Frostpunk and Chinese-Speaking Fandom

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Frostpunk, a simulation and strategy game developed by 11 bit studios, was released on 24 April 2018 on Steam. In Frostpunk, the player plays as a nameless person who leads people in a city to survive in harsh conditions.

In Chinese-Speaking Fandom, Frostpunk has been subjected to disputes.

"But was it Worth it?" dispute

In Frostpunk, if the player signs New Faith/New Order law, the ending will say "We have crossed the line," and "But was it worth it?" Some Chinese gamers believed that the phrase "But was it worth it" offends them.

Shortly after the game's release, some Chinese gamers started to use the term Diaoming (刁民, lit. Unruly people) to refer to the people under the player character's leadership. The term Diaoming has been historically used as a derogatory term by officials in imperial China to justify persecution of people who are referred as Diaoming.

Legacy

On Game Developer's Guide to the Chinese Market published in 2023, the "But was it Worth it?" dispute is presented as an example of culture foreignness.[1]

References