Mr Peter Wu Zhe, a PhD student, reflected on a lecture delivered by Professor Yu Guoming, titled “Games as the Future Mainstream Media Platform for Communication: New Opportunities for the Prosperous Development of Digital Culture Empowered by AI.” The lecture was held in March 2026 at Beijing Normal–Hong Kong Baptist University.

What struck me most about this lecture was not the proposition that games will become a mainstream medium themselves, but rather the underlying logic of epochal transformation that Professor Yu Guoming outlined in relation to this thesis. This transformation represents a discontinuous leap from industrial civilization to digital civilization, a profound rewriting of communicative grammar, and a renegotiation of individual agency within algorithmic environments. He integrated the functional and experiential characteristics of games into the context of Zygmunt Bauman’s “liquid society” (2008) (a modern social form characterized by the disintegration of traditional social structures and the fluidity and volatility of social relationships), systematically demonstrating the core value of games as a contextual medium. This lecture also prompted me to reflect further on three core questions: As the foundational system of digital civilization, how should we define the boundaries of an algorithm’s legitimacy? How can we prevent the immense influence of gamified communication from being abused? And in an algorithm-dominated era, how do we safeguard individual agency?

From Content Scarcity to Attention Scarcity: Insights from the Grammar Revolution in Communication

Professor Yu clearly outlined the shift in communication from serving the masses within social structures to targeting individuals, pointing out that quality content is no longer scarce – what is scarce is attention. Algorithms, computing power, and data have become the underlying mechanisms and evaluation criteria for visibility. This assessment captures the essence of digital civilization: algorithms are not merely tools but function more like institutions, embedding the order of “seeing and being seen” into the system’s logic. Based on this, the professor proposes that “the boundaries of mass communication have shifted, with peer-to-peer connections becoming the norm”, concluding that “media convergence is essentially personalized service”, which is a highly explanatory synthesis.

I believe the strength here lies in linking the syntax revolution with the redefinition of mainstream status. Thus, the so-called mainstream is no longer defined by centralized publishing authority but by the ability to aggregate attention and organize scenarios. Correspondingly, competition among media has shifted from acquiring information to vying for attention time. However, technology is never neutral; algorithms are imbued with the values and commercial interests of their designers from the very outset. When algorithms become the arbiters of visibility, what standards do we use to evaluate the legitimacy of such judgments? Beyond efficiency and conversion rates, should we introduce governance dimensions like explainability, auditability, and user data self-determination to avoid the technological determinism that equates “effective” with “reasonable”? Furthermore, when an individual’s digital footprint is infinitely segmented and tagged in the era of smart communication, are these individuals, aggregated by algorithms, truly independent entities, or do they constitute a newly constructed social group? How does this algorithm-driven aggregation of individuals differ fundamentally from traditional groups based on shared interests or identities? This question merits further exploration.

Why Games: From Discourse Identification to Scenario Identification

In the future society where virtual and real worlds converge, the argument for games as scenario-based media holds particular weight. Through their goal-task-feedback structure, games enable experiential learning that unites knowledge and action. They not only convey meaning but immerse participants in “doing”, shifting recognition from persuasion to immersion. Compared to social media and algorithmic platforms, games orchestrate navigable worlds within defined rules, anchoring resociation in actionable pathways. They aggregate like-minded individuals into communities while enabling diverse participants to collaborate on shared objectives, facilitating cross-circle communication. I believe Professor Yu’s description and analysis of gaming’s potential is remarkably concrete and precise.

Professor Yu integrates the communication principle that “scenes trump narratives” with the functional aspects of games, their educational, rehabilitative, behavioral regulation, and emotional healing capabilities. This synthesis not only explains the high efficiency of game-based learning but also opens new imaginative spaces for public communication and social governance. However, precisely because scenario-based recognition offers greater immersion and influence than discursive recognition, it also faces the risk of abuse. Avoiding the transformation of playability into manipulability may well become the future focus of unscrupulous actors. How can we ensure gamified governance avoids becoming mere behavioral conditioning while preserving space for discussion and choice? I propose three foundational principles: transparent and explainable scenarios and rules; designs that allow for exit and multiple paths to achieve goals; and additional protections for vulnerable groups alongside impact assessments.

Additionally, this lecture primarily focuses on structural arguments with few case studies, which is common in cutting-edge academic exploration. However, for functional games to truly take root in our fragmented, filler-filled lives, we must confront an engineering challenge: how to reconcile robust functional design with low barriers to entry, minimal latency, and low resource demands. Otherwise, the conflicting demands of high-spec requirements and significant investment versus the structural constraints of fragmented time will prevent such games from achieving true mainstream adoption.

Subjectivity and the Survival Awareness of Counter-Algorithms

The lecture emphasized that while generative AI empowers individuals, it also warns that people may lose their agency within algorithmic comfort zones. This self-awareness is invaluable. Rather than opposing algorithms, we should cultivate algorithmic literacy for everyday life. For games to become mainstream media in the future, preserving agency must be embedded as a core KPI, not an afterthought for compliance. Otherwise, the more precisely individuals are profiled, the more precisely they may be manipulated.

The lecture noted that while China offers strong policy support for healthy gaming, social stigma persists. When Professor Yu advocated for gaming’s rehabilitation, I found the stigma unsurprising. In any nation, without verifiable indicators of agency and ethical review pathways, advantages can morph into path dependencies. In my view, universities should develop evaluation methodologies and ethical frameworks. Concurrently, the industry should provide scenario engines and distribution capabilities, while governments establish standards and public access points. Only through this tripartite collaboration can we co-create open, auditable scenario infrastructure.

When we shift the mainstream from a centralized voice to societal scenarios, gaming’s future lies not in entering the mainstream but in becoming a scenario where more people can enter at lower cost and emerge with agency. This, perhaps, is the most worthwhile cultural endeavor in the digital civilization era. I will always respect prophetic and predictive lectures as much as I love science fiction. Yet I also believe the most fascinating plants grow in darkness. The flip side of the coin often deserves our greater attention.

Reference

Bauman, Z., & Haugaard, M. (2008). Liquid modernity and power: A dialogue with Zygmunt      Bauman. Journal of Power, 1(2), 111-130.

YU, Guoming (2026, March 6). Games as the Future Mainstream Media Platform for Communication – New Opportunities for the Prosperous Development of Digital Culture Empowered by AI (Seminar presentation). Beijing Normal – Hong Kong Baptist University, China.