Alt + Play Culture + Gaming = GGJanuary 2026 Issue:
New Year, New Levels
Culture + Gaming = GGNew Year, New Levels
We’re leaving 2025 behind and fast-traveling into 2026. Last year brought more immersive culture into games with titles like South of Midnight and Where Winds Meet, and I’m excited to see even more cultural depth in the games ahead. Here’s to celebrating stories, worlds, and experiences that make us feel seen and inspired in 2026.
Lack of Culture in Games Feeds Casual Racism
I’ve always said that games are funhouse mirrors of the societies we live in. When games leave culture out, they leave space for casual racism to grow unchecked.
Last year, titles like South of Midnight, Assassin’s Creed Shadow, and Where Winds Meet showed how cultural depth can make game worlds feel alive and inclusive. Yet, South of Midnight and Assassin’s Creed Shadow faced unwarranted hate and review bombing, each for different reasons, but one common thread: Black and female protagonists.
Where Winds Meet, on the other hand, is proudly and unmistakably Chinese, offering players an experience beyond martial arts combat. But in this multiplayer world, some players have taken it upon themselves to create racist usernames and spew anti-Chinese rhetoric in chat. Complaints often boil down to “the game is too Chinese!” Why? Racism, of course. But also, it’s clear that many players simply haven’t experienced culture in games like this. And when they do, it makes them uncomfortable.
It’s not enough to keep begging developers to improve reporting systems. What we need is to normalize cultural identity in games. Not just one character who’s proudly Black, Hispanic, or Italian, but whole worlds where cultural identity is part of the fabric of the game, normalize cultural identity as a community in a larger society.
When games embrace culture fully, everyone’s experience deepens, and that’s exactly the kind of world I hope we keep seeing in 2026.
Can you tell which game this screenshot is from?
3 Tips for Surviving Where Winds Meet
By now, we should already know not to anger the goose. Any goose. So, here are 3 tips you may not have figured out just yet. For PC gamers.
Tip 1. How to get a good screenshot. If you want to get a good action shot or video without going into Photo Mode, Press F6 to hide UI.
Tip 2. Upgrading your gear. Do not tune your gear if it is not an epic (purple) or legendary (gold) piece.
Tip 3. If you're feeling lost, you can open the menu page, click on the Windtail bird at the top and ask it almost anything.
For more beginner tips, you can check out this guide.
Have you watched the fireworks in Kaifeng, yet? There's so much romance in this cultivation world.
If you're drawn to cultivation worlds...
...ancient settings, immortal love, I’m also writing a xianxia fantasy called Death Blooms for You. It’s ongoing, free to read, and something I work on quietly alongside GNL.
Speaking of Immortal Love and Worlds...
My 3 Favorite Historical C-Dramas with Quotes
Are You the One
"If my dreams lack you, my nights are dull. If my dreams include you, I can't sleep through the night."
Legend of the Female General
"I love the moon, but the moon doesn't know."
Till the End of the Moon
"I give you the moon to have you mine. Let me just be your heart's only choice."
Join the Alt + Play conversation here!Whether it’s a game, a story, or a drama, worlds stay with us when they’re built with care. I’m grateful you spent a little time in this one with me. If you have any questions or suggestions I'd love to hear them. Share them in our Facebook Group.