Professor named adviser of 'Honor of Kings' game

A senior professor in liberal arts at Fudan University in Shanghai on Tuesday responded to doubts among the public after he was invited to be academic adviser by a popular multiplayer mobile game, "Honor of Kings".

Ge Jianxiong, 75, was one of the first two doctoral students in liberal arts in China in the 1980s, with more than 20 monographs on history.

Ge participated in the core content research and the development of the game's updates, along with two other experts working as project directors－Zhou Kui, associate professor at Communication University of China, and Zhu Hui, a culture and historical writer, according to the announcement released by the "Honor of Kings" on its Weibo account on Monday.

Some eager netizens showed support on the social networking platform, commenting that they looked forward to the new version and hoped the game would offer them a more wonderful cultural experience.

However, some wondered why Ge agreed to be the adviser for the game, given that the professor wrote an article on the authenticity and spread of history in 2017 where he claimed that one can't learn history through playing games.

Others doubted his responsibilities, questioning whether he is actually working as the game's ambassador.

"I have said for so long that games are something to play. It's free to create and develop content in any way, as long as it instills correct values," Ge responded on his Weibo account on Tuesday.

"But one should learn history through reading historical books, not playing games," he added.

As an academic adviser, Ge said he provided opinions on academics and historical values and helped with the basic logic of the game's background to ensure that it is in line with real history.

"The historical value, in my view, is that good will triumph over evil and justice needs to be upheld. Otherwise, games would be misleading," he said.

"However, the game's team does not have to accept my suggestions, and I am not responsible for the results."

Ge further explained that he is not serving as a brand ambassador who will represent the brand's image and interests and do promotions.

"Being an adviser is a different role," he said.

"The Chinese gaming industry is an important part of the nation's soft power and is a cultural product that has spread globally. We should support domestic games, which is one of the reasons I like to serve for the game."

"I hope more games with Chinese characteristics and great traditional values will enter the global market," he added.