Sexist “harem-building” game from China now has an English version

We tried it, and it's as bad as we expected

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Sexist “harem-building” game from China now has an English version

Published: 7:45pm, 19 Oct 2018Updated: 8:42am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

A few months ago, we told you about a sexist “harem-building” game from China that was gaining traction.

Since then it had been banned in the country for being “inappropriate” -- but now it’s back. And guess what? It’s even making a push into the West: An English version called Be The King came out in August. At one point, it was the 11th most popular role-playing game in the US, according to App Annie.

First off, a little context. In this game, you play as a government official controlling a noble family in feudal China. You’re trying to gain power and influence to attain the status of lordship or even kingship. And a major way to do that is to build a harem: A large group of wives and concubines who can give you children.

(I guess it’s a little like the Immortan Joe in Mad Max?)

The game’s producer, Shenzhen’s Chuang Cool, bought the biggest ad spot at China’s biggest gaming conference, ChinaJoy, back in August.

We decided to stream this game on Friday, fully aware of all the difficulties we might get ourselves into. As expected, the game is unapologetically salacious, true to its risqué advertisement.

Part of the game involves me “summoning” my wife into my chamber. She would then strip. And the next thing you know, we have a baby.