From Configurational Interpretation To Cybertext:on The Gaming Potential Of Chinese Character Puzzles

The “riddle” as a unique cultural phenomenon is rooted in Chinese character culture.Riddles include hidden language,logogriph,and lantern riddles,which use the flexible use of the form,sound,and meaning of Chinese characters to create a multi-layered,collective meaning-generating process through literature.This article discusses Chinese character puzzles,which include not only riddles but also graphic poetry such as palindromes and acrostics that use the same lihe law.This is to launch a discussion about the gaming nature of Chinese character puzzles.Game study has been developed for more than 20 years,but there are still few studies on “non-digital game studies.” This article hopes to provide a new perspective on the observation of hidden language and graphic text games,introducing Espen Aarseth’s theory of cybertext as a research perspective on traditional and digital texts.By breaking down the textual topological structure of hidden language and word riddles,and using the seventh variable of cyber text—user function to analyze the text,we conclude that word riddles and hidden language exhibit the ergodic and cybertextual properties of construction and meaning.The cybertextual and ergodic characteristics of Chinese character puzzles prove that they are distinct from traditional linear texts.These characteristics enable them to be more fully integrated into modern Chinese character art and puzzle games,thereby exploring their gaming potential more deeply.To better discuss their possible development in the field of electronic games,this article also analyzes current word puzzle games as case studies,attempts to integrate traditional Chinese character puzzles into game design based on puzzle game design principles,and provides possibilities for realizing the integration of gaming and artistic expression.