From Mechato Human Clone:The Anthropomorphic Robot in Exported Chinese Video Games

In today’s media landscape, China plays a leading role in the production of traditional and new media alike. it is the video-game sector that demands the greatest attention from whomever aims at understanding today’s China’s cultural imaginary’s worldwide impact, for at least three reasons: 1) video games are the most lucrative entertainment industry; 2) video games are osmotically spread in the Western world; 3) Chinese video games’ export has been on the rise since the second half of the last decade. The anthropomorphic robot has been a constant presence in Chinese science fiction, alternatively threat and aid to man’s existence, following diverse degrees of human-likeness. What role does this topic play in Chinese exported video games, and thus in its spreading in the Western world? The analysis of a selection of video games - PC games chosen based on their Steam success, and mobile ones based on their App Store success (i.e., Dyson Sphere Program, Eastward, Honkai Impact 3rd, ICEY, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Super Mecha Champions) - allowed for mapping the AR's presence within them, meanwhile putting it in relation with the Chinese cultural background, thus deriving the conclusion that it takes six different forms, from the least to the most human-like in terms of appearance and self-awareness: the mecha, the sentient mecha, the android, the cyborg, the yuri warrior, and the human clone.