The developer of Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science, has been accused of sexist recruitment with social media posts.
This information was published by IGN. If you are interested in the state of the video game industry, you can check out our other articles here.
Game Science Accused of Sexism, Why?
IGN reported that Game Science co-founder and lead artist Yang Qi wrote a long post on Weibo in 2013 saying that games for men and women are different because of biological differences.
Qi then used various stereotypes about the interests of both sexes and noted that he needed to take on female interests to make “soft and sissy things”.
IGN has also verified that in 2015, recruitment ads from Game Science featured sexist images and titles.
One poster reads, “don’t mess with your coworkers”, and implies that being friends with friends who have benefits is an advantage in the office. Another ad is allegedly fatphobic towards job seekers.
In 2020, co-founder at Game Science, Feng Ji, reflected on a video Black Myth: Wukong that went viral on Weibo. Feng expressed his thoughts using some graphic sexual language.
Recently, a technical artist from Game Science, Daiwei, revealed in a post on Zhihu that the female character from Black Myth: Wukong, known as the snake spirit, can be masturbated by “looking at it more”.
IGN also notes that the Game Science logo, which some Chinese netizens say, looks similar to the shape of a sperm.
The IGN report also delved into the broader issue of sexism within the Chinese gaming industry. While Niko Partners’ 2020 report identified nearly half of the country’s gamers as female, Monica F. explained to IGN that online gaming rhetoric is often sexist in China, making it difficult for women to feel safe.
