What’s on our minds these days?

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I (Grace) last wrote a greeting in these biweekly emails. How’s everyone doing? The summer has ended here in the United States. Here in Los Angeles, we are in fire season. 

At the time of this writing, there are at least 3 fires surrounding me and for the first time in the 20-odd years I’ve lived in Southern California, I’ve had to think about evacuation. However, let’s save that for another day! 

What I wanted to share with you is the game that came out just a few weeks ago called Black Myth: Wukong. My family of gamers has been following this game since the early trailers came out in 2020. Since its launch on August 28, I have been pulled into our computer room/office to bask in how the game designers have pulled in so many cultural details from the epic the game is based on, Journey to the West. It’s a great way to share more context with our kid about Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, and learn about Buddhism, Daoism, Chinese culture and folklore all at the same time. 

It’s a single-player game, but the storytelling is gorgeous. The game experience from the voice actors (in Chinese) are reminiscent of the 1986 Chinese drama, Journey to the West, likely the most rerun television drama with more than 12 million views since its release. The creators went all over China and 3d-scanned the architecture, statues, and artifacts from historical sites, relics, temples, and museums to infuse into the game experience. From music to art, 

If you want to learn more about the original story behind the game, start with AvenueX’s video from 4 years ago: Black Myth Wu Kong EXPLAINED - Cultural References to Journey to The West/The Monkey King. She’s a YouTuber I follow because she also shares in-depth critiques and updates about Chinese dramas and films. Whether you have played the game or just curious, this game is packed with rich references that immerses the player with its elaborate storytelling. It really changes how one plays the game to enjoy the gameplay, not merely to complete it.

And now, I have thoroughly dumped you all into an endless vat from games to classic Chinese literature to religion to Chinese dramas back to games and gameplay and user experience. 

Enjoy!
Grace