"Is Sikong Zhen’s lightning power DC or AC?" "How do you use determinants to confess your feelings to your 'King' partner?" Just looking at these topics, you might think they’re material for some blogger’s prank video.But when I saw several professors—well-known to college students—standing on the stage of the China Academy of Art’s auditorium, earnestly answering these “out-there questions” using their respective academic expertise, I have to admit: I just couldn’t hold back my laughter.
This scene took place during the live stream of the "Honor of Kings" College Orientation Season Gala held on September 19. After watching the entire broadcast that day, many fans were left with just four words in their minds: "Xiao Wang is amazing!"
On the one hand, the timing was perfect. While many games had just wrapped up their summer campaigns and were taking a breather, college students preparing for the new semester were right in the middle of orientation season—a time when they needed encouragement the most. "Honor of Kings" was the first to capitalize on this emotional demand, launching a series of orientation season events throughout September.
On the other hand, the welcome party featured a number of great acts that really resonated with today’s young people, who are more individualistic and free-spirited.
The fact that it went viral across the internet—with the event “chased by trending topics” afterward—is clear proof: this welcome party truly struck a chord with gamers.On Douyin and Xiaohongshu, multiple trending topics related to several renowned instructors garnered over 10 million views; a single topic on Douyin reached 200 million views, and related hashtags such as #Honor of Kings Youth Zhengnong University Gala# surged to the top of the trending charts on multiple platforms, including Bilibili, Kuaishou, and Weibo.
This really makes one wonder: How does *Honor of Kings* manage to so perfectly capture the preferences of today’s young people? Games generally face the challenge of acquiring new users once they enter a long-term operational phase, so why is *Honor of Kings* able to “defy the norm”? This phenomenon is well worth a thorough, in-depth analysis.
01
“The First Lesson of the New School Year” Begins in the Canyon
When you break it down, *Honor of Kings* has organized far more than just one livestream throughout the entire welcome season.As early as September 1, Honor of Kings published a post titled “A Letter from Xiao Wang to the Post-2000s Generation,” drawing a parallel between a player’s journey as they first enter the Canyon and offering words of encouragement to the post-2000s generation:There’s no standard answer in the game of life, but you can make mistakes, come back, and turn the tables.
It’s written with such sincerity—it’s even a little sappy.Some users were taken aback by the sudden shift in tone, while others finished reading the essay with tears in their eyes, feeling that Xiao Wang had truly spoken to their hearts. The post received over 500,000 likes on Douyin, and many college students were genuinely warmed by this heartfelt piece of inspirational content.
This letter is actually just the prelude to the entire "King's Welcome Season." During the college orientation season in mid- to late September, students can look forward to more from "King": a live-streamed welcome gala to extend a warm welcome to students arriving on campus.
It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the content. The nearly four-hour gala was divided into two halves. The first half, titled “Nongyou Society Open Class,” featured a fresh format: several renowned teachers and three music bloggers made surprise appearances in the livestream, taking turns to teach five subjects—English, politics, physics, math, and music—with each lesson lasting about half an hour.
I thought taking online classes in a livestream would be boring, but the five sessions were actually designed to be really fun: the course material was deeply integrated with the heroes and gameplay mechanics of *Honor of Kings*, and while the questions seemed wildly imaginative at first glance, they actually made a lot of sense when you thought about them.
For example, how should we understand dialectics? Mr. Xu Tao, a political science teacher, pointed to the hero “Li Xin”: Li Xin has both light and dark forms, and in the study of contradictions, dialectical relationships between commonality and individuality, as well as subjectivity and objectivity, are everywhere.Why does Zhen Ji’s ultimate ability—which is clearly a water spray—have a freezing effect? Physics teacher Xia Zhendong explained that she is actually spraying supercooled water, which freezes upon contact with a nucleation site.
Teacher Zhang Yu transformed into a love guru, teaching the farmers three ways—using limits, determinants, and the Cartesian heart curve—to subtly confess their feelings to their “canyon partners.”Teacher Xiao Yan walked the audience through a translation problem on the spot, uttering the classic line, “Go home, child,” which sparked a wave of laughter from the audience.
Take these teachers, for example—they’ve already become internet sensations among college students thanks to their witty and humorous teaching styles and their ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms. Farmers who’ve taken graduate entrance exams can immediately recognize the value in this; some are even “Honor of Kings” players themselves and love to use examples from the game in their online classes.Although they take the stage as professors, they’re all “one of us” to the Nongyou community. The contrast between the serious classroom setting and the game is striking. Professor Xia Zhendong from the Physics Department uses models to simulate the fluid dynamics of missiles, blending education with entertainment—making learning a joy.
This crossover from gaming to college has really sparked quite a bit of excitement.
As the live stream entered its second half, it began to feel more like the welcome parties we’ve all experienced growing up: well-known bloggers, cosplayers, and student clubs took turns on stage, performing songs, dances, and plays.Many of these performances were produced through collaborations between students from the Nongyou Society and the “Honor of Kings” college project: esports commentators Pingzi and Tianyun teamed up with the college singing club to perform “A Promise of a Thousand Lanterns,” while the Jiangnan Seventh Hospital Dance Troupe staged “Parallel Universes: Sun Ce’s Campus Confession”… With performances created by Nongyou members for their peers, the event was brimming with youthful energy.Many *Honor of Kings* players felt that this was a truly memorable welcome night.
You can imagine how many people would be left wanting more after a livestream like this ended. And that’s exactly what happened: clips from the livestream, analysis videos, and interactions in the official comment section—all generated fan-created content that routinely garnered tens of thousands, or even over 100,000, likes.The gala’s influence didn’t end that night; it continued to spread through word of mouth among farmers. This, in itself, is proof that the livestream has truly won people’s hearts.
From my own perspective, as a fellow farmer, I was moved on at least three levels.
First of all, this livestream was less of an official production and more of something that organically grew out of the community. For example, the physics problem Xia Zhendong discussed—“Is Sikong Zhen’s lightning DC or AC?”—was originally a meme created by the player community; the “cute contrast” format of turning game knowledge into online courses was also pioneered by players.Players have a desire to “play with” this kind of content; the developers simply provided a platform, bringing these memes to a stage watched by tens of thousands and amplifying the community culture collectively created by hundreds of millions of “farmers.” This is a form of deep co-creation.
Second, “Honor of Kings” truly “understands” the culture of this generation of young farmers: it features people they already love in their daily lives, speaks in a way they can relate to, and uses jokes that make them all laugh—so it naturally connects with them very quickly.
For example, in the official lecture videos released later, the episode featuring Teacher Xu Tao was specifically sped up. Teacher Xu doesn’t usually speak very fast, and political science classes are particularly taxing on one’s patience, so fellow students who had taken the graduate entrance exam couldn’t help but laugh when they saw it: “Looks like you’ve taken the graduate entrance exam too, Xiao Wang.” It was a kind of unspoken understanding—something that those in the know just get.
Similarly, the "Walong Trio"—composed of musicians Duan Jun, Zhang Yuxi, and Zhu Lu—has gained popularity on Douyin over the past two years with songs like "The Answer" and "Ten Years in This World," appealing specifically to this younger audience.At this gala, they teamed up with Dunshan from *Honor of Kings* to perform “The Answer” together.The highlight wasn’t just the trio showing off their vocal talents—it was also seeing Dunshan, who usually only makes electronic sounds, take the stage for the first time to sing, belting out the song with a mix of “woo-woos” and “wah-wahs.” This “cute little robot” has once again revealed a new adorable side.Teacher Duan Jun posted Dunshan’s stage debut on Douyin, where it garnered over 1.7 million likes.
Finally, there is empathy for players’ deeper psychological needs. Why do some players write personal essays in the comments section of “A Letter from Xiao Wang to the Post-00s Generation”? Because as they stand at the crossroads of entering the workforce, many feel confused or even anxious about the future—and everyone has experienced moments like this to some extent.
Looking back at these three levels: co-creation is the foundation, cultural understanding is the means, and empathy is the ultimate goal. In this welcome party, *Honor of Kings* acted more like a stage producer: the jokes on stage came from the community, the teachers on stage were “one of the players,” and the emotional resonance felt by the audience was meant for everyone.
The event evoked complex emotions in them—the joy of getting inside jokes, a sense of connection on cultural and personal levels, and a sense of identity as part of the farming community.
02
"Farm Culture" Created by Hundreds of Millions of Players
And when it comes to "player-driven co-creation," it plays a far more significant role in the entire *Honor of Kings* ecosystem than many people realize.
The developers’ efforts to amplify and incorporate player-generated content emerging from the community go far beyond this single Welcome Season livestream. Even the in-game social spaces where players gather were built collaboratively by the developers and the players themselves.This past September, *Honor of Kings* launched an in-game university verification system: after verifying their school affiliation, players can join their respective university sections, where they can team up with classmates, compete on university leaderboards, and enjoy exclusive voice lines and atmospheric effects.
Young farmers and the organizers have joined forces to create a unique discussion environment. More importantly, leveraging the official university communities across more than 3,000 colleges and universities, a vast platform for campus exchange is taking shape—one that has been integrated into the co-creation ecosystem of the farmers and “Honor of Kings.”For example, during back-to-school season, a lively “Campus Prank Contest” was launched in the Honor of Kings college groups: Students signed up and submitted proposals for campus pranks that combined campus life with Honor of Kings elements. After the official team assessed their feasibility, they awarded “prank grants” to support students in bringing their creative ideas to life on campus.
This welcome season event was a huge success, thanks in no small part to the players' active participation and the collaborative efforts at the university level.
On September 22, Honor of Kings and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute pulled off a major event—the “Youth in Agriculture” art exhibition, jointly organized by the two parties, officially opened. The exhibits originated from player submissions collected for this year’s “Honor of Kings: Nongmo Heavy-Color Cup” competition.
The submission guidelines are simple: there are no restrictions on style, format, or content—all you have to do is post using the hashtag to participate. The goal is to lower the barrier to entry as much as possible so that more farmers can join in.
This made the “Nongmo Heavy Colors Cup” feel less like a competition and more like a grand art festival in the Canyon. Shortly after the call for entries began, a large number of works started pouring in online. From fan art rivaling the quality of concept art from major studios to felt dolls and bead art, the submissions were incredibly diverse.What *Honor of Kings* is doing here follows the same logic as organizing a welcome party—it’s bringing these players’ artistic creativity and imagination to a brighter stage.
As a result, out of the works submitted by players through the “Nongmo Zhongcai Cup,” 100 were ultimately selected for the in-person “Youth in Agriculture” art exhibition.These works created by the players will be on display for over a month at the Shibati Scenic Area in Chongqing, presented with museum-level professionalism—this may sound surprising, but once you see the works in person, you’ll understand why.These spontaneous creations by young players are not only of a remarkably high standard but, above all, embody the most sincere passion—they deserve to be taken seriously.
When we visited the exhibition hall in person, we saw the players’ wildly imaginative creations—ranging from contestants who produced breathtaking handicrafts like “carving a Yao ethnic figure on a single grain of rice” to fan-art concepts inspired by iconic limited-edition skin series such as “Encountering Dunhuang” from *Honor of Kings*, or depictions of iconic heroes like the Five Tiger Generals;from massive collages to large-scale paintings brimming with intricate details—it was clear that each piece required a significant amount of time and effort from the creators.
There are also many works—memes and comic skits adapted from various hero stories—that are clearly the work of the most seasoned farmers; it’s as if they’re using these jokes to interact with visitors touring the venue, keeping the atmosphere here lively at all times.With plenty of freedom and no restrictions, all 100 of these works showcase the explosive creativity of the players.
At the exhibition’s opening ceremony, a student creator spoke earnestly, saying that what she found most valuable about the exhibition was that this game—which she loved—provided young creators with a stage for free expression, allowing them to infuse their passion for gaming and their understanding of art into their works.Through years of back-and-forth collaboration, Xiao Wang and the farming community have long cultivated a mutually supportive relationship, and have even established various well-developed co-creation mechanisms, giving every member of the farming community the opportunity to participate in the game’s creation.
Honor of Kings named its most important annual gala of the year “Night of Co-Creation.” At last year’s 10th-anniversary Night of Co-Creation, one detail was particularly touching: during the event, Honor of Kings players used their IDs to illuminate their favorite heroes, creating a frozen snapshot featuring 124 heroes;At the gala, the “A Decade in a Moment” art installation—created by Wang Zhiou, Visual Effects Director for the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony—digitally incorporated all the players’ IDs from the snapshot, transforming it into a limited-edition memory of “A Decade in a Moment” that belongs to everyone.
"A Moment in a Decade" Art Installation
Just how important is this collaborative creation? Even the term “Farm Culture” itself was co-created with the players.“Nong” originally came from the outside world’s slightly mocking nickname “Honor of Kings Pesticide,” but later, young players embraced the name as their own. The official team didn’t shy away from it either; instead, they actively ran with the joke by having game designers personally “do farm work” and launching the “Summer Farmers’ Festival.”Step by step, it evolved into a symbol recognized by the vast majority of players, and today it stands as the most important cultural emblem of the Honor of Kings community—a phenomenon that is, in itself, quite rare.
Through this back-and-forth, players see the developers’ commitment, fostering stronger, long-term trust in *Honor of Kings*; meanwhile, the developers gain more inspiration for content that enhances the game. This culture begins with the players’ spontaneous sense of community, which the developers then capture, amplify, and give back to the community.The co-creation mechanism allows this ecosystem to generate its own content and grow like a snowball—this is the most difficult-to-replicate competitive advantage that Honor of Kings has built up over the years.
So, a welcome campaign like this one—one that truly resonates with players—is never the result of a single flash of inspiration. It is built on deep insights accumulated over time, combined with a robust, systematic approach to event execution; every element is essential.
03
Journey Alongside Players
After reading this university campaign, many of my questions about "Honor of Kings" have been answered.
As a game editor, whenever I go home for family gatherings, my relatives and friends have asked me more than once: Why has *Honor of Kings* remained so popular for so many years?They aren’t industry insiders, so they don’t know how to break down gameplay mechanics or game genres; they just know that hit games come and go in waves, but *Honor of Kings* seems to have maintained its appeal—it’s the kind of game that keeps people coming back for more.
And this spectacular back-to-school season has shown us one very important answer: they are exceptionally skilled at precisely capturing the emotional needs of every type of player.People may not stay young forever, but there will always be young people. During events like the collective welcome back for college students, they harness this generational flow through emotional resonance and deep collaboration with players, bringing *Honor of Kings* and young people together while transforming the game itself into a hub that connects the broader youth community.
Ahead of the new player welcome season, during the summer “Summer Farmers’ Festival” event, *Honor of Kings* launched Lu Ya’na—a hero voted for by 48 million players—and transformed the entire city of Qingdao into “Pain Island,” sparking a nationwide wave of collaborative creativity;Earlier, during the “5v5 Team-Up Festival,” they introduced the “Friend Card,” which allows players to protect and boost each other’s star ratings, making it easier and easier for friends to team up during the May Day holiday… Whether it’s friendship, romance, or just a casual partnership, wherever player emotions are at play, Honor of Kings is rarely absent.
And that is precisely why generation after generation has been drawn in by Honor of Kings’ year-round “emotional calendar,” actively joining the Honor of Kings ecosystem. After more than a decade of growth, the significance of Honor of Kings in people’s lives has come to differ from that of many other products.
Countless genuine social connections have taken root here: you might team up with friends, partners, or even your boss or elders in *Honor of Kings*. And “companionship” is another word that many players bring up time and again.For many people, *Honor of Kings* has long transcended the category of “just a game”; it’s more like a close friend who has been there through important milestones in life and holds countless memories—it’s synonymous with youth. This phenomenon is extraordinary in itself.
A few years ago, many people were puzzled by *Honor of Kings*’ decision to downplay its image, refer to itself as “Little Wang,” and team up with game designers to do farm work. Looking back now, these moves have continuously opened up new possibilities for the game. They gave rise to a truly down-to-earth game brand that has attracted young people to join in.
From enrollment to graduation, from online to offline, from the game’s canyons to every new chapter in life, Xiao Wang has continued to be there for players every step of the way. As long as players are willing to keep coming back, this ecosystem will remain vibrant.
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/221054
