Chinese game Black Myth: Wukong has been hit by controversy. Details

Chinese game Black Myth: Wukong has become a blockbuster in the gaming world within a week of its launch. However, it finds itself in a soup after content creators were given a list of things not to say while talking about the game online. One of them asks them not to discuss "feminist propaganda", and it isn't clear what the makers mean by it.

The directive reads, "Do NOT insult other influencers or players.
Do NOT use any offensive language/humor.
Do NOT include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse.
Do NOT use trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation’ or ‘Covid-19’.
Do NOT discuss content related to China’s game industry policies, opinions, news, etc."

Black Myth released last week and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide within three days, according to the game’s developers, Game Science. It is based on the 16th-century Chinese novel "Journey to the West".

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The list of topics to avoid has generated a buzz on the internet. Some reports suggest that "feminist propaganda" is linked to the news that Game Science employees were said to have indulged in sexist and inappropriate behaviour. This included reports from the game website IGN in November. So fans think that the directive is linked to the IGN reports.

Meanwhile, several people also think it might be to subdue "wokeness" in gaming, as some reviews slam Black Myth for not being diverse.

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However, since there are no non-disclosure agreements and the directives are not legally enforceable, some users chose to find humour in them. One of them titled their livestream “Covid-19 Isolation Taiwan (Is A Real Country) Feminism Propaganda”.

What is Black Myth: Wukong

The Chinese game has been an instant success, registering more than three million concurrent players across all platforms in its first week. The game features the mythological monkey Sun Wukong who fights Buddhist folklore demons and foxes who wield swords and have human characteristics.

The scenes have been shot in 36 major sites in China, with 27 of them in the remote Shanxi province. SCMP reported that Shanxi is now attracting tourists who are flocking to see the sites that are in the game.