[Paper Seminar] The Legacy Goes On: Wuxia and its impact seen in the gaming landscape of Vietnam

Wuxia represents the martial arts and fantasy literary subgenre that dominates East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures (Chen, 2009), especially where Chinese-speaking societies are founded, or the trace of Chinese culture is recorded. The Chinese martial arts and heroics of ancient times take place in wuxia stories that have expanded into various media such as literature and movies and television programming. Wuxia under its local names kiếm hiệp and truyện chưởng has established itself as an important cultural phenomenon in Vietnam. Wuxia fiction introduced in Vietnam during the early 20th century experienced various historical transitions through print media and online gaming until reaching its current state. The current wuxia content in Vietnamese video games will be examined through an investigation of how wuxia originated historically from its literary heritage. This article has the life course approach and concepts like nostalgia and cultural proximity recruited to study the influence of early wuxia experiences on current gaming choices in Vietnam.

Early Wuxia Influences in Vietnam

The roots of wuxia in Vietnam can be traced to the early 20th century when Vietnamese readers were first introduced to Chinese martial arts novels. These works were often influenced by the Old School of Chinese wuxia literature (Hamm, 2005), which combined martial arts, historical fiction, and Confucian ideals. Vietnamese authors began adapting wuxia to local contexts, often using traditional poetic forms like lục bát verse to create a distinct Vietnamese flavor. These early Vietnamese wuxia works, although influenced by Chinese traditions, included elements of French literature, such as love stories, making them less rigid than their Chinese counterparts (Phan, 1998).

However, after the partition of Vietnam in 1954, political changes led to the suppression of wuxia in the North. The communist government in North Vietnam viewed wuxia as a harmful foreign influence, considering it a tool for subversion and a symbol of capitalist decadence (Linh et al., 1977). Despite this, wuxia fiction flourished in the South, where it became a staple in popular culture, particularly following the rise of the New School of wuxia writers like Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng, Wo Long Sheng, Ni Kuang and Gu Long in Hong Kong and Taiwan (Vu, 2015).

The wuxia phenomenon faced continued hostility from North Vietnamese authorities throughout their rule beginning in 1975 after their victory in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). The people of North Vietnam read wuxia books through illegal channels since the authorities had established a complete ban on these works. The banned status of these publications boosted their fascination because illegally imported copies spread quietly throughout the market (Nguyen Thong, 2018). The Vietnamese government changed its approach toward wuxia production after economic reforms and the United States embargo’s end during the 1990s. Wuxia material started regaining mass popularity through legal translation publications run by state-controlled publishing houses. The internet emerged in the early 1990s, becoming a platform where players could access wuxia literature through digital formats and film content as well as gaming materials.

The Digital Transformation: Wuxia in Online Gaming

The arrival of internet technology in Vietnam brought wuxia back to life through online gaming platforms. In the mid-2000s the online video games Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ (The Swordsman) and Cửu Long Tranh Bá (9Dragons) gained immense popularity across Vietnam. Players experienced boundless wuxia-inspired worlds through these games that adopted martial arts themes and hero-based concepts from both the works of Jin Yong and Gu Long. Wuxia online games provided players to join forces while telling stories as wuxia martial artists who explored the complex Jianghu world described in romantic martial arts novels (Ge, 2017).

Wuxia games have wide popularity in Vietnam because they trigger nostalgia in players. Players born during the 1980s and 1990s participated in these games because they were familiar with wuxia literature starting from their youth under a combination of book novels and TV shows and movies. The experience of playing wuxia games allowed players to maintain an emotional connection with their childhood fantasies about stories and characters from wuxia adaptations (Chan, 2006). This phenomenon aligns with the life course theory, which posits those earlier experiences shape later behaviors and preferences. For Vietnamese gamers, their exposure to wuxia literature played a pivotal role in shaping their gaming habits. Thus, even amidst rising anti-China sentiment due to territorial disputes, Vietnamese consumers distinguish between political conflicts and cultural appreciation, continuing to embrace Chinese media products, including wuxia games.

Nostalgia functions as a key factor that maintains the popularity of wuxia video games across Vietnam. Wuxia entertainment attracts Vietnamese players because of millennia-old cultural connections between Vietnam and China. The historical connection between Vietnam and China functions as a bridge through which both governments make Chinese media content more acceptable to Vietnamese audiences while keeping literary and gaming wuxia materials within their reach (Yoo et al., 2014). Political tensions between Vietnam and China regarding disputed territories have not deterred Vietnamese gamers from playing wuxia games made in China because they maintain separate realms of political affairs from cultural consumer behavior (Kinh Hoa, 2018).

The concept of cultural proximity, which refers to the degree of similarity between two cultures that affects the reception of foreign media, also helps explain why wuxia games have gained such popularity in Vietnam. Cultural proximity has facilitated the acceptance of wuxia games in the Vietnamese market, with players feeling a stronger connection to games that reflect shared cultural themes and values, such as loyalty, honor, and martial arts philosophy (Straubhaar, 1991).

The Vietnamese wuxia game market thrives because Asian gaming firms consistently make well-strategized business choices combined with effective promotional tactics. The popularity of wuxia as a gamer franchise prompted Vietnamese game developers to establish wuxia particular games as their central product line. These businesses invest in importing Chinese wuxia games since their affordable licensing fees attract Vietnamese users who already love wuxia stories. Industry personnel state that gaming companies select wuxia-themed games because these products fulfill players' cultural preferences and address the established market demand for wuxia entertainment content (MIC, 2019a). Statistically, the list of licensed games (Ministry of Information and Communications [MIC, 2019a) also confirmed that the period 2015 to 2018 witnessed the entrance of 308 online games to Vietnam, either PC or mobile, among which 95% are wuxia games. In the first half of 2019, among 106 newly imported games, 90% of them also contain wuxia concepts (MIC, 2019b). In the latest reports published on the website of the Ministry (MIC, 2024), this scenario remains unchanged as the dominance of wuxia-themed games imported is apparently recorded. It is noteworthy that popular MOBA games like League of Legends have not reduced the customer base for wuxia games since wuxia games still maintain their dedicated fanbase.

Wuxia in the Global Context

While wuxia has enjoyed great success in Vietnam, its reception in Western markets has been less enthusiastic. The cultural and narrative nuances of wuxia, such as its emphasis on martial arts and Chinese philosophy, are unfamiliar to many Western players. Moreover, the complexity of wuxia narratives, which often span many volumes and delve deeply into Chinese cultural values, makes them challenging for Western audiences to engage with (Frisch, 2018). Translating wuxia works into English poses additional challenges, as the cultural references and martial arts terminology often do not have direct equivalents in Western languages, making the genre less accessible (Earnshaw, 2018).

As a result, while wuxia games have found success in East Asia and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, they remain relatively niche in the West. The contrast between Western and Eastern gaming cultures further highlights the distinctiveness of wuxia games. Western games often emphasize militarized masculinity, strategic warfare, and colonial narratives, whereas East Asian games prioritize fantasy, mythology, and martial arts traditions. The cultural nuances embedded in wuxia games, including poetic martial arts maneuvers and historical allegories, make them less accessible to Western audiences. The complexity of wuxia narratives, coupled with translation challenges, limits their global reach, reinforcing their status as a predominantly East Asian cultural phenomenon. In Vietnam, nonetheless, wuxia games benefit from the familiarity of players with the genre’s literary and cinematic adaptations, ensuring their continued relevance in the gaming industry.

Vietnam’s aspiration to develop its own gaming industry has also been influenced by wuxia. Attempts to create a domestically produced wuxia game, such as Thuận Thiên Kiếm, reflect the desire to integrate national history and mythology into gaming narratives. However, challenges such as high production costs, regulatory restrictions, and competition from imported games have hindered the success of Vietnamese-developed wuxia games. As a result, the market remains dominated by Chinese-produced wuxia games, with local companies focusing on localization rather than original game development.

Nowadays, although there has been a decreasing trend in publishing and reading wuxia novels in recent years, mostly due to the presence of other genres that are more appealing in both Chinese and Vietnamese book markets, including xianxia (fantasy), yanqing (romance), boylove, tomb raider, to name but a few, wuxia has still managed to find a way to keep delivering its essence globally and in Vietnam particularly via the efforts of several Chinese game studios- those who determined to prove themselves to the world that China is also capable of producing high-quality games. By drawing inspiration from wuxia to pursue long-term plans in developing blockbuster games, Nakara: Bladepoint or Black Myth: Wukong could be named as examples that highlight the global aspirations of Chinese companies.

The game developers at 24 Entertainment combined battle royale features with stylized martial arts battle mechanics to create Naraka: Bladepoint when they released it in 2021, a truly bold move as the survival motif employed in gameplay had successfully been performed by PUBG: Battlegrounds. Naraka: Bladepoint gives a new perspective to wuxia games by transforming their open-ended aesthetics into a speedy competitive mode. The development follows rising player interest in multiplayer online games but seamlessly keeps fundamental wuxia features including gravity-defying movement techniques alongside artistic swordfighting and mythical elements. The game's achievement among both Chinese and Western markets proves that wuxia adaptations work effectively with modern gaming conventions alongside their traditional cultural foundation (Obedkov, 2024).

Meanwhile, the significant hype surrounding Black Myth: Wukong stems from Game Science's innovative blend of mesmerizing graphics and mythological re-imagery of Chinese classics. Through its depiction of a martial arts specialist who follows a life-changing journey the game adapts wuxia elements from Journey to the West. The developers of Black Myth: Wukong opted for Unreal Engine 5 to create their adaptation because this technology enhanced their presentation of cinema along with full immersion into the game world. The approach demonstrates how wuxia media thrive with evolving technology to help promote the idea of internationalization and expand its reach beyond original audiences but retain essential storytelling depth, attracting a pool of players who are either already familiar with the concept of Journey to the West or exposed to it for the first time (Meng, 2025).

Conclusion

The history of wuxia in Vietnam illustrates the complex relationship between literature, media, and digital entertainment. From its origins in print novels to its digital transformation in online games, wuxia has maintained a strong presence in Vietnamese culture. Nostalgia and cultural proximity have played key roles in the ongoing popularity of wuxia-themed games, with many players continuing to engage with the genre due to their earlier exposure to wuxia literature and media. The success of wuxia games in Vietnam is also driven by the business strategies of local gaming companies, who recognize the genre's enduring appeal.

Despite the rise of other gaming genres, wuxia continues to be a dominant force in the Vietnamese gaming industry. This legacy is a testament to the lasting influence of wuxia fiction in Vietnam, where the genre has been able to adapt to changing media formats while retaining its cultural significance. Wuxia games continue their endurance because of worldwide trends in Chinese popular culture expansion. The global gaming industry looks favorably upon Chinese projects that deliver high-production-value content representative of Chinese cultural heritage when China dominates the market more assertively. Naraka: Bladepoint’s success, along with Black Myth: Wukong, demonstrates that wuxia remains a viable genre within the worldwide gaming industry; and if a game is well developed, then the so-called East-West demarcation line can also be blurred. Besides, these games prove the enduring nature of wuxia as they adapt to modern gameplay needs showing how the traditional genre remains relevant in the present age.

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