http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 20, 2017 BEIJING REVIEW 47
tradition. To freely distort and fictionalize
historical stories and figures amounts to
damaging history and culture.
This mobile game-related debate also
implies a lack of effective supervision of
the cultural industry. Some propose that
minors should be banned from playing this
game. This proposal of course goes too far.
However, a strict game rating system seems
urgent.
Pan Jian (Guangming Daily): The gov-
ernment has long called on those engaged
in the cultural industry to contribute to the
common good of society. It is categorically
opposed to the use of indicators such as
audience numbers and box-office receipts
as the only yardsticks of success. Like TV
programs and movies, games exert subtle
influences on players. They not only are a
form of entertainment, but also can play an
informative and educational role. Games that
misrepresent history are detrimental to the
preservation of Chinese cultural heritage.Sparking interest
Liu Yijie (China Education Daily): Some ar-
gue that mobile games like King of Glory are
misleading players and ruining historical and
cultural heritage. They have exaggerated the
LQßXHQFHRIPRELOHJDPHV
It takes time to grow up and get to un-
derstand the world. The game may present
KLVWRULFDOĶJXUHVQRWPDWFKLQJWKHLURULJLQDOidentity, but this does not affect pupilsí
understanding of history when correct his-
torical knowledge begins to accumulate,
replacing the wrong understanding. From
childrenís perspective, mobile games are en-
tertainment, just like the game of hide-and-
seek. King of Glory is unlikely to be seen as a
history book.
Itís unrealistic to pin hopes for history ed-
ucation on mobile games. History education
is the responsibility of schools and parents. If
they do well enough in this regard, there will
be no need to worry about children being
misled by games.
Many people read kungfu fiction set in
certain historical periods. Instead of being
misled, they become increasingly interested
in history by being exposed to these stories,
despite the many inventions they contain.
The point now is not to argue whether King
of Glory misrepresents history and misleads
children, but to make the most of the game
to inspire children and guide their interest
toward serious history.
Jing Yiming (Beijing Evening News):
King of GloryLVQRWWKHĶUVWJDPHEDVHGRQ
historical figures, and neither is it the first
one that hugely distorts history. The ques-
tion is: Will children be misled by the game,
as many parents fear?
According to Zong Chunshan, a child
education specialist, parents donít need to
worry too much about pupilsí cognitive abili-
ties. He said that children at this age have
already developed the ability to tell fiction
and reality apart. During primary school,
children are usually very imaginative, and
even without such mobile games, they tend
to find something similar to satisfy their
imaginations.
Of course, impacts, positive or nega-
tive, from the game are inevitable, and it
all depends on parentsí guidance. Possibly,
children will begin to ask what kind of people
the game figures were in real history, after
their interest is stirred up by the game. In this
case, parents should seize the opportunity to
present authentic history books to children
or even take them to visit historical sites, so
as to expand their knowledge and under-
standing of these figures and the related
history. If parents can make good use of the
opportunities presented by the game, King
of Glory will not necessarily be a misleading
mobile game. QCopyedited by Chris Surtees
LI SHIGONG
FORUM