Legends of the Middle Kingdom

In China, video games give life to history and literature — but can these same titles succeed in the West?

For a few years, I lived close to an enormous park known as Xiaoyaojin. As with many Chinese parks, it is an odd, jarring blend of the old and new. One can buy milk tea in a pagoda, then observe the centuries-old bridges from atop a Ferris wheel, or even take a paddle boat to the burial site of legendary Cao Wei general Zhang Liao.

Source: Author.

Xiaoyaojin happens to be the site of one of Zhang Liao’s greatest martial victories. Famously, Zhang Liao defeated a numerically superior Eastern Wu force using only a handful of horsemen, exploiting a weakness in the enemy formation. Lord Sun, who was commanding the troops, narrowly escaped with his life, and thereafter the area became a prize that the Wu forces could not claim.

Were I of a mind to do so, I could have left that park and replayed the battle any time I wanted. I could have gone to an internet cafe, found whichever version of Dynasty Warriors was installed on it (obligatory in any such establishment), and located the level. If this situation sounds at all…