How Video Games Inspire Real-World Cultural Practice: A Case Study of Black Myth: Wukong

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_66How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Video Games; Media-Induced Tourism; Video Game-Induced Tourism; Cultural Practice; Cultural Participation

Abstract

While several video games have previously inspired real-world tourism, the global phenomenon of Black Myth: Wukong in 2024 revealed an unprecedented depth and scope of cultural resonance. Existing research often categorizes such cases under the concept of media-induced tourism. However, this paper argues that their significance lies not only in the causal link between video games and tourism, but in how virtual play gives rise to cultural practice that redefine the very mode of cultural participation. Drawing on perspectives from cultural and media studies, this study examines how empathy and embodied experience transform gameplay into cultural practice. Using Black Myth: Wukong as a case study, it explores how players extend virtual empathy into physical action, re-enacting and sharing cultural meanings across digital and real spaces. This study contributes to ongoing debates on the intersections of video games, culture, and tourism by demonstrating how digital gameplay can generate tangible cultural participation. In doing so, the paper repositions video games as cultural interfaces that connect imagination and lived reality, revealing their potential as a vital form of cultural participation in the digital age.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Ziqi Shi
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - How Video Games Inspire Real-World Cultural Practice: A Case Study of Black Myth: Wukong
BT  - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 576
EP  - 583
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_66
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_66
ID  - Shi2025
ER  -