Chinese gamer and YouTuber Fei_fiii refuted IGN’s accusations of sexism against Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science.
A screenshot from Black Myth: Wukong (2024), Game Science
Back in November 2023, Rebekah Valentine and Khee Hoon Chan at IGN accused Game Science of sexism. The duo reported, “Several posts have surfaced from Chinese social media site Weibo, written by individuals from the studio, that contain multiple references to [anatomy] and sexual innuendos.”
They also stated, “This was coupled by recruitment posters by the studio, produced in 2015, which featured images and headlines that point to a culture of ingrained sexism in Game Science.”
The article provides no evidence of these headlines or posters. However, it does give descriptions, “In one poster, a risque illustration that resembles the artwork of Austrian artist Egon Schiele is accompanied by a header that says ‘Mandatory self-pleasure’. In another poster that featured the rear view of a woman, the ad reads, ‘Don’t screw your colleagues’. In the same ad, friends with benefits were also implied as an office perk. And a third poster, featuring a dumbbell, is far more pointed, with the ad stating that ‘fatties should f**k off.’”
A screenshot from Black Myth: Wukong (2024), Game Science
As first reported by SmashJT.com, Fei_fiii confirmed the posters existence and addressed them saying, “Before working on Black Myth: Wukong, they had two mobile games to survive, which I don’t know much about. But during this period they made some rather vulgar recruitment posters that reflected their usual style and received a lot of criticism.”
She continued, “I’m sure you’ve encountered people like this. Those who think dirty jokes or swearing are funny. Personally, I don’t mind much. I think everyone occasionally swears to release stress, and I do too. But I would never bring such behavior to work or formal occasions. Nor would I include it in video. That’s a sense of boundaries and respect of others. Otherwise, like them now, while [they’re] gaining high attention, their low quality behavior also gets magnified even causing people to accuse them of being sexist. This could affect the reputation of their work, which is a pity.”
The posters, which can be seen in the video below, are most definitely in poor taste and could even be described as smut. Game Science should be condemned for creating them. However, this does not mean the developers are sexist. It just means they are crude and were clearly operating unprofessionally as Fei_fiii notes.
Next, Fei_fiii addresses the accusations against Game Science’s co-founder Feng Ji. The IGN report took issue with a post he made to Chinese social media website Weibo, which IGN translated as him writing, “I want to expand my circle and hire more people, get licked until I can’t get an erection.”
It also alleges he wrote, “I know, you just happen to be a little depressed. It is my honor to provide you with some comfort in the lower half of your body.”
Furthermore, the report claims he wrote, “I got wet after watching it a couple of times… the pressure in my crotch is immense!”
IGN’s translation of Feng Ji’s Weibo post
Fei_fiii indicates this post came in the wake of a game demonstration for Black Myth: Wukong to recruit talent for the game. She specifically notes that IGN mistranslated his first sentence in the above post. She notes that what he was trying to convey in Chines was, “I just wanted to recruit a few people, but received more praise than expected, which made me feel uneasy.”
She then stated, “However, just because I understand what he was trying to say doesn’t mean I approve of his way of saying it. You can call him ‘rude’ and ‘crude,’ but there’s no need to label him as sexist.”
In fact, she goes on to detail that there was significant Chinese backlash for these remarks, “The backlash against them on the Chinese internet actually started at this point when the first video came out and wasn’t anything new. Their inappropriate remarks from before were dug up and widely spread at this time. This spread reached beyond the gaming community and every year since whenever they release a new video it sparks another wave of criticism with people arguing fiercely over it. IGN’s report last year was late to the game.”
A screenshot from Black Myth: Wukong (2024), Game Science
Fei_fiii’s comments regarding Feng Ji’s post being mistranslated or at the very least misinterpreted to paint him a negative light corroborate a previous clip from Asmongold Clips which noted that Feng Ji’s comment “is a used idiom in the Chinese language. As a colloquial expression used humorously or sarcastically to describe a situation where excessive flattery or sycophancy has an overwhelming and paralyzing effect on someone. The use of such metaphors can be found in informal speech on social media.”
What do you make of Fei_fiii’s comments regarding IGN’s accusations of sexism against the developers of Black Myth: Wukong?
