Can a TGA Best Mobile Game award really be spun as a triumph of 'Chinese cultural export'? NGA users answered that question with a tidal wave of sarcasm.
The whole thing started with a state media report. TGA (The Game Awards) — often dubbed the 'Oscars of gaming' — wrapped up in Los Angeles, with HoYoverse's galactic RPG Honkai: Star Rail scooping up the 'TGA 2023 Best Mobile Game' award. Meanwhile, Black Myth: Wukon (an adaptation of the Chinese classic Journey to the West) revealed its launch date and dropped a new trailer at the same ceremony. The report declared that the 'Chinese culture + domestic game' formula had matured, continuously 'broken through circles' (破圈, meaning breaking into mainstream), and become a key vehicle for taking Chinese culture global.
But the comment section told a wildly different story. Even the original poster was dripping with irony: 'Did it break through? Of course it did! Did it go overseas? Of course it did! Just look at the Korean server — what a spectacle!' This set the sarcastic tone for the entire thread.
Commenters zeroed in on one core question: what Chinese culture does Star Rail actually export? One user flatly said, 'What Chinese culture does Star Rail even have? All it does is embarrass us with the veil-pulling bit.' Another drew a line between HoYoverse's two titles: 'If you say Genshin Impact did some cultural export, I'll reluctantly agree. But claiming Star Rail has cultural output? I'm literally dying laughing.' The implication was clear — Genshin at least has Liyue (璃月) and other Chinese-inspired content, while Star Rail's 'Chinese culture' content is, at best, questionable.
Even more brutal was the eyewitness account from the ceremony itself. Someone who claimed to be there reported: 'Nobody clapped when the award was announced. The host nearly cracked up laughing. We embarrassed ourselves on the international stage.' Truly a masterclass in turning 'cultural confidence' into 'cultural cringe.'
TGA's credibility also got absolutely roasted. Users called it a 'wild chicken award' (野鸡奖, slang for a worthless or illegitimate award), saying 'these TGA judges don't know jack about games.' Others questioned whether TGA's mobile category is even worth mentioning. One commenter dropped the classic NGA lingo: 'How do people still not know that except for a handful of major awards, everything else at TGA is cjb' — where cjb (吹JB) means 'overhyped BS.'
The juiciest subplot in the comments was all about the Korean server drama. Multiple users referenced 'Korean players already booking airships — next up is satellites,' and 'Chinese games literally went to the sky in Korea.' One user quipped, 'Korea: since ancient times... Singapore: Actually, no, this time the credit really should go to me.' While the post didn't elaborate, the context strongly suggests that a major controversy erupted on the Korean server of Star Rail — one serious enough that Korean players reportedly rented protest airships and planned satellite messages to voice their outrage.
When defenders pulled out the classic 'if you're so good, why don't YOU go win a TGA' argument, the pushback was savage: 'This is straight-up stan culture behavior. 'Your game, my game' — who's 'we'? Does Liu Wei (miHoYo's co-founder) even know you exist? Just stay in your lane as a cash cow, bro.' They basically equated the 'prove it yourself' defense with K-pop stan logic.
A few voices tried to offer measured takes, noting that HoYoverse has indeed exported Chinese cultural elements through its games. But against the overwhelming wave of sarcasm, these reasonable voices were drowning.
TL;DR of this NGA disaster: State media tried to use TGA to tell an inspirational story about 'Chinese games going global and cultural confidence.' Instead, NGA veterans countered with a three-hit combo of 'Korean server airship protests,' 'dead-silent award ceremony,' and 'Star Rail has zero Chinese culture.' The final verdict? A devastatingly sarcastic one-liner: 'Did it go overseas? Well… sort of.' (出了吗，如出). Apparently on NGA, the phrase 'cultural export' still carries less weight than a 'wild chicken award' from TGA.
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