SUN WUKONG VS. THE GATEKEEPERS OF THE WEST: CULTURAL GATEKEEPING AND THE CRITICAL RECEPTION OF BLACK MYTH: WUKONG

Author

Shamin Mohammed Ashir Dipu, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

8-1-2025

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

English

First Advisor

Boulukos, George

Abstract

This thesis examines the divergent critical reception of Black Myth: Wukong, a landmark AAA title from Chinese developer Game Science that achieved immense commercial success yet faced mixed reviews from prominent Western media. This research argues that the critical dissonance reveals a process of cultural gatekeeping, where Western institutions applied culturally specific evaluative frameworks as universal standards of quality, thereby disadvantaging a non-Western cultural product operating on different assumptions. Through a comparative analysis of game reviews and the application of Network Gatekeeping Theory (NGT), this study dissects the power dynamics at play, revealing how inconsistent critical standards were applied to the game compared to its Western or Japanese counterparts. The analysis further investigates how networked communities acted as a powerful counter-gatekeeping force, challenging and delegitimizing biased institutional narratives. Finally, the Black Myth: Wukong phenomenon is presented as a pivotal case study demonstrating the evolution of video games into a primary arena for global cultural negotiation, exposing the limitations of traditional critical authority in a networked era.