Hinter dem "Pilgerzug zu heiligen Stätten" verbirgt sich ein neues Feld von Spiel und Kultur-Tourismus.

Text | Ma Xiaodi‍ 

Editor | Liu Shiwu 

Since the collaboration between "Black Myth: Wukong" and Shanxi's cultural and tourism industry went viral, the IP cooperation between games and cultural tourism has become more diverse. 

During the May Day holiday not long ago, two sets of woodblock printing works, "Ruoyuan: The Rise of Kites in Guangling" and "Ruoyuan: The Seal of the King of Guangling", were officially displayed as part of the basic collection of the Yangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Treasure Museum in the "External Cooperation Exhibition Area of the Guangling Branch of the China Printing Museum" on the second floor of the museum, open to the public. 

Official announcement of the cooperation between "Ruoyuan" and the Yangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Treasure Museum

In fact, even before its official launch in September last year, "Ruoyuan" had already announced a one - year comprehensive cultural and tourism cooperation with Yangzhou. Subsequently, the two parties launched their first joint event, a live - streaming of the "Prayer Night with River Lanterns at Xiuyi Tower". During the CICFxAGF Anime and Game Festival on National Day, many artworks of Yangzhou's intangible cultural heritage skills were exhibited, and players on - site could experience the woodblock printing technique firsthand. 

In addition, other scenic spots in Yangzhou, such as the Museum of the Tomb of the King of Guangling, Daming Temple, and Slender West Lake, have also become popular check - in spots for players due to the similar elements they share with the game. Many players, wearing exquisite cosplay costumes and holding game - related products such as cotton dolls, badges, and standees, go to these scenic spots to find and compare elements similar to those in the game and actively take photos to share on social media platforms. 

From the online game to the offline real - world scenery, the cooperation between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou has achieved a deep integration of the game IP and local culture, and also provided official support for players' offline "pilgrimage to the holy land". 

However, in the process of integrating game IPs with real - world content such as history, culture, and cities, there are also problems such as the difficulty in achieving an "immersive" experience and conflicts between game content and cultural elements. 

In fact, in numerous cases of combining game IPs with real - world scenarios, not all have good results. If done well, both players and non - players can enjoy it; if done poorly, it may face various controversies. 

Yangzhou: The Chosen "Holy City"

Let's start with the collaboration between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou. 

There are multiple factors behind "Ruoyuan"'s choice of Yangzhou, and the most crucial one is that the game's setting is highly consistent with the city's historical and cultural background. 

The game world constructed in "Ruoyuan" is set against the chaotic era of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms. Players play the role of the cross - dressing King of Guangling, in charge of the intelligence organization Xiuyi Tower, secretly carrying out confidential tasks for the emperor. Yangzhou, formerly known as "Guangling", is the prototype of the player's fiefdom in this fictional setting. Meanwhile, it was also the fiefdom of the King of Guangling in real history, and its main urban area is still named "Guangling District" today. 

In today's Yangzhou, it's easy to find traces of "Ruoyuan". Standing on the bridge outside the Slender West Lake, the Qiling Pagoda of Daming Temple gradually overlaps with the "Lantai" on the game's main interface; stepping into the Museum of the Tomb of the King of Guangling, the "Huangchangticou" promised by Liu Bian, one of the male leads, comes into view; walking on the bustling Dongguan Street, it's as if you've traveled back to the Qixi Festival dating scene in the game in an instant. 

Comparison between the Qiling Pagoda of Yangzhou Daming Temple and the game interface of "Ruoyuan" (Photo from social media)

With the in - depth cooperation between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou's cultural and tourism industry, Yangzhou has now transformed into a huge "holy city", attracting many players to come. They leave their footprints in these familiar yet unfamiliar scenes, searching for those special memories related to "Ruoyuan". 

Many players share their routes and guides on various social media platforms after checking in. The content includes detailed information such as transportation guides, suggestions for shooting positions, and recommendations for cultural and creative products. Wearing game cosplay costumes or holding game - related products, many players also meet like - minded people on the spot. This upsurge of the interweaving of reality and virtuality has already initiated a grand "pilgrimage to the holy land". 

"Pilgrimage to the holy land" was originally a religious term, referring to believers visiting religious holy places to seek spiritual meaning. 

In the ACGN (animation, comics, games, novels) field, "pilgrimage to the holy land" is a sub - culture, which means that fans of a certain work actually visit the real - world locations that served as the prototypes for the scenes in the work. Fans of "The Lord of the Rings" travel across half the globe to New Zealand to experience the wonderful Middle - earth; fans of "Harry Potter" travel to King's Cross Station in London to touch the entrance to the magical world at Platform 9¾; during the cherry blossom season in Kamakura every year, hundreds of fans of "Slam Dunk" stand in front of the Enoden railway tracks just to recreate the moment when Sakuragi Hanamichi waves to Haruko; from Osaka to Kyoto to Tokyo, Conan fans have even compiled a "Detective Conan" pilgrimage route across half of Japan... 

The "pilgrimage to the holy land" of "Detective Conan" (Photo from social media)

Now, players of "Ruoyuan" have also welcomed their own "pilgrimage to the holy land". In the game, players are the powerful King of Guangling, personally experiencing the chaos of the troubled times and witnessing the legends of heroes. When they step out of the virtual world and into real - world Yangzhou, the scenes and objects they once saw in the game seem to jump out of the screen and become tangible, making this city particularly unique. 

Beyond Yangzhou - Diverse Ways of Game - Cultural Tourism Collaboration Nationwide

In addition to the collaboration between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou, other games have also initiated various "pilgrimage to the holy land" upsurges through in - depth cooperation with local cultural and tourism industries. 

In August 2024, "Black Myth: Wukong" was launched. Shanxi Province quickly seized the opportunity and simultaneously launched the activity of "Traveling in Shanxi with Wukong", introducing special cultural and tourism routes and offline check - in devices. During the event, the tourism bookings in Shanxi increased by about 70% compared with the previous year, and the reading volume of related topics exceeded 10 billion. 

The collaboration route map between "Black Myth: Wukong" and Shanxi's cultural and tourism industry

In March 2025, "Yanyun Sixteen Sounds" announced in - depth cooperation with Kaifeng's cultural and tourism industry. Kaifeng Mansion, Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City, etc. have become popular check - in spots. Players go there to take photos with the "Yanyun Boundary Monument" and collect limited - edition co - branded stamps, making them feel as if they are in a world where the game and reality are intertwined. 

In addition, the co - branded collaborations between "Genshin Impact" and Zhangjiajie Scenic Area, "Love and Producer" and Yu Garden in Shanghai, "Arena of Valor" and Dunhuang's cultural and tourism industry, etc., all vividly illustrate the infinite possibilities of the integration of games and cultural tourism. 

Currently, the co - branding of domestic game IPs and cultural tourism generally presents the following development models and directions: 

In terms of the scale of co - branding, there are large - scale co - branding activities like the one between "Black Myth: Wukong" and Shanxi's cultural and tourism industry, which integrates resources at the provincial level and launches a series of in - province tourism routes; there are also co - brandings like that between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou's cultural and tourism industry, and "Yanyun Sixteen Sounds" and Kaifeng's cultural and tourism industry, which focus on the cultural characteristics and historical heritage of the city, deeply explore the connection between the city's scenic spots and the game, and create cultural and tourism experience projects representative of the city; there are also co - brandings like that between "Genshin Impact" and single scenic areas such as Zhangjiajie Scenic Area and Huanglong Scenic Area, which combine the virtual scenes in the game with the actual landscapes of the scenic areas, and attract game fans to visit the scenic areas through promotion, achieving precise customer source diversion. 

In terms of the co - branding model, most co - brandings between games and cultural tourism are based on the coincidence of the shooting locations in the game and real - world scenes. In many of the above - mentioned cases, by setting up check - in points and holding theme activities in real - world shooting locations, players can experience the scenes in the game firsthand, satisfying their longing and exploration desire for the game world; some games cooperate with local intangible cultural heritage, and launch limited - time activities containing intangible cultural heritage elements in the game. For example, in August 2024, "Love and the Cosmos" cooperated with the Jingxi Zhuang intangible cultural heritage embroidered balls, showing the production process and cultural connotations of the intangible cultural heritage embroidered balls in the game, realizing the inheritance and promotion of intangible cultural heritage. 

The co - branding poster between "Love and the Cosmos" and the Jingxi intangible cultural heritage embroidered balls

Another model is that games and the cultural and tourism industry jointly create immersive theme experience parks or blocks. Based on the core elements of the game's IP, the two parties comprehensively transform and design the offline space, including the architectural style, store decoration, amusement facilities, etc., to make it highly consistent with the game's world view and scenes. 

For example, in January 2024, "Peacekeeper Elite" launched an ice and snow collaboration with Harbin. The limited - time gameplay in the game restored the scene of Harbin Ice and Snow World, and at the same time, a theme park was built at the Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival, forming an online - offline circular collaboration. 

The co - branding poster between "Peacekeeper Elite" and Harbin Ice and Snow World

 In the current situation where the transformation of cultural and tourism is accelerating, the game industry is highly competitive, and players' needs are constantly changing, the integration of games and cultural tourism provides new impetus and directions for both local cultural industries and game manufacturers. 

From the perspective of urban cultural and tourism, using games as a communication medium can not only spread local culture but also empower the culture with new expressions through secondary creation, thus stimulating new vitality in urban culture. 

For game manufacturers, creating content based on local culture can expand the depth of content, extend the product life cycle, support the long - term operation of the game, and create long - lasting products. 

From the players' perspective, extending online interaction to offline exploration not only enriches the travel experience but also breaks the boundaries of traditional entertainment through the combination of virtual and real, providing a more in - depth sense of immersion and emotional resonance. 

Creating an "Immersive" Experience Requires Building a Symbiotic Mechanism among Players, Cultural and Tourism Authorities, and Game Manufacturers

Although the cultural and tourism co - branding between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou has made countless players yearn for it, the real experience has exposed the deep - seated problems in the integration of game IPs and cultural tourism - how to create the "immersive" experience that players need? 

A survey in the "Research Report on the New Possibilities of Co - creation between Game IPs and Cultural Tourism in 2024" by the China Tourism Academy shows that players who play games 3 to 5 times or more per week travel more than 3 times a year. These players have a high willingness to participate offline and a high level of attention, and have relatively high requirements for the story - telling, real - world presentation, and sense of time - travel experience in the game. 

However, the survey also shows that tourists' perception and evaluation of the on - site activities or scenes related to game IPs they have participated in are only at a slightly above - average level, and they are not very satisfied with aspects such as the immersive experience, scene restoration degree, story coherence, and sense of cross - dimensional time - travel. 

The survey in the "Research Report on the New Possibilities of Co - creation between Game IPs and Cultural Tourism in 2024" shows the reasons for the insufficient attractiveness of offline game IP tourism scenes or activities

Taking the co - branding between "Ruoyuan" and Yangzhou as an example, in the "pilgrimage to the holy land" photos shared by players on social media, they in their elaborate cosplay costumes form a sharp contrast with the ancient Yangzhou, and the real - world scenes are far from as well - matched as imagined.