Gaming
Technology
Game studios have bought into AI, but players still aren’t sold
AI is flooding gaming with cheaper, faster content — but not necessarily better games. As China embraces AI-native play and world models, the industry faces a harder test: can AI deliver real innovation without drowning players in clones?
Caixin Global
21 Aug 2026
Society
[Big read] Why Chinese gamers pay African youths to play for them
Chinese-run studios across Africa employ young workers to grind the game — do repetitive tasks to gain in-game currency — turning play into digital labour and exposing the opportunities and tensions behind the business. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out more.
Lim Zhan Ting
29 Jul 2026
Culture
Web novels, web dramas and video games: China’s holy trinity of cultural exports reaches Singapore
Once confined to niche online platforms, China’s web novels, web dramas and video games are now taking the world by storm. In Singapore, local youths are embracing these cultural exports, which are rekindling an interest in Chinese culture. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhu Yuxuan explores their appeal to Singaporean audiences.
Zhu Yuxuan
30 Dec 2025
Society
[Big read] Why China’s funniest women are also its most controversial
As Chinese female stand-up comedians challenge deep-rooted gender norms, critics accuse them of fuelling gender divides. But comedy is only exposing what has long festered across film, gaming, and public life. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi finds out more.
Zeng Shi
15 Sep 2025
Society
Revenge on Gold Diggers: China’s hottest game sparks gender war
A new video game in China has reignited the gender debate, with its premise of women as “gold diggers”. Is it misogynistic, or realistic? Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks at the line between raising fraud awareness and pointing fingers.
China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao
01 Jul 2025
Technology
What does the success of Hangzhou’s ‘Six Little Dragons’ mean for China?
What China’s recent tech upstarts — known as the “Six Little Dragons” — have in common is that they all emerged from Hangzhou. What edge does Hangzhou have over other cities in China that enabled such unprecedented success? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan tells us more.
Yu Zeyuan
19 Feb 2025
Economy
[Big read] Chinese games rake in 100 billion RMB from overseas users
Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi looks at the Chinese gaming industry and the hit games it has exported overseas in the last decade, including the recent popular title Black Myth: Wukong. While intense competition makes it difficult for gaming companies to survive, heading overseas might be the way to go.
Zeng Shi
06 Nov 2024
Culture
Black Myth: Wukong a reflection of Chinese dilemma under CCP rule
Chinese video game hit Black Myth: Wukong speaks about universal ideals of the human race, says researcher Ng Kum Hoon, giving it the innate potential to appeal to people of all cultures. At the same time, could the plot’s ending be an allegory of the systems we live in today?
Ng Kum Hoon
27 Sep 2024
Technology
How Black Myth: Wukong found success amid China’s gaming crackdown
Technology specialist Yin Ruizhi notes amid the media’s misconception about China’s crackdown on gaming, there is actually a consensus among industry practitioners that officials are still supportive of the industry’s development.
Yin Ruizhi
19 Sep 2024
Culture
How Black Myth: Wukong navigates China’s political and cultural trends
Black Myth: Wukong has revived interest in everything Monkey King, but the Chinese video game has also been criticised for not fully capturing the original myth. Even so, the game has given the Chinese gaming industry a boost, even though government endorsement may shift the focus from design to politics. Academic Ying Zhu explores the magic of Monkey King.
Ying Zhu
10 Sep 2024
Society
[Video] Is Black Myth: Wukong China’s most successful video game?
Developed by Game Science and backed by Tencent, Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong achieved a series of feats: ten million copies of the game sold in 83 hours; at its peak, over three million concurrent players; and second place on Steam’s “all-time peak” list. What do gamers love about this game? ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out.
Yi Jina
06 Sep 2024
