2026, I Spent the Summer of Chinese Gaming on Zhihu

Summary

On July 4, 2026, at the China Game Museum in Shanghai, a group of game media veterans average over 45 years old gathered to trace the 30-year journey of the Chinese gaming industry. Three decades ago, some of them were photographing Shoryuken moves off TV screens with film cameras in unheated courtyard houses; today, China's game market generates 350.789 billion yuan in annual revenue with 683 million players. The gap between humble beginnings and blazing prosperity spans an entire generation's life. Every summer marks the hottest period for gaming, and discussions on Zhihu reach new peaks. This year, Zhihu launched the "Game Wave Summer" campaign, featuring publisher collaborations, themed weeks, and giveaways, sparking abundant player discussions. In the summer of 2026, as domestic games make intensive appearances and gacha, competitive, and artistic titles each enter new phases, where do players need to talk about them? How does a trailer evolve from a single video into a cultural event that a community collectively examines, debates, and enriches? The article reflects on the relationship between player communities, public discourse, and gaming culture, highlighting Zhihu's unique value in hosting deep content and collective memory. As China's gaming industry shifts from scale expansion to quality improvement, the depth and breadth of player discussion increasingly…