My Take | Black Myth: Wukong is a learning moment in soft power

The phenomenal sales of the video game Black Myth: Wukong has become a point of pride in China. Even state media are joining the celebratory chorus.

That’s understandable. After all, not only has the country’s first AAA-rated game broken out into the global mainstream market, it has set so many records that it’s destined to be one of the top-selling games of all time.

It has certainly showcased the capabilities of Chinese gaming studios to compete on the world stage.

This is precisely the kind of “soft power” display that Beijing has long sought but failed to gain so far. Whether it’s the popularisation of Confucianism and Confucian Institutes, or joint Hollywood film productions and the rapid and expansive global expansion of state-funded news media services, the outcomes have all been disappointing, if not failures.

It’s great that Black Myth: Wukong is now a global success. Hopefully, there will be many more to follow. But also let this be a learning moment.

So, what can the great Monkey King teach us? One thing is obvious. When you have something like Black Myth: Wukong that everyone wants, foreign fans will rush to defend you, even when you are being attacked by or suffering from the usual biased reports from the mainstream Western media. And in this day and age, a chorus of social media influencers who have a large following in their respective cultural segments beats the diminishing impact of most traditional media hands down.