Black Myth Wukong Guidelines for Content Creators State to Not Include Feminist Propaganda, Politics

Black Myth Wukong guidelines for content creators have surfaced, and it lists they cannot talk about politics, "feminist propaganda & more.

[Profchaos]

They are saying just review the game we made on its own merits what's so bad about that

[excaliburps]

Yep.I think Game Science didn't want streamers to have the game as the "hook" to get people to watch and then talk about their agendas...

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

It’s odd that so many journalists would want to insert diversity, politics, and social issues when reviewing a game about a human-sized, magical rhesus macaque.

[VenomUK]

I’m actually glad that Screen Rant did this because it once again highlights how the bloggers in the games media (they’re definitely not journalists) have acted as gatekeepers deciding who gets praised and who gets dumped on. Hogwarts Legacy was the defining moment. But by doing this they have now alienated so much of their audiences who have moved to YouTubers that multiple websites are losing money and letting go of staff.

If you compare the games media to how it was just six years ago things have changed and their review scores won’t make or break a game.

[senorfartcushion]

Every game has politics, it's more about finding what they are.

This seems like a game made by sexless nerds

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

The amount of mental gymnastics journalists would have to go through to try and insert ESG/DEI issues into a game about Chinese mythology is mind-boggling to me. I'm just thrilled to have a game with Chinese mythology since you don't see such a thing very come over to the west very often (we often get Wuxia or Cultivation media).

[Christopher]

No more so odd than gamers who do the same to attack games for their own views of diversity, politics, and social issues, tbh. People just like to make everything about everything nowadays.

[Crows90]

@sensor

I think based on pictures it seems there's definitely a lot of sex involved in these guys and girls lives....much more than yours probably but who knows.

[staticall]

@Profchaos
On one hand, i kinda don't want game developers or publishers to have that kind of power over what you're allowed to say and what you're not. Otherwise, it might lead to stuff like «By using the game key, you: don't say anything bad, don't say a word about microtransactions» and such. Usually, their appetite comes with eating, so to speak and i do see companies like Ubisoft, ActiBlizzard and others saying this.

But on the other, i'm fed up with constant politics injected everywhere (whatever it's fitting or not) and «either you agree with my take or you're bigot/-ist» attitude. Hopefully, this particular requirement will make sure that sites like IGN, ResetEra, etc don't start saying stuff like «yet another gruff white male protagonists» in their reviews.

Guess we will wait and see.

[fr0sty]

In the same vein, it prevents the "get outraged over anything inclusive" mouth breathers from crying "woke!" on games just because they broke away from "yet another gruff white male protagonist" or "female lead that wears nothing, has big boobs, and gives me a boner".

[staticall]

@fr0sty
Both extremes are bad, i agree with you (but, i think, "mouth breathers" was unnecessary).

Although, i would argue that, in my personal experience, in game reviews, you far often see left-leaning ideologies than right-leaning ones (but i might be biased here; talking about big publications like IGN and such). And if the game doesn't follow their ideas (either from the left or the right), that'll lead to lower game score (and the other way around, if they agree with the ideas, they might score the game higher). Which will affect the sales and that might lead to cancellation of sequel (like what might've happened with Days Gone) or full stop of support.

This is the only reason i'm not outright against this, the way they want to control the speech. I just want games to be games and reviews be reviews (and not some political lecture from either camp), because nowadays, everyone think they know better how you're supposed to live or what you're supposed to think, it's getting tiring.

P. S.: Sorry for the rant.

[Profchaos]

Completely agree the rules shouldn't be used to disguise practices like excessive monetisation strategies but a studio asking for its work to be viewed solely on its merits alone like should be a totally normal thing it kind of shows the state of games journalism that they even have to ask it.

[Rynxie]

Too bad, it's not China. People can talk about whatever they want, whether some like it or not. Keep that Chinese censorship crap over there.

[Flewid638]

You can make up topics that have nothing to do with the merits of the game or feminist propaganda. So that doesn't sound like what they are saying.

Still getting the game either way.

[ChasterMies]

I know that the sole folks on this site are excited about the idea of using a free game code to censor “SJWs” and “feminazis”, but if you read the full “don’t do” list, it includes a broad range of topics like “quarantine”, “fetishization” and “China’s game industry policies”. As a patriotic American, I reserve the right to talk smack about all China’s policies. As a patriotic American who enjoys the 1st amendment, I broker no abrogation of my rights to free speech.

[H9]

This reminds me of "Just Listen To The Song" one-shot by Tatsuki Fujimoto... Basically just play the game

[90sGamingWasBetter]

I struggle to play some games that are heavy on certain agendas.

[CobraKai]

I agree. Same with movies,because in the end, you’re not engrossed in what you are watching or playing; you just see the agenda.

[ChronoJoe]

What are you talking about? Every movie is inherently political by virtue of the themes and content that it features. Movies that you don't see an agenda in, just align with your agenda.

[GhostScholar]

I applaud someone having the guts to say leave the politics out of the review process. But that won’t happen, especially with the extreme left making up the majority of games media. The extreme right thinks that games are bad if they contain any form of sex or violence and the extreme left think every game should have a gay/trans/feminist/minority represented as the main character in all games. There is no pleasing either side, so sadly it won’t happen.

[notatallsurprisinggg]

You sound like you live in constant fear of someone taking away Lara crofts bewbs. I love how far right gamers get so offended when a game occasionally doesn’t have a straight white protagonist.

[neutralgamer1992]

No man you are wrong and I consider myself a centrist. Left is just nuts now with everything and whoever doesn’t agree is bad and wrong. I use to be a democrat but over the past 10 years what these politicians say in front of people isn’t what they believe in. We have hosted multiple fundraisers and behind closed doors they are against so much of this nonsense but they have to keep playing the greatest hits because left has gone overboard

Not saying right has because they for sure have go too far too. We all need to come together, have a mature conversation and come to consensus/ compromise. Neither side is willing to compromise.

On topic:

Politics should be left out of the games. So should all other agendas of inclusion. I am a brown person and I don’t want forced inclusion. When I play a game I don’t think here I am playing a white or black character. I just play games and whoever I am playing as becomes my character. I joke with my BF that in this country right now the worst thing you can be is a straight white male. It’s truly sad how we as humans have evolved over the past 10 years. So much nonsense and the journalism has gone down the gutter

[GhostScholar]

I didn’t say the protagonist had to be straight or white. Im saying mainstream gaming media want anything but that just so they can wave their enlightened flag. They equate art with diversity. Anyone from any background can make great art. And art is art regardless of race or sexual orientation. Try harder if you’re gonna out words into someone’s mouth who’s smarter than you.

[Huey_My_D_Long]

@neutralgamer1992 wow Dude really bought into the forced inclusion narrative, "ohh its the worst to be a striaght white male," gtfo outta here with that that "pick me "attitude. Dont call yourself a centrist saying shit like that.

[Killer2020UK]

😂 Guy considers himself a centrist. Of course you do. I've lost count of the amount of racists who don't consider themselves racist, abusers who don't consider themselves abusive and centerists who are anything but. It's basically a way of not having to justify your beliefs on the basis they are 'moderate'.

[Crows90]

Be more wrong. Doubt you can.

I do love how certain gamers do love to call people lots of names that they don't understand.

You must love tokenism on games.

[90sGamingWasBetter]

Many games just aren't fun anymore.

[Huey_My_D_Long]

The fact that you guys cry all the time when anything black or especially trans is mentioned. The fact that actress playing abby has to have extra security from dipshits who hate a game so much they threaten a live action version of her. Remeber the yasuke hate..oh wait thats still going on...but jesus fuck yall are children masquerading as adults. " the left wants to all protagonists to be non white and male " wow ok yall are weird if thats what you think. Literally no is asking that..no surprise here.
THEY WANT EVERY CHARACTER EVERYWHERE TO BE A GAYTRANS BI POC NO MORE STRAIGHT WHITE MEN IN ANY GAME MANDATED BY HARRISWALZ RADICALS IN OFFICE... this is you guys rn

[CrimsonWing69]

@Clownleftistdetector

Did you really just create an account to do that “beep boop beep” detection thing you’re doing?

[GhostScholar]

You’re doing what all extreme leftists do. You’re ignoring what was actually said and making it into your own narrative. No one said everyone should be straight and white.

[Killer2020UK]

The extreme left? That would be literal militant communists. Are you seriously suggesting the games media is made up of those groups?

[ChronoJoe]

How is it possible to leave politics out of the review process when everything is political? Cultural artifacts and the manner in which they are produced is an inherently political. The decisions that go into art, are political.

People are just upset when the politics of those games, don't align with their politics. This is when they label those as an 'agenda'.

[GhostScholar]

Art can be political in nature but the best art is about the human experience not politics.

[Demetrius]

They already know how sensitive mfs are over virtual fiction worlds lol they know they get in their feelings about that more than real world issues.

[HyperMoused]

Told SBI to suck a fat one...love that..that compant is cancer for gaming...that also put this game on my radar looking forward to playing it later

[ChronoJoe]

Almost certain that never happened. Work in video game consultancy and there's 0 chance that SBI asked them for 7 million like the headlines have claimed. Just more right wing rhetoric that exists to strengthen the idea that companies like SBI are 'ruining games', seemingly by not only making recommendations to change their writing but by consuming an excessive proportion of their budget too.

To me it seems very unlikely that working with a company like SBI would cost more than 100k USD, perhaps a little more if you wanted regular engagement but anything else is a fabrication.

[gold_drake]

good, just focus on the game itself.

[notatallsurprisinggg]

Man i love these rage baiting articles, brings out the crème de la crème of 4chan weebs

[JimBeans]

I like the left. I hate the far left.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I'm a leftie, but do not claim the extreme left as one of my own.

[Cockney]

The same is true for the right, look around and you'll see anytime anybody disagrees with the left they are branded with all sorts of inflammatory labels, you only need watch mainstream media to see the difference its right there everytime, im in England and right now things are dangerously close to chaos

[Rikimaru-00]

so this is what it comes to in reviewing a game. first beer now they are trying to mess up gaming.

[anast]

The funny thing is that game writers will sign anything because they need the access.

[Tacoboto]

So everyone here is in favor of a form of censorship.

China's got ya and all it takes is a single-player video game with no footage of the version most of you will end up buying digitally.

[VersusDMC]

Every person who recieves a game code in advance gets a content guide line for every game. Don't swear, don't talk about certain story segments, don't be violent, etc...i guess every company is censoring people.

And people can spout all the hate for china and the developers that they want...just don't expect a free advance game code.

[Christopher]

This is not true. Many big games might have these things and they're on lists you can get kicked off of. But most game review codes do not come with content guidelines.

[Tankbusta40]

These people don't understand how evil the CCP is and how every Chinese business has ties to the government.

[Cockney]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't china a leftist community? A socialist/communist society stands against all the lefty rhetoric we hear daily in the west, thats how crazy its become now, the left are so lost i fear there's no way back

[jznrpg]

They are a dictatorship disguised as whatever you want to call it.

[atsugiT2]

I dislike the CCP as much as the next rational person, but it could just be that this company wants to make a game based on the story Journey to the West and not have some imaginary rules that they have to cater to every social group. Did they put this stipulation out before or after people started trying to throw crazy labels on their game? Asking seriously because I havent checked. But I imagine they were just making a game before people started crying.

[blackblades]

With this you definitely shouldnt be a journalist lol you definitely got triggered.

[Tacoboto]

China's rules, if you read them, literally say not to use trigger words.

Maybe you should read, instead of getting caught up in being so against whatever the CCP defines as "feminist propaganda"

(Wait, they don't have a definition - they knew they'd get what they wanted just by triggering the anti-woke mob)

[Christopher]

No no no. It's only censorship when we say it is, not the other times.

[Inverno]

I'm assuming they most likely had similar guidelines for reviewers though, cause most content creators are simply going to stream the game and not inject their politics into their uploads.

[DigitallyAfflicted]

Surly it doesn't apply to people who buy a game, play it and then review it. they can say any thing in they reviews.

[Tankbusta40]

Lol total China....don't ever talk about Covid...It was a bat we swear! I love how everyone is praising CCP guidelines lol

[Psychonaut85]

Honestly seems like what’s probably a typical Chinese media boilerplate. “Don’t talk negatively about the Chinese government or things they don’t like”.

[bleedsoe9mm]

This comment section is how liberty dies

[CobraKai]

Good for them. It’s better that the devs don’t pigeonhole inclusiveness for the sake of having inclusiveness. Make the game they want to make

[SimpleDad]

Good!

[Markusb33]

wasnt this already shown to be false and the list was fake and created to cause issues around the game ? the game is about escapism and entertainment which is what most fictional entertainment should be, leave the real world behind and enjoy something for what it is. This is why holywood is failing and the best entertainment these days comes from Korea in my view.

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

Good im glad to see it! These hair brained activists are ruining gaming they are selfish. All we want is entertainment that's it. They just want people to review the game based on if it's simply good or not. No to whine moan and complain about a "Lack Of Diversity". F these activists man seriously!