Cultural Heritage and Chinese Digital Games

Abstract Digital games history has been dominated by Japan, North America, and Europe, both as major producers and consumers of games. However, China is now by far the largest digital games market on the planet, both in terms of player numbers and expenditure. This exceptional growth is naturally reflected in the local production of games, which, despite their large numbers and player base, are only now having more resonance in the West. This paper examines what role Chinese cultural heritage plays in the characterization of its games, as well as the similarities and differences with the Western and Japanese traditions of game arts and development, both from a ludological and aesthetic point of view, with a focus on the role-playing genre.