful qualities are very in line with the pursuit of the ideal personality of "gentleman" in traditional Chinese culture.
The main story of Liyue embodies a people-centered view of history and the values of peace. During the 3,700 years of his reign, the rock god pacified the demon gods, moved the people and returned to their hometowns, and the immortals and yaksha settled in their places. He also led the people of Liyue to engage in businessmen and skilled crafts. In the present world, seeing that the people of Liyue could live and work in peace and contentment, the rock gods returned to the people, and Liyue entered the era of theocratic rule and immortal rule to the era of human rule. The resolute people of Iwajin uphold the virtues passed down from generation to generation, relying on their own diligence and wisdom to protect a paradise. The mortal body is comparable to that of a god.
In the open-world game, the organic combination of landforms, scenes, characters, music, and tasks and the immersion brought by various interaction methods slowly show players the 5,000-year-old ancient civilization and the traditional Chinese core values of openness and inclusiveness. Foreign players can also gradually understand the charm and beauty of the unique oriental charm in the game experience, and immerse themselves in China's unique humanistic spirit.
4. Conclusion
Through the success story of Genshin Impact, it can be seen that the game has great potential in spreading traditional Chinese culture. With the help of various means such as sound, painting, and interaction in the game, traditional Chinese culture can be effectively conveyed, and players around the world have been promoted to know and understand Chinese culture. On this basis, domestic games should continue to tap traditional Chinese cultural resources in the future development, innovate communication ideas, and contribute to the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.
The success story of Genshin Impact reveals the huge potential of games to spread the traditional culture of the mainland. Through multiple means such as sound effects, graphics and interaction in the game, traditional Chinese culture can be efficiently conveyed, thereby enhancing the awareness and understanding of Chinese culture among players around the world. On this basis, in the future development process of domestic games, mainland China should continue to tap traditional cultural resources, innovate communication strategies, and contribute to the inheritance and development of Chinese culture. As a unique cultural medium, games can break down language and cultural barriers, and convey the essence of traditional culture on the mainland to a wider range of people. Through innovative game settings and plot design, and the integration of more Chinese elements, domestic games can guide players to deeply understand the connotation and charm of Chinese culture.
In addition, in addition to integrating traditional cultural elements into games, we can also use game social platforms to carry out a series of online and offline cultural activities. For example, traditional handicraft making competitions and traditional Chinese culture knowledge competitions are held to increase players' sense of participation and identity in the traditional culture of the mainland.
At the same time, we should pay attention to cultivating the cultural literacy of game practitioners and strengthen cooperation with cultural research institutions to ensure that the traditional culture of the mainland is correctly and deeply presented in games.
To sum up, domestic games play a non-negligible role in disseminating traditional Chinese culture. We should seize this opportunity to innovate game content, expand cultural communication channels, and make greater contributions to promoting Chinese culture and enhancing international understanding of mainland culture.