From Restricted to Shared: The Intersectional Pleasure Mechanisms in Chinese Horror Games (2001-2024)

Abstract

This study examines how Chinese horror games developed under strict regulation from 2001 to 2024. It built a framework with three parts: regulation policy, platform distribution, and cultural narrative. The research analyzed games from three periods to show how these forces work together. The findings show that regulation pushed developers to use psychological horror instead of visual shocks, creating restricted pleasure through sustained tension and strategic pleasure through interpretive engagement. Platform distribution transformed private horror experiences into shared social entertainment, which created shared pleasure. Finally, developers moved from folk symbols to social themes. This helped games reach global players. This work demonstrates how restrictions can catalyze creativity. Chinese developers internalized regulations as narrative drivers while leveraging platforms to reconstruct consumption patterns. This study contributes to game studies by providing a theoretical framework for analyzing how cultural industries in controlled markets achieve international distinctiveness through creative adaptation rather than imitation of Western and Japanese paradigms.