Youxi Putao: Today, miHoYo Wants Players to No Longer Feel Ashamed

This article contains AI-generated translation.

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01
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原神FES大概是这两天上海最大的线下游戏活动。
GENSHIN★FES is probably the largest offline gaming event in Shanghai these days.

这场活动的规模很大。一个鲜明的参照是，同样在国展中心，前不久刚结束的BW用了5个馆，这次原神FES仅一个游戏项目就占了2个馆。而且从8月10日开始，原神FES连办4天，总共安排上千名志愿者，每天应对上万名玩家的涌入。官票放出仅一分钟不到就被一扫而空。
The scale of this event is significant. A clear reference is that, also held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the recent BW event used 5 halls, while GENSHIN★FES occupies 2 halls with just a single game project. Moreover, GENSHIN★FES will run for 4 days starting from August 10th, with thousands of volunteers managing the influx of tens of thousands of players each day. Official tickets were sold out in less than a minute.

8月10日早6点，开展当天，关于原神FES的相关微博就开始狂奔。有玩家因为太激动，大早上就醒来收拾，结果发现那边仍排上了不少人，而且队伍已经拐了好几个弯。有玩家准备得齐全，支了椅子坐在队伍中间。那时候太阳才刚出地平线没多久，还低低地挂在旁边。
On August 10th, at 6 AM, the day of the event, related posts about GENSHIN★FES began flooding Weibo. Some players woke up very early, excitedly got ready, only to find a considerable number of people already lined up, with the queue bending around several corners. Some prepared well, bringing chairs to sit in the middle of the line. At that time, the sun had just risen above the horizon, hanging low beside.

其实开展的一两天前，就有一些玩家提前来踩点了。在嘉年华附近的地铁站里，一些玩家们三两成群地聚在一起，玩着手机上的《原神》，等着朋友。问起怎么现在就来了，他们说想提前来看看，然后指着地铁里已经挂上原神FES物料的灯箱说，“光是看看那个就很有过节的氛围了。”
In reality, a day or two before the event, some players had come for reconnaissance. Near the carnival, groups of players gathered around subway stations, playing *Genshin Impact* on their phones, waiting for friends. When asked why they came so early, they said they wanted to have an early look and pointed at the subway's lightboxes with GENSHIN★FES materials already displayed, saying, "Just looking at that gives a festive atmosphere."

“肯定期待啊，毕竟是第一场嘉年华啊……是第一场吧？米哈游之前没办过吧？”一位一个人来的玩家笑着说，“之前我是高中生，也没玩什么游戏，没去过什么漫展，刚高考完嘛，这是第一次来这种嘉年华。我蛮喜欢的。”
"Definitely looking forward to it, after all, it's the first carnival... it's the first one, right? miHoYo hasn't done this before, right?" One player who came alone laughed and said, "I was a high school student before, didn't play many games, never went to conventions. Just finished the college entrance exams, this is my first time at a carnival like this. I quite like it."

过节的氛围弥漫到各处。前两天我在参观完搭建现场后，回到家附近用餐，一位服务员看到我手机刷着日常，他憋了好久，终于忍不住走过来说：“原来你也玩原神？”这句话放一两年前听到的话多少有些羞耻，但在这两天总觉得亲切了许多。
The festive atmosphere permeates everywhere. After visiting the setup site a couple of days ago and returning to dine near my home, a waiter saw me using my phone with *Genshin Impact* on the screen. He hesitated for a while and finally couldn't resist coming over, saying, "So, you also play *Genshin Impact*?" Hearing this sentence a year or two ago might have been somewhat embarrassing, but in these two days, it felt much more familiar.

02
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刚进到场馆，很多玩家远远望见建筑，就开始惊呼着举起手机拍照。在相关微博、B站、抖音话题上，越来越多人打卡，出镜最多的还是那些庞大的奇观，比如趴在场馆入口处的风魔龙、雷神神像、须弥的大机器人。
Upon entering the venue, many players spotted the grand architecture from afar and exclaimed, raising their phones to take photos. On platforms like Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin, more and more people checked in, and the most prominent sights were the enormous spectacles: The Anemo dragon (Dvalin) lying at the entrance of the venue, the Statue of the Omnipresent God, and the massive robot from Sumeru.

有玩家发微博，言简意赅：“好大！”。
Some players posted succinct Weibo messages like, "So huge!"

这也是原神FES不同寻常的地方，一眼望过去什么东西都太大。除了那些巨大的雕塑外，领取伴手礼的屋子就是游戏里领取日常奖励的冒险者窗口，在游戏里它看起来没那么起眼，但到了现实里，它估摸着得快有3-4米的高度，另一个屋子里的书柜得搭上梯子才能拿到最上面的书。
This is one of the extraordinary aspects of GENSHIN★FES, everything is remarkably large. Apart from the enormous sculptures, the room for collecting souvenirs resembles the adventurer's window for claiming daily rewards in the game. It might not appear as eye-catching in the game, but in reality, it's estimated to be around 3-4 meters tall. In another room, the bookshelf requires a ladder to reach the top books.

原神FES不止是大，它是把游戏里的东西直接搬进场馆里。嘉年华包下的两个馆有所分工，4馆是主舞台，用来做声优到现场之类的互动节目；3馆更像主题乐园，它被划分成了4个区域，分别涵盖了原神过往更新的4个国度的区域。每个国度标志性的建筑、神像，乃至植物，都可以在这里被找到。
GENSHIN★FES is not just big, it's the direct translation of in-game elements into the venue. The two reserved halls for the carnival have specific roles. Hall 4 serves as the main stage for interactive programs involving voice actors, while Hall 3 is more like a theme park, divided into 4 areas corresponding to the four nations from the game's previous updates. Iconic buildings, statues, and even plants from each nation can be found here.

在早期搭建的时候，这场嘉年华就显露了庞大的工程量。8月6日，场馆开始搭建，持续3天作业。一辆辆卡车驶进，上面拉着各种建筑的零部件，最大的是稻妻地区的两座拱桥，占满了其中一辆卡车的整个后备箱。工人们一拥而上，得接力式地将建筑搬下来。
During the early setup phase, the massive scale of the carnival became evident. On August 6th, the venue construction began and lasted for 3 days. Trucks arrived carrying various building components, with the largest being the two arched bridges from Inazuma, filling up the entire trunk of one truck. Workers swarmed in and had to collaborate to lift the structures off the trucks.

半天时间，一个个游戏里的场景就被树立起来。这里面有太多大型建筑物，大家都是先分别拼好零部件，贴上琉璃瓦，刷上油漆，然后用3-4台升降机将硕大的屋顶抬上去，再由上面几个工人将它拼接好。
In half a day, game scenes were brought to life one after another. Many large buildings required assembly of individual parts, attaching glass tiles, painting, and then using 3-4 lifts to hoist the huge roofs into place, which were then assembled by workers on top.

后来，他们要组装稻妻的樱花树的时候，动用了更庞大的吊车，绳索勾住长着狐狸头的樱树，看着工人手势，缓缓与树桩对齐……
Later, when they had to assemble Inazuma's cherry blossom tree, an even larger crane was used. Ropes were attached to the tree with a fox-like head (Sacred Sakura), and as the workers signaled, the tree was slowly aligned with the stump...

其实原本预设的建筑规模要更大一些，它们会在纵深上有更多设计，不过出于安全考虑，每一个场景的高度都做了些许调整。
Originally, the planned architectural scale was even larger, with more intricate designs in-depth. However, due to safety concerns, slight adjustments were made to the height of each scene.

搭建的目标就是1:1地把游戏里面的场景搬进来。负责此次搭建工作的工作人员告诉我，他们在更早之前就专门拨了一个小组着手设计，毕竟工程量太大。
The goal of the setup was to replicate the in-game scenes on a 1:1 scale. The staff responsible for this construction told me that they had formed a dedicated team for design much earlier, considering the enormity of the task.

“这次嘉年华不是随便用截图就做设计，我们得进到游戏，直接下载里面的素材，然后再做设计图。”她打开了群聊，他们正在校对一个厨房招牌的颜色是否正确。
"For this carnival, we didn't just use screenshots for design, we had to go into the game, directly download the assets, and then create the design." She opened a group chat where they were verifying the correct color of a kitchen sign.

我之前在参观施工的时候就见过这个厨房，那是游戏角色香菱的家，那时几位工人正在按游戏里的道具砌一个灶台，在里面放上柴火，上面扣上一口很沉的铸铁锅……尽管这些道具完全不需要玩家交互，但他们还是按照原样地做了出来。
I had seen this kitchen when I visited during construction. It's the home of the game character Xiangling, and at the time, a few workers were assembling a stove with the game's props, placing firewood inside, and putting a heavy cast iron pot on top... Even though these props don't require any player interaction, they faithfully recreated them.

这种细节还有很多。巨型机器人的脚下铺满了象征着沙漠的沙子；在咖啡馆里，用作装饰的大型咖啡管里装满了咖啡豆；璃月的街道，上下左右挂满了闪烁的海灯；稻妻茶室门前的庭院，他们真从狗咖、同事家里牵来了柴犬，像游戏里面的柴犬老板一样，和玩家们见面。
These meticulous details abound. The feet of the giant robot are covered with sand, symbolizing the desert; in the café, the large decorative coffee cup is filled with coffee beans; the streets of Liyue are adorned with hanging lanterns that flicker above, below, and around; in front of the tea room in Inazuma, they even brought in Shiba Inu dogs from a dog café and a colleague's home, just like the Shiba Inu shop owner (Taroumaru) in the game, to meet the players.

“真的没想到，全部都是1:1的建筑，简直就是在游戏里面一样，”一位出展的KOL说，她之前本来对这次嘉年华也有所预期，但还是觉得现在的结果超出了想象，“走几步就是一个截然不同的风景，真牛逼。”
"I really didn't expect everything to be a 1:1 replica of the buildings, it's just like being inside the game," said one KOL who exhibited at the event. She had certain expectations for the carnival beforehand, but still found that the actual result exceeded her imagination. "With just a few steps, you're in a completely different scenery; it's really impressive."

03
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“态度一定要好，保持微笑，”相关负责人站在一群志愿者面前做着培训，“如果你第一句说‘旅行者你好’，我直接给你100分。”
"Maintain a good attitude, keep smiling," the relevant person in charge stood before a group of volunteers during training, "If your first line is 'Hello, Traveler,' I'll give you a perfect score right away."

在搭建接近尾声的倒数第二天，一千多名志愿者从地铁赶来，他们脖子上带着绿色的带子，到当天的时候还会系上上面印着可莉脑袋的Staff裙子。他们大部分都是大学生，从相关兼职或者从官方招募渠道上找过来。不过其中还有一些是很鸡贼的玩家，看到雷神cos来了，趁着玩家还没入场跑去先合一下影。
As the setup neared its conclusion on the second-to-last day, over a thousand volunteers arrived from the subway. They wore green lanyards around their necks, and on that day, many of them wore Staff aprons with Klee's head printed on them. Most of them were college students, recruited through relevant part-time jobs or official channels. However, among them were some clever players who took advantage of the fact that the Raiden Shogun cosplayer hadn't entered the venue yet and quickly got a photo together.

一位在香菱厨房帮忙的志愿者，就是《原神》的资深玩家。她说，打从一开始她就觉得自己多半抽不中资格，所以想办法报上了志愿者，靠这个身份进到嘉年华里面，“作为玩家我反正是喜欢的，这里有沉浸感，场景有细节……培训的时候，他们还强调不许叫玩家，得叫大家旅行者。”
One of the volunteers helping out in Xiangling's kitchen was a seasoned *Genshin Impact* player. She mentioned that from the beginning, she felt that she probably wouldn't get selected through the lottery, so she found a way to sign up as a volunteer, using this role to enter the carnival. "As a player, I like it here. There's a sense of immersion, and the scenes are detailed... During training, they even emphasized not to address players as players but as 'Travelers.'"

之前玩崩坏3嘉年华的时候就有一种感觉，别家做线下都爱做品牌宣传，但米哈游做线下仍留着一股子做产品的味道，就好像设计嘉年华也是在设计游戏的一个玩法，要沉浸感，要内容，更要玩法。这次也一样，而且它几乎是把整个FES做成了游戏的一部分：玩家可以拿到4个日常任务卡，完成之后，就可以去兑换“日常奖励”的礼品。
When I went to the *Honkai Impact 3rd* [Summer] Carnival before, I had a feeling that while other companies focus on brand promotion during offline events, miHoYo still maintains a sense of creating a product. It's as if designing the carnival is a way of designing the game itself – aiming for immersion, content, and gameplay. This time is no different, and it's almost as if they've integrated the entire FES into the game: players can receive four daily mission cards, and upon completion, they can exchange them for "daily rewards."

这次FES还有一些很游戏的设计痕迹。原神FES不光是把场景做得足够大，还让每一个场景都有一个小玩法，他们偏好让玩家和场景有所交互。在璃月区域的一条小道上，左右4个屋子，他们就真给每个屋子分别做了4个交互点，有料理烹饪、史莱姆电环、点石成金……如果你是玩家的话，也不难发现每一个玩法都和游戏里的日常有所对应。
This FES also features some distinctly game-like design elements. GENSHIN★FES not only creates large scenes, but also adds a small gameplay element to each scene. They prefer to have players interact with the scenes. On a path in the Liyue area, with four houses on either side, they've set up four interactive points for each house – cooking, slimes in electric rings, turning rocks into gold... If you're a player, you'll easily notice that each gameplay corresponds to the in-game daily activities.

而且一些玩法也像是在让玩家和游戏角色做剧情一样。比如看似就一个模型而已的风魔龙雕塑，它既可以拍照打卡盖印章，还会派送一封剧情信件，玩家若将它送到西风骑士团的话，又可以获得一个盖章；稻妻类似的任务则是将摊位上的团子牛奶派送到将军府上——毕竟雷电将军最喜欢的就是这个点心。
Furthermore, some of these gameplay elements feel like they're creating a storyline for players and game characters. For example, the wind demon dragon sculpture may seem like a simple model, but players can take photos, get a stamp for their passport, and even receive a scripted letter from it. If players deliver it to the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt, they can get another stamp. Similarly, tasks related to Inazuma involve delivering dango and milk from a stall to the Shogun's palace – after all, the Electro Archon loves this particular treat.

就算玩家已经完成了4个任务领到了奖品，收集印章本身也足够有趣。在须弥地区的音乐玩法里，玩家能拿到的盖章不仅是特殊的小精灵兰纳罗，而且每一个乐谱都对应着不同的兰纳罗。玩家可以挨个把乐谱都敲一遍，把7个兰纳罗全收集齐。
Even if players have already completed the four tasks and received their rewards, collecting stamps itself is quite enjoyable. In the musical gameplay of the Sumeru area, the stamps players can obtain are not just special sprites called Aranara, but each music sheet corresponds to a different Aranara. Players can go through each music sheet, collect all seven different Aranara.

你说这些小玩法多有趣吗？其实也没有，有时候你还没弄懂它是什么意思，游戏就结了，然后一旁的NPC就“恭喜你旅行者！让我来为你盖章吧”，而且不同区域之间的小玩法还有些重复……但一看到FES用心搭好的场景，你又有想要尝试的冲动。和我一同逛展的同事，在上一秒还吐槽“这些玩法也太没劲了”，下一秒就屁颠屁颠地跑过去，“不行！我再看看这个是什么！”
Do you find these little gameplay elements fun? Well, not always. Sometimes, before you even understand what it means, the game ends and the nearby NPC says, "Congratulations, Traveler! Let me stamp for you." Moreover, some of the small gameplay elements between different areas are a bit repetitive... But as soon as you see the carefully constructed scenes at the FES, you're tempted to give them a try. One of my colleagues who was exploring the exhibition with me was just complaining a second ago about how these gameplay elements were too dull, but in the next moment, they excitedly dashed over, saying, "No, wait! Let me see what this is!"

之前和我聊的那个志愿者说，“我觉得这样就很好了，嘉年华嘛，弄这么复杂的玩法干嘛呢？这么多玩家在一起，能身处在这些场景中间就很好了。”
The volunteer I mentioned earlier said, "I think it's great this way. It's a carnival, after all. Why complicate the gameplay? With so many players together, just being amidst these scenes is already wonderful."

04
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我问每一个接受闲聊的人，你们喜欢嘉年华吗？为什么喜欢？
I asked every person who engaged in small talk, "Do you like carnivals? Why do you like them?"

“喜欢。”说不上为什么，他们会眯着眼往周围一圈望一遍，然后再重复一遍，“反正挺喜欢的”。就好像身处其中，哪怕还没玩上游戏，还没领到奖品，就进到了自己的舒适圈。
"I like them." They can't quite explain why. They squint their eyes, look around, then repeat, "I just really like them." It's as if being there, even before playing any games or receiving prizes, they've already entered their comfort zone.

在4馆，这里更像漫展：主舞台放着音乐，到点了会让声优们上台做节目，大伟哥之后也会来；舞台对面就是几个联动的餐厅，大家玩累了就可以买肯德基、必胜客、喜茶来吃，还能看看ROG的联动设备，拿一些限定礼品。
In Hall 4, it's more like an anime convention: the main stage plays music, and at certain times, voice actors come up to do programs, including Brother Wei. Across from the stage are several collaborative restaurants where you can buy KFC, Pizza Hut, and HEYTEA. You can also check out the ROG collaborative devices and get some exclusive gifts.

4馆另一头的同人氛围更浓一些。这里有同人创作者摆摊，有他们的展览，还有一些玩家可以直接取笔来当场作画，一旁还有史莱姆主题的旋转秋千和碰碰车；在更里面一些的展览，玩家们则可以看到尚未上线的枫丹地区的设计图……
The atmosphere in the opposite end of Hall 4 is even more fan-oriented. Here, there are booths of fan creators, their exhibitions, and some players can even sit down and draw on the spot. There's a rotating swing and bumper cars themed after slimes nearby. In some of the deeper exhibitions, players can catch a glimpse of the design sketches for the yet-to-be-released Fontaine region...

传统线下活动的重点还是做品牌，是要把IP做大做强，是增加用户粘性。这当然没错，尤其当一款游戏做到长线，要做稳自己的核心用户，自然需要一些规模更大的手段。这也是最常见的市场做法。
Traditional offline events tend to focus on branding, expanding the IP, and increasing user engagement. Of course, this is valid, especially when a game aims for long-term success and needs to solidify its core user base, larger-scale strategies are naturally required. This is also the most common approach in the market.

但后来在米哈游的崩3夏日嘉年华和项目组聊的时候，他们不大会强调自己做品牌的那面，而是更像在做产品，是在给游戏尝试一些新的表现形式，“觉得这样做会让玩家觉得好玩，就砸资源去试试了。”
However, in my conversation with miHoYo during the *Honkai Impact 3rd* Summer Carnival and other projects, they didn't heavily emphasize the branding aspect. Instead, it felt more like they were treating it as a product, trying new ways of expression within the game. They said, "If we think players will find it enjoyable, we invest resources to give it a try."

原神FES也一样，它就好像帮游戏扩了一个线下版本，这里有与线上游戏相似的内容，有蒙德须弥，有匹配场景玩法，有对新版本内容的展示，但它也有更靠近官方或同人创作者，让玩家更靠近彼此的一面。
GENSHIN★FES is the same. It's as if they've extended an offline version of the game. Here, there are elements similar to the online game – Mondstadt, Sumeru, gameplay matches – and it showcases new content from upcoming versions. Yet, it also brings players closer to the official side and fan creators, allowing them to connect with each other.

在来的路上，一个穿着原石衣服的玩家和朋友嬉笑着跑过去，她跑到一半停了下来说“不行，太羞耻了……”，说着张开原石的衣服抖擞着，两人都被逗笑了，然后继续跑起来往场馆赶……这样的瞬间还充斥在整场活动里的每一个角落。
On the way there, a player wearing a Primogem outfit playfully sprinted ahead with her friend. She stopped halfway, saying, "No, this is too embarrassing..." As she spoke, she opened her Primogem outfit and shook it out, both of them bursting into laughter. Then they continued running towards the venue... Moments like these were present in every corner of the event.

其实在参加原神FES之前，我今年也跑了好多场游戏的嘉年华。每一次，我都抱着诸多期待，想看到财大气粗的手笔、异想天开的点子、影响深远的品牌打法，我可能会会提前好几天到现场，比任何玩家更早地看到这些奇观……但每一次站在空荡荡的场地中，我好像都觉得不如期待。
Actually, before attending GENSHIN★FES, I've been to numerous gaming carnivals this year. Each time, I held many expectations, hoping to witness grand gestures, imaginative ideas, and influential branding strategies. I might arrive days in advance, eager to see these wonders even earlier than any player... However, every time I stood in the empty venue, it seemed like my expectations fell short.

什么时候才觉得火花被点亮呢？我想大概是这个时刻：
When do the sparks finally ignite? I think it's during these moments:

当第一个进场馆的玩家，拖着行李箱飞奔向某处时；当越来越多的玩家涌进嘉年华，开始四处排队时；当我不是一个人对着NPC拍拍拍，而是听着他们叫我旅行者，然后我一扭头就能看到一起合作的路人玩家的脸的时刻；甚至是我什么都不做，就身处大家中间，看着coser举着相机，拉近羞涩、想要靠近的玩家一起合照的时刻……
When the first player rushes into the venue, dragging their luggage towards some spot; when more and more players flood into the carnival, forming queues all around; when I'm not the only one taking pictures of NPCs, but instead hearing them address me as a Traveler, and when I turn around, I see the faces of fellow players cooperating together; even when I'm not doing anything, just being amidst everyone, watching cosplayers holding cameras, drawing in shy, eager players for group photos... These are the moments.

之前有一个很经典的质疑，问《原神》这样的游戏难道不会让人孤独吗？日复一日地一个人在那个世界冒险，单靠游戏内容的丰富度就能解决漫长的长线吗？我想，米哈游之所以会称嘉年华是产品的一部分，或者是一种形式的探索，或许其价值也在这里：
There was a classic question raised before, asking whether games like *Genshin Impact* wouldn't make people feel lonely. Adventuring alone in that world day after day, can the richness of game content alone address the challenges of a prolonged long-term experience? I believe that miHoYo's classification of the carnival as part of the product, or as a form of exploration, might have its value in this aspect:

在那个时刻，你能获得一种无关乎品牌价值、IP影响力，而是一种相当幸福的玩家视角：我所喜欢的东西，原来也被这么多实实在在的人一起喜欢着。那一刻的经历也将给往后的游戏体验，带去很不一样的感受。
In that moment, you gain a player's perspective that isn't concerned about brand value or IP influence, but rather a profoundly happy realization: the things I love are also cherished by so many real individuals, collectively. The experience from that moment will imbue your future gaming encounters with an entirely different sensation.

我们或许已经不再羞于说“原来你也玩原神？”至少在这一刻，我们是松弛的。
Perhaps we're no longer hesitant to say, "You also play *Genshin Impact*?" At least in that moment, we're at ease.