Eming, Shanghai

We chatted to Eming about the world of gaming in China, the limits and possibilities for creativity in the industry there, and where he thinks big brands can play a part. Shanghai-based Eming leads concept design for Tencent, one of the largest and most successful gaming and IT conglomerates in the world, with a majority stake in Riot games and part ownership of Epic Games, who are responsible for hugely popular video games such as League of Legends and Fortnite.

Let’s start with having you introduce yourself, always a good way to start, huh?

My name is Eming and I’m in the game industry as a concept artist and designer. My job is the conceptual fine art of a game. We focus on the early stages of game development, essentially the creation of the game’s ‘worldview’. We construct a series of design concept files which are then distributed to team members to be used as a guideline, and I create the game’s overarching architecture.

That sounds like a lot… What’s special about the game industry compared to other industries, do you think? 

The unique thing about the game industry is the fact that there are just so many variables affecting the ecology of a game. Not only is each game different, but within that, each game is available on different platforms and in different formats. Games also seek cooperation with brands, which in turn influences the culture formed by the game - from content, to performance, to audience. All of this makes games very, very flexible. Finally, games are not like films, which present knowledge; in a game, one can explore many different fields to do different things with autonomy. This makes for a very rich and endless culture. There are so many things to take into account when it comes to gaming.

I love that… What trends are you seeing specific to China, at the moment?

These days, Chinese people have a certain confidence in our own culture. We are seeing interesting interpretations of national trends in gaming as the demand for Chinese culture becomes higher and higher. The characters in the game King of Glory, for example, are based on famous historical and cultural figures from Chinese history, and they exhibit the same skills and traits. More and more people are becoming fond of this kind of thing. In this way, games can help inspire the emergence of a kind of culture when they form a social community around it. This is the nature of gaming. 

We see that across our work in China, a definite rise in confidence of character, it’s great… Who would you say is pushing creativity within the gaming industry in China?

The commercial leaders are the tycoons - NetEase, Tencent - but these companies themselves aren’t creative-oriented. Big companies seek stability. The main way that they pursue creativity is to cultivate small studios to do trials and, once this is successful, they then expand the game’s scale. Small studios are far more flexible and without as many rules and regulations, so they’re able to create something that players really love, something original. It’s impossible to do this within the heavy processes of the large companies. At Tencent, we have something called Next Studio, where five developers are put together as a unit and matched with a group of concept artists, or systems professionals. It’s kind of like a laboratory for experiments. 

 And are there any independent, creative game developers?

It’s difficult to be creative in gaming alone here. One person is really limited in what they can do. But there are circles of independent gamer creatives. Most of the game industry is not creative-oriented, so people who really want to be creative gather together, hoping to make something good. Sometimes, if someone makes a particularly good game demo, other people will even come and help work on it for free. There is also something called a ‘Gamejam’ in China, where teams are formed and they put aside 33 days for the development of a game. The reason these result in creative games is because creativity is a powerful form of personal expression. It belongs only to you and it represents you, rather than other people. Big companies, however, are about profit and advertising, which always requires a compromise between the creator’s own ideas and the will of the client.

The eternal compromise! I wanted to talk a bit more about creativity, what is its role within gaming do you think? 

Creativity within gaming can be regarded as a kind of creative expression. A game resonates with others by telling them about itself, just as the essence of a film is that an audience pays to see the director’s personal expression. Games are an experience provided by a game maker. Unfortunately, most games made by big companies in China don't have that essence at all. Personal expression is hard to achieve in China. A game developer is very lucky if they can make something that actually suits their own aesthetic tastes. This is why something like Gamejam is so great. But these independent game creators are not famous - not like film directors. They’re just as creative, but there’s a lack of understanding about creativity in gaming in the market. There are no basics to support personal expression within gaming in China. Many game developers choose to stay overseas to have more flexibility with personal expression. 

Do you see this as a hindrance to the future of gaming in China?

Yeah, definitely. What I see now is that all real breakthroughs in the game industry are based on creation. Any disruption to the industry must be strongly creative-oriented. This is what I insist on. It’s not about what the audience wants to buy; it’s about giving them an unexpected experience.  

Can you talk to us a little more about where you see the future of gaming to be headed?

All companies know that Meta Worlds are the future of games. A Meta World is a virtual reality that interacts with the real world, combining the virtual world and our reality with apps like WeChat and Alipay. For example, League of Legends collaborates with Louis Vuitton and Burberry. Fortnite signed a famous real-life football player and invited them into the game for a party. Why not put an adidas store in the game?

Speaking of adidas, have you seen anything memorable from adidas or Nike within the gaming world?

I know that Nike sponsored uniforms for E-Sports and that this year they made a Fortnite Champion skin. I’ve not seen anything from adidas within the gaming industry. There are many chances for brands within E-Sports and gaming, but they’re not very good at it. They don’t seem to grasp the audience’s needs. 

How can they do this better, do you think?

Brands should get to understand gamers' lives and games, instead of just looking for advertising opportunities. The real opportunity for adidas lies in the fact that there is less and less of a gap between virtuality and reality, the key difference being that there are no limits in games. adidas could really explore their slogan, “Impossible is Nothing” in gaming; there is so much to play and do within a game! But to do this, brands need to get closer to gaming to understand it. They're not familiar with the world at all. They need locals and insiders.

We always say this, the importance of locals and insiders… Are there any good examples of localisation that you’ve seen from a global brand that’s not in gaming?

A good example of localisation I’ve seen from a global brand recently was from BMW; they made a brand film for the Chinese audience called Marriage Story with Chinese director Ning Hao, in which they talked about family. adidas need to make more of an effort toward localization like this, by cooperating with Chinese talent. They need to be more value-oriented.

Knowing that originality is part of what adidas stands for, what are the truly original things you’ve seen in the culture of gaming right now? 

One original thing in gaming I’ve seen is the creation of K/DA [a virtual K-Pop group whose members are based upon characters from League of Legends]. The creators selected female Legends, turned them into K-Pop idols, and then created a series of music videos. They’re famous both in and out of the gaming industry. In Korea, even real-life popstars want to collaborate with them. It’s very original.

And what do you think it was that made this so original? What can brands do to keep being original within the gaming world?

We need people who are working without thinking too much about profit. Trying to maintain stability cannot inspire creativity. True creation cannot avoid mistakes. There are always risks. But today’s model doesn’t encourage this; fewer people and companies are willing to invest the time and effort. A better model to enable creativity is needed.  There needs to be an accumulation and a gathering of talents.

 And finally, do you have any parting advice for adidas when it comes to China?

It’s important for international brands to know that Chinese people these days have a higher expectation when it comes to cultural products from overseas. Before, Chinese audiences were happy just to be able to watch foreign movies. This is not true anymore. The second thing to know is that Chinese people now have a great confidence in their own culture. Localisation is therefore crucial for global brands.