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The blockbuster success of Black Myth: Wukong has brought to light a long-standing issue of sexism in China’s male-dominated gaming culture.
While the video game has been praised for its stunning visuals and cultural significance, the Shenzhen-based developer Game Science is facing criticism over allegations of misogyny.
According to AP reports, Chinese social media platform Weibo revealed circulated screenshots of offensive comments allegedly made by Game Science’s founder, Feng Ji.
In one post, Feng reportedly used a provocative analogy to describe the positive reception of the game’s promotional video.
For those getting excited for Black Myth Wukong I wanna take a moment to remind folks the dev is misogynistic piece of work has openly claimed that their game "Needs no female players" among other things.
Creators may want to research before they commit to content.
Link below pic.twitter.com/ZKPEcZlw7l— Kitty-Bit Games & Cosplay~ (@kitty_bit_games) August 22, 2023
Other instances, such as lewd recruiting posters, further fueled the backlash. One viral compilation of these posts gained significant traction, with over 400,000 likes.
Reports also surfaced that influencers with early access to the game were instructed to avoid discussing sensitive topics, including “feminist propaganda,” further stoking controversy.
Some Black Myth: Wukong Content Creators Prohibited From Mentioning 'Feminist Propaganda' https://t.co/ltWAfeMaRV pic.twitter.com/dgYJJrE8pN
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) August 19, 2024
This criticism has drawn attention to a deeper issue as women in China’s gaming industry have long reported misogynistic behavior.
Skylar Hu, a game engineer, described her experiences with sexual jokes in work chats, and Jessica Hua, a former game operations manager, recounted the toxic environment she faced.
Globally, gender inequality remains a challenge in the gaming industry, with women making up only 22% of the workforce in 2020 despite comprising nearly half of all gamers.
Despite the controversy, Black Myth: Wukong is celebrated as China’s first AAA game. The game reached a peak of 2.4 million concurrent players on Steam and sold over 10 million copies in its initial days of release.
Many players in the industry see the game as a source of national pride, showcasing Chinese culture on a global stage.
Feng Xu, secretary of the Chengdu Cyber Game Industry Association, has waved away the allegations describing them as political correctness, stating that gamers are only concerned about whether the game is good.
However, cultural critic Ashley Li believes the discussion around sexism in gaming is overdue as most creators are men, and women are frequently objectified in games. However, she believes the discrimination will gradually change, as it’s only a matter of time.
