Wedding Elements in Chinese Horror Games: A Case Study of Paper Bride

Video games, as one of the most popular media today, have become a platform for the reinterpretation and creative expression of cultural elements. Folklore elements in games are not merely replicated; instead, they are transformed, blending traditional narratives with modern aesthetics and gameplay mechanics. This kind of reconstructed folklore is different from traditional folklore, forming a hybrid folklore, which is a new field that deserves the research of folklorists. This paper takes the video game Paper Bride as a case study and analyses how the element of traditional Chinese wedding is presented and reconstructed in a horror game. The game can be seen as a reflection of the game designers consideration of traditional wedding customs. Throughout Paper Bride, players encounter thematic conflicts and alignments between traditional and contemporary ideologies conveyed through the narrative and visual symbolism. Paper Bride uses traditional Chinese artifacts and customs to create a number of elaborate puzzles, while the story shows the ideal love that contemporary people aspire to. This is the main reason it is one of the representatives of Chinese horror games.