[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-153892-105":59,"doc-detail-153892-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","from-wuxia-to-cultivation-games-reimagining-chinese-cosmology-in-digital-space","From Wuxia to Cultivation Games - Reimagining Chinese Cosmology in Digital Space","","Cultivation games (xiuxian/修仙) simulate the spiritual journey toward immortality by translating Daoist martial and mystical arts into interactive digital progression. Using Yuk Hui’s concept of “cosmotechnics,” the study analyzes how cultivation games convert Chinese cosmological and alchemical epistemologies into core mechanics rather than treating culture as mere backdrop. By tracing the lineage from wuxia titles to contemporary games, it compares combat-centered wu/xia imbalances with alchemy frameworks like nei dan and wai dan.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/from-wuxia-to-cultivation-games-reimagining-chinese-cosmology-in-digital-space/153892/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/from-wuxia-to-cultivation-games-reimagining-chinese-cosmology-in-digital-space/153892.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Theodora","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-23","2026-08-28",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What framework explains how games integrate cosmology through technology in this paper?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The paper uses Yuk Hui’s concept of “cosmotechnics,” which examines how cultures integrate cosmic and moral orders through technical activities.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How do cultivation games differ from wuxia games in their main focus?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"Wuxia games primarily emphasize martial combat and chivalric themes, while cultivation games prioritize systematic spiritual progression and mastery of mystical arts as core mechanics.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"Which Chinese alchemy concepts are highlighted as structural gameplay frameworks?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"The paper identifies nei dan (inner alchemy) and wai dan (outer alchemy) frameworks, mapped onto cultivation stages such as qi-refinement, foundation-building, and spirit-transformation.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},153892,1787883862,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":81,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":39,"preview_page_count":4},687197207919,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/a000253d6f5f7c60be?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779446848396160552","From Wuxia to Cultivation Games: Reimagining Chinese Cosmology in Digital Space  \nMorgan Yu Hao  \nSchool of Creative Media  \nCity University of Hong Kong  \nKowloon Tong, Hong Kong  \n[yu.hao@cityu.edu.hk](yu.hao@cityu.edu.hk)  \nKeywords  \ncultivation games, wuxia, Chinese games, cosmotechnics, cultural adaptation, Daoism, Chinese alchemy, Five Elements  \nEXTENDED ABSTRACT  \nXiuxian (修仙) or cultivation games is a rapidly emerging genre in Chinese gaming market, which simulate the journey of spiritual practitioners seeking immortality through practicing a set of martial and mystical arts (Qiang & Hao, 2023) . Drawing on Yuk Hui’s concept of “cosmotechnics”(2017; 2021), which examines how different cultures integrate cosmic and moral orders through technical activities, this research investigates how cultivation games translate traditional Daoist spiritual practices and epistemological frameworks into digital game experiences.  \nCultivation games often adapt the popular web novel genre of cultivation fantasy into interactive experiences where players progress through stages of spiritual advancement, manage resources, create magical elixirs, and engage with traditional Chinese cosmological systems. Unlike their predecessors in the wuxia genre, which focused primarily on martial arts combat and chivalric themes, cultivation games emphasize the systematic progression of spiritual cultivation and the mastery of mystical arts. The emergence of cultivation games represents a significant evolution in the digitalization of Chinese cultural elements.  \nThe study traces the lineage from wuxia to cultivation games, beginning with the influential “Three Swords” of the 1990s – Xuan-Yuan Sword (Xuan Yuan Jian, Softstar, 1990), Chinese Paladin (Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan, Softstar, 1995), and Jian Xia Qing Yuan (Seasun, 1997) . These three games, which all had ‘jian’ (sword) in their titles, established the foundation for Chinese cultural elements in gaming while simultaneously creating formulaic patterns for later wuxia games.  \nAccording to Chen (2013, 163), wuxia games dominated “more than half of the market in China”. The popularity of wuxia games also extends beyond China’s borders. Often perceived as a shared tradition in Asia, wuxia has become a common motif in East Asian MMORPG design (Chan, 2006) . One such example is the South Korean game 1000 Years (Actoz Soft, 2001) . However, the adaptation of wuxia in games creates an imbalance between wu (martial aspects) and xia (cultural-philosophical elements) . As  \nProceedings of DiGRA 2025  \n© 2025 Authors & Digital Games Research Association DiGRA. Personal and educational classroom use of this paper is allowed, commercial use requires specific permission from the author.  \nMi and Chen observe, \"the elements of xia are diluted while wu is greatly amplified since overpowering strength is the primary drive or determinant of these games\"(2006, 18; as cited in Zhang 2016, 334) . This privileging of combat mechanics in wuxia games is further emphasized by Cao et al., who note that “wu symbolizes the visual representation of character power, which is more pronounced in gaming media compared to other artistic forms”(2023, 38) .  \nCultivation games, on the other hand, represent a distinct approach to incorporating Chinese cosmology. While wuxia games mostly use cultural elements as backdrop, cultivation games adapt traditional Chinese cosmological and alchemical concepts into their core gameplay mechanics. For example, such integration can be seen through two primary structural frameworks derived from Chinese alchemy traditions: nei dan (inner alchemy) and wai dan (outer alchemy) . These frameworks are transformed into progression systems and gameplay mechanics that mirror Daoist cultivation stages such as lianqi (qi-refinement), zhuji (foundation-building), and huashen (spirit-transformation) .  \nThe research employs textual analysis of contemporary cultivation games, such as Immortal Way of Life (Cha","cbCaipwvb4UclegC","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipwvb4UclegC","pdf",125268,"English","# Extended Abstract\n## Genre and Theoretical Frame\n## Lineage from Wuxia to Cultivation Games\n## Chinese Alchemy Frameworks and Gameplay Mechanics\n## Case Studies and Cultural Epistemology in Games\n## Implications for Game Studies","[{\"question\":\"What framework explains how games integrate cosmology through technology in this paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper uses Yuk Hui’s concept of “cosmotechnics,” which examines how cultures integrate cosmic and moral orders through technical activities.\"},{\"question\":\"How do cultivation games differ from wuxia games in their main focus?\",\"answer\":\"Wuxia games primarily emphasize martial combat and chivalric themes, while cultivation games prioritize systematic spiritual progression and mastery of mystical arts as core mechanics.\"},{\"question\":\"Which Chinese alchemy concepts are highlighted as structural gameplay frameworks?\",\"answer\":\"The paper identifies nei dan (inner alchemy) and wai dan (outer alchemy) frameworks, mapped onto cultivation stages such as qi-refinement, foundation-building, and spirit-transformation.\"}]","From Wuxia to Cultivation Games - Reimagining Chinese Cosmology in Digital Space | PDF"]