In recent years, the Vietnamese gaming industry has witnessed remarkable development and growth, with revenue currently ranking 5th globally. Many experts consider this a golden time for businesses to focus on developing game lines that are deeply imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity.
When millions of players recognize Vietnamese identity through games, that is when Vietnamese games make a breakthrough, both affirming the country's position and enhancing cultural values in the digital space.
Culture: The factor that shapes Vietnamese gaming identity
Since 2016, the Government has issued the Strategy for developing Vietnam's cultural industry to 2020, with a vision to 2030, in which games are identified as an important field.
By 2024, the Vietnamese gaming industry's revenue will reach VND13,663 billion (USD525 million), up 8.8% compared to 2023, with a growth rate 2.5 times higher than the world average. Vietnam has risen to the global Top 5, with revenue from the international market reaching more than VND2,000 billion.
These figures confirm that Vietnam is becoming a model in the region, attracting cooperation from many international "giants", gradually forming a creative ecosystem instead of just a consumer market.
According to Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Copyright Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, we all clearly see the potential and advantages of Vietnam in developing the game market, because the thinking and creativity of Vietnamese people in general and young people in particular are very fond of experiencing a variety of game products.
“Above all, we possess abundant cultural resources to develop the game market, with the goal of making games one of Vietnam’s key cultural industries. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is currently submitting to the Government strategies to develop new cultural industries for the period 2030-2045. The goal is that entertainment game products will remain the focus of the cultural industry,” said Mr. Le Minh Tuan.
The Deputy Director of the Copyright Office hopes that Vietnamese businesses as well as Vietnamese game publishing organizations will see the Government's policy as an opportunity, focus on development and continuously convey cultural values, as well as contribute economic value to the overall development of the country.
People's Artist Xuan Bac, Director of the Department of Performing Arts, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, also said that games have special appeal and are an ideal environment to preserve and spread cultural values.
“Video games have their own appeal. Up to now, fighting games often provide knowledge about weapons and tactics; while entertainment games incorporate beautiful scenery and customs. Even in the design of character costumes, creators are very careful, incorporating cultural imprints and national identity,” said Director Xuan Bac.
Sharing with reporters of VietnamPlus Electronic Newspaper, People's Artist Xuan Bac affirmed that when "Made in Vietnam" games exploit 4,000 years of history, legends, art, and festivals, he is ready to become an enthusiastic player. Because at that time, the game is not just a game, but a space for Vietnamese art and culture to speak out with a new voice.
According to him, cultural elements not only enrich content but also shape a civilized gaming environment where players are nurtured by traditional values.
Vietnamese games 'nurture' traditional values
Looking back on the past development journey, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao, General Director of VTC Multimedia Corporation, said that the cultural element in Vietnamese games is still quite vague.
“In the past, Vietnamese cultural elements in games were not exploited much, mainly stopping at the basic Vietnamization of foreign products. However, with the increasingly developed domestic production capacity, it is time for us to systematically bring Vietnamese culture into games, thereby creating unique values, forming Vietnamese IPs and spreading Vietnamese cultural heritage to the world,” Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao shared.
During the development process, many Vietnamese games have left a mark in the memories of users, such as Audition and Au Mobile with vibrant dances, born nearly two decades ago, have become digital cultural phenomena of Vietnamese youth. Or Football Pro recreates the passion of the king of sports - where technique, strategy and team spirit converge.
These games reflect two aspects of Vietnamese culture: On one side is music, fashion, and dance – symbols of individual creative freedom; on the other side is football – a symbol of solidarity, collective pride, and community spirit. However, to further exploit the cultural and historical values in the game requires systematic and serious research.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao believes that to make good games, we must collaborate with artisans, scientists, schools, research institutes, etc. to conduct scientific and systematic research. If we do it superficially, we can lose the original value and fade the Vietnamese cultural identity.
That also means that each game product that exploits cultural elements is not just entertainment, but also a responsible creative work.
From a business perspective, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao believes that the gaming industry needs to be properly recognized as an important cultural industry. Management needs to change, instead of tightening, it needs to be managed for oriented development. Businesses also need to be supported by mechanisms and policies, especially capital and taxes, to be competitive globally.
When culture is placed at the target position and games become an important bridge, it is inevitable that units sit down together, evaluate the reality and join hands to create a sustainable ecosystem.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Le Minh Tuan affirmed that the exploitation of culture requires investment and thorough research to properly express traditional values, without deviation, because that is the decisive factor to attract and spread widely in the community. The companionship of management agencies is a necessary condition for this process.
“As a state management agency for copyright, related rights and cultural industry development, we are always ready to accompany, support and guide businesses to comply with legal regulations, while promoting communication and product promotion. We hope that organizations, individuals and businesses will boldly connect to coordinate and accompany each other, promoting the development of the ecosystem,” said Mr. Le Minh Tuan.
According to Director Xuan Bac, bringing culture into games requires a systematic roadmap, not just limited to the online world but needs to spread to life. For example, costumes and fashion in games are very beautiful, eye-catching... can be performed on stage. If we combine games, culture and education well, turning games into tools to convey history and tradition, then that will be a direction that brings long-term effectiveness.
From the perspective of experts and artists, it can be seen that when created with passion and responsibility, games are games, but they are also a bridge to nurture and spread Vietnamese identity. That journey requires the joint efforts of the State, businesses, artists and the gaming community, so that each Vietnamese game carries within it the national soul and each player truly becomes a cultural ambassador in the digital age./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/game-viet-but-pha-nang-cao-gia-tri-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-trong-khong-gian-so-post1058895.vnp
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