This study examines how video games reconstruct regional culture and shape tourism destination imaginaries

using

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers

as a case of a selective

Shu-centred representation of Sichuan within wider Bashu culture. It analyses 14 publicly accessible player-generated texts: 12 purposively selected Steam reviews

one Steam discussion

and one player-authored 19-part prototype study. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to trace cultural interpretation

spatial familiarity

narrative and relational anchoring

real-world referential recognition

and tourism-related responses. The findings show that architecture

ritual

mythology

exploration

and quests made culture actionable rather than merely visible. Repeated navigation sometimes produced procedural familiarity

although opaque routes and weak landmarks also generated disorientation. NPC encounters and quest outcomes anchored locations in attachment

regret

and frustration

making them memorable beyond their visual form. External research connected virtual scenes with Anyue

Dayi

Jinsha

and Sanxingdui and generated a proto-itinerary of possible real-world sites. Nevertheless

only one text explicitly anticipated a future visit—to Fahai Temple in Beijing rather than Sichuan—and the corpus contained no evidence of bookings or completed game-induced trips. The study therefore conceptualises playable destination imaginaries as a conditional process in which cultural encoding

player enactment

experiential anchoring

and referential recognition may generate tourism anticipation without necessarily producing travel. It extends screen-tourism research from destination viewing to inhabiting

enacting

relating

and anticipating

while offering implications for culturally responsible game design and the digital commu

nication of Bashu culture.