Virtual Identity Construction and Community Culture: A Study on the Identification Mechanism of the Online Game "Sword Heroes Fate III" from the Perspective of Art Anthropology

According to the "Statistical Report on the Development of China's Internet" released by the China Internet Society (CNNIC), as of June 2024, the number of Internet users in China is close to 1.1 billion. In China, the Internet penetration rate has approached 78%[1]. This means that with the rapid increase of Internet users, online games, as a cultural carrier with social attributes, have become an entertainment form that can be seen everywhere in life. In this virtual environment, players can be fully integrated. The boundarylessness, openness and freedom of the game enable social behaviors to unfold naturally. Players are immersed in it and even engage in some social behaviors [2]. Players complete the personalized rewriting of the cultural symbol system through the construction of virtual identities composed of virtual characters in the character creation interface. This process of identity construction gives rise to a new form of social connection. Through cultural performances and interactive ceremonies such as in-game sacrificial ceremonies and virtual wedding ceremonies, it forms an emotional resonance network that transcends physical boundaries in the cyber space through emotional resonance. " Sword Heroes Fate III" is a 3D martial arts MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) set against the backdrop of ancient Chinese style. It officially launched its public beta test on August 28, 2009. The game ingeniously integrates a variety of symbols that embody traditional Chinese culture, such as poetry, dance, silk, guzheng, tea ceremony, music and drinking, to construct an idealized prosperous Tang Dynasty. Based on the perspective of art anthropology, this paper explores this interaction mode that connects the online and offline. Taking " Sword Heroes Fate III" as an example, it investigates the internal construction and external influence mechanism of virtual identities in online games, attempting to analyze the complexity of virtual identity recognition in the digital age from the perspective of art anthropology.