Storytelling Cultural Heritage Through a Video Game: Conflict in the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong

<p>The transmission of cultural heritage relies on its conveyance to younger generations, who may not be interested in conventional storytelling approaches. This entry posits that video games, as exemplified by the case of Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, can provide a viable way to pique young people’s interest and achieve the transmissive goal through gamification. Video games offer interactive and autonomous experiences for players within the narrative of the subject matter, allowing for immersive experiences through transmedia storytelling. Due to the quasi-power vacuum and counter-balancing of British and Chinese powers at the time, the Walled City often serves as a setting for conflicts between different parties, providing an ideal backdrop for player engagement. The authors illustrate a case study that analyzes the metaphorical representation of conflicts during the age of Walled City in Hong Kong as portrayed in Stray, a third-person commercial video game. It demonstrates how gameplay elements can be used to engage players with the socio-cultural history social and economic conflicts of the demolished enclave decades ago. The authors argue that video games can promote and engage young people with cultural heritage, particularly in terms of the narrative aspect of historical conflicts. This provides an alternative pathway for conservation by reinforcing the relevance of historical culture and values, thereby transmitting cultural heritage to the younger generation.</p>