With domestic science fiction novels winning awards one after another, how long will the corresponding games remain silent?

The Hugo Award is like the Nobel Prize in the science fiction world. Liu Cixin just won the award last year, and Hao Jingfang won the award again this year. It is enough to prove that domestic science fiction novels are capable of producing products that are comparable to Western science fiction masterpieces. Unfortunately, compared with the achievements of science fiction novels, domestic science fiction games have always performed mediocrely. Nowadays, literary IPs are constantly adapted into various forms under the hot pursuit of capital, but when it comes to science fiction themes, whether it is science fiction movies or science fiction games, there has never been a decent work. If it is said that due to the limitation of domestic technical level, high-level film and television works cannot be produced, then what about games as the ninth art? Science fiction themes are hot and have a natural fit with games. Since we already have a first-class story, how long will it take for us to make a popular domestic science fiction game?

Ice and Fire: The Different Fates of Science Fiction at Home and Abroad

The audience is small, and it is difficult for domestic science fiction to stand out

When it comes to heavyweight science fiction works in China, most people are at a loss, and the only answer they can give is "The Three-Body Problem". Games and movies, as forms of cultural expression, need the corresponding mass soil. In other words, if the masses don't like to watch, there will naturally be fewer works of the corresponding subject matter.

In fact, science fiction works are still marginal works in my country. The popularity of a number of science fiction authors is far lower than that of Han Han, Nanpai Sanshu and others, and the audience of science fiction themes is far less than that of other online novels. This situation is reflected in games, that is, mobile games with themes of fairy tales, martial arts and fantasy are appearing one after another. If players want to change their taste, they can only turn to games in Europe, the United States and Japan. According to statistics, since 2012, the number of science fiction books published in China, including imported ones, has been no more than 100 per year. This has also been confirmed by Liu Cixin himself. He once lamented, "They (American science fiction) publish more than 1,000 new novels a year, and we publish less than 100 a year."

As foreign blockbusters seize the domestic market, when will domestic science fiction games take off?

Science fiction is to Europe and America what martial arts is to China. In a country where mainstream entertainment tends to be science fiction, it is not surprising that countless classic science fiction games have been born.

It seems that there is no way out for niche science fiction themes in China, but compared with the bleak science fiction publishing industry, foreign science fiction movies and games have a good response in China. Whether it is the high box office of "The Martian" and "Gravity" in China, or the high popularity of science fiction games such as "EVE" and "The Silent Age" in China, it shows that China has the ability to digest science fiction works. There are very few domestic works that have succeeded in science fiction themes, but the response to foreign imported science fiction works in the Chinese market has repeatedly set new highs, which shows that the Chinese market has a demand for high-quality science fiction works. After all, niche themes do not mean a small market. The question is, when will China's science fiction games come out?

Having a good subject matter does not mean having a good game. Why is it difficult for domestic science fiction games to stand out?

The creativity is not enough to make up for the IP, and the domestic industry lacks the sincerity to do science fiction well.

If the failure of domestic science fiction movies is due to technology, then the failure of games is due to innovation. In recent years, the production level of games has been rising year by year. With the improvement of 3D engine technology, there is no pressure on the screen of science fiction themes. What we lack is the ability to make games "fun".

Sci-fi, to put it bluntly, is a game that opens up your imagination. Changing the protagonist to space, robots, or mechas does not change the essence of the game. Sci-fi elements are just the outer shell, and the inner sci-fi spirit is the key. In China, without enough creativity, people often choose a sci-fi IP to change the skin and turn it into a so-called sci-fi game.

There is nothing wrong with IP itself, but in terms of the attitude towards the use of IP, China is more eager for success. Before an IP is well cultivated, a series of developments are carried out. The profit center of the Western science fiction industry has gone through a process of transfer from magazines to bestsellers, and then to film and television games. We don’t have time to follow the Western steps, and develop games, animations, and movies together, and call it the "IP full industry chain". The development of science fiction IP is different from the second dimension and music, and requires a higher degree of professionalism. Specifically for games, it cannot be the same as the fairy tale and fantasy, changing the character model and UI, and simply implanting the science fiction plot, which is exactly what most domestic science fiction games do.

Having disappointed players for a long time, can domestic science fiction games still be trusted?

During the long period of underdevelopment of domestic science fiction games, most science fiction fans turned to the embrace of foreign classic science fiction games such as "Fallout 3" and "Resident Evil". There have also been domestic science fiction works that have tried to break out of the market where foreign masterpieces gather, such as a domestic space-themed sandbox game that failed in crowdfunding last year. Initially, the game won unanimous praise with its shocking promotional video. From the game screen and the revealed gameplay, it is of a high standard and full of science fiction style. Although there are many players who appreciate it, the crowdfunding of this game still ended in failure - and the funds raised only reached 3% of the target. The reason is that players have a deep-rooted distrust of domestic games. Many people believe that the concept of the propaganda is more hype than reality. The style of outer space + hard science fiction is certainly attractive, but under the current production level in China, it is difficult to achieve the effect in the propaganda. Combined with the exaggerated style of crowdfunding in recent years, it may be another hype.

If there is sufficient funding and technology, is it possible for domestic science fiction games to deliver a satisfactory answer to players?

What should domestic science fiction games do to break out of the market?

In the sub-sector, science fiction fans are still a large market. At the same time, the development of the domestic mobile game market is about to reach its peak, and going overseas has become the choice of many manufacturers. If you want to open up the global market, science fiction games are the best subject matter.

Currently, many large companies are planning to develop science fiction games. Tencent is the agent of Infinity Blade; Shanda is the agent of Borderlands OL, and the second game is StarCraft; Zhongyou Mobile Games will announce the agency of Star Wars: Commander during CJ... These actions also indirectly reflect that science fiction games have great potential in China.

Before ensuring that they have sufficient funds and strength to enter the science fiction market, practitioners still have many issues to consider.

1. Choose the right theme, is it a simulated adventure or an interstellar war ? Science fiction games are quite common in the ACG field, just like superheroes to Marvel. There are indeed many excellent domestic science fiction works. Space, battleships, multi-dimensional space, etc. are already standard features of many science fiction games. After determining the theme, what you need to think about is what type of game to make, strategy, puzzle, fighting, or something else? For example, the doomsday background in "The Silent Age" can be made into a fighting game to save the world, but the producer chose a brain-burning puzzle, which not only retains the science fiction elements, but also avoids competition with heavy masterpieces. For small and medium-sized manufacturers with insufficient strength, small and beautiful game types are a good choice.

2. Under the general trend of heavy-duty games, capable manufacturers should make S-level masterpieces . The first half of 2016 was a year of concentrated explosion for old PC game manufacturers, and MMO mobile games adapted from PC game IPs dominated the list of this summer. The PC game IPs in the memory of a generation are about to be exhausted, where to go next? PC games are irreplaceable. In the PC game market dominated by fantasy and fairy tales, will an excellent sci-fi theme PC game give players a refreshing feeling? Perhaps the next phenomenal mobile game IP will be adapted from a sci-fi theme PC game.

3. VR is developing rapidly, which will be a natural opportunity for science fiction games. For virtual reality, science fiction, fighting, and shooting are the best themes. From the current form of VR, the scene-based content and spatial experience will make users feel more surprised. Therefore, science fiction games with interstellar exploration and outer space as themes can obviously better satisfy users' sensory experience.

"Please stop asking us what is the meaning of flying into space. What is the meaning of life moving from the ocean to the land hundreds of millions of years ago?" This is a sentence by Liu Cixin in "The Three-Body Problem". The charm of science fiction lies in all possibilities. It is not easy to make science fiction, and it is even more difficult to make domestic science fiction games. But just as life has gone through millions of years of hardships to become human beings, only by trying step by step can we touch the possibilities. China's technology is no longer a problem, and its artistic skills are not inferior to those of foreign countries. What remains is the integration of resources and the moment of brainstorming. Science fiction gives people endless imagination. I hope that game practitioners will one day give domestic science fiction games different possibilities!

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.