Research on the Preferences of Generation Z College Students for the Incorporation of Outstanding Traditional Cultural Elements into Domestic Games

Driven by both the digital economy and the strategy of building a culturally powerful country, domestic games are becoming an important carrier for the inheritance and innovation of outstanding traditional Chinese culture. The integrated model of “culture + technology” has provided immersive cultural cognitive scenarios for the Generation Z youth group. This study focuses on the influence mechanism of Generation Z college students’ preferences for traditional cultural elements in domestic games. Based on the data of 503 valid questionnaires from universities in Shanghai, it comprehensively applies statistical methods such as cluster analysis, structural equation model (SEM), and principal component analysis (PCA) to systematically analyze the chained action paths of cultural identity, emotional resonance, and game immersion, and reveals the stratified characteristics of the player group and the priority of the demand for traditional cultural elements. The aim is to provide theoretical support and strategic suggestions for the cultural empowerment practice of the game industry. This research empirically verifies the innovative value of games as a carrier of the symbiosis between technology and culture. It puts forward the hierarchical strategy of cultural elements to promote the integration of design responsibilities and reveals the cultural acceptance mechanism of the next-generation users, thus providing a basis for the balance of multicultural creation. The research results expand the theoretical framework of art design in social changes and simultaneously respond to the core issues of the conference regarding technology empowerment, sustainable development and interdisciplinary cultural integration.