Sense of Belonging: The Ideology of Chinese Educational Games

This extended abstract, presented at DiGRA 2018 by Chen Yingrong of Lingnan University, examines how Chinese government-sanctioned online games are used to cultivate a sense of belonging and patriotism among players. Its central thesis is that fostering this sense of belonging is the most important factor in designing state-approved games, which are presented as a medium through which the government disseminates political ideology rather than a space for citizens to express diverse views.

The analysis argues that these games are more effective than traditional text-based or audiovisual media because they allow multiple paths to victory. Rather than forcing players toward specific choices, they subtly encourage feelings of pride, loyalty to the homeland, and resistance to what is framed as liberal "invasion." Belonging is defined as accepting the nation's organization, policies, and protections, and linking personal identity to the protection of China's image. The paper examines three titles: Learning from Lei Feng (Shanda), which draws on Chairman Mao's reception and quotations, and Glorious Mission (Giant Interactive Group), which depicts recapturing the Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan.

The paper is structured in three parts: the forms of belonging defined in government-involved games, the rhetorical strategies used to encourage belonging in players' everyday lives, and how such rhetoric might shape future political education through game design. The abstract is a conceptual and qualitative argument rather than an empirical study, and it draws on a limited set of game case studies and a secondary literature on Chinese nationalism, ideology, and governance.