New Translation of Journey to the West: AR Tabletop Game System Design and Cultural Translation Based on Cultural Translation Theory

Abstract

Journey to the West is a nationally recognized classic literary IP deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese cultural system, possessing outstanding literary, artistic, and communicative value with a profound and enduring cultural influence. However, under today's fast-paced lifestyle, young audiences' exposure to Journey to the West culture is mostly limited to passive viewing, lacking channels for immersive experiences and carriers for emotional resonance, leading to a disconnect in traditional cultural transmission. Tabletop games, as a popular form of entertainment among contemporary youth, can serve as an effective medium for revitalizing classical culture. However, existing culturally themed tabletop games often suffer from homogenized gameplay mechanics, fragmented narratives, and superficial cultural expression, with insufficient immersion and cultural engagement, making it difficult to achieve the in-depth dissemination of classical cultural connotations.This study takes tabletop games as the primary medium and focuses on the practical issue of insufficient awareness among young local audiences of their own traditional culture. Using Journey to the West as the cultural theme, the research systematically introduces Cultural Translation Theory as the design framework and constructs a three-dimensional cultural translation model consisting of the material, organizational, and spiritual levels. By integrating AR technology, the tabletop gameplay is deeply combined with cross-media social platforms. Players can trigger AR interactive scenarios by scanning game cards, thereby achieving an immersive cultural experience. Interactive tasks incorporating classic storylines, core values, and profound philosophical concepts are embedded into the game mechanics, enabling players to gradually perceive and internalize cultural values throughout the gameplay process, effectively reducing the risk of cultural concepts being understood only at a superficial level.In terms of design practice, the study clarifies the three-level analytical dimensions through theoretical analysis and field investigation, completing the full design process from symbolic extraction and mechanism design to AR interaction development. At the material level, through symbolic extraction, AR coordination, and cognitive guidance, the cultural symbols of Journey to the West are made perceptible and accessible at a low threshold. At the organizational level, team cohesion systems, task-driven mechanisms, random knowledge infusion, and AR story-based levels translate collectivism and spiritual cultivation concepts into actionable behavioral guidelines, facilitating a shift from passive observation to active participation. At the spiritual level, through the coordination of the previous two levels, values such as team spirit and self-cultivation are internalized into players' emotional identification, completing a closed-loop process of value transmission from cognition to internalization. This approach effectively promotes the transition of Journey to the West from superficial dissemination to deep cultural internalization, providing a valuable theoretical and practical reference for the innovative transformation of classical literature.To verify the effectiveness of the design, this study recruited 30 young participants aged 18 to 35 for user experience testing, comprehensively employing the System Usability Scale (SUS), a five-point Likert scale, and semi-structured interviews to assess three dimensions: cultural cognition, gameplay experience, and emotional identification. Preliminary results indicate that 86.7% of participants reported a significant improvement in their understanding of the cultural connotations of Journey to the West after gameplay, while the AR interaction segments substantially enhanced users' sense of immersion and emotional engagement. Further interview analysis confirmed that the integration of AR interactivity and cultural translation mechanisms significantly improved players' depth of understanding and emotional identification with the cultural essence of Journey to the West. This study provides a systematic design approach for the digital revitalization of classical literary IPs and offers practical references for the broader application of Cultural Translation Theory in the field of cultural and creative product design.

Keywords: Journey To The West, Cultural Translation Theory, Augmented Reality (AR) Technology, Tabletop Game Design, Traditional Culture Communication

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007671