Perceived enjoyment from virtual experience to real-world care: how Chinese digital games containing TCM culture influence players’ TCM treatment intention

Background In the context of Health China 2030 , the Chinese government endorses the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) within the public health care system and promotes the inheritance and development of TCM culture. Emerging digital formats—such as online literature, online audiovisual media, and digital games—have become important vehicles for promoting TCM culture and public health education. Consequently, Chinese digital games have increasingly incorporated elements of TCM, serving as new media for communicating health knowledge and cultural values to a broad player population. This study examines how exposure to digital games containing TCM culture, supported by national health promotion policies, influences players’ willingness to accept TCM treatment, thereby contributing to the broader goal of improving residents’ health welfare. However, empirical research examining how such games influence players’ willingness to accept TCM-based medical treatment remains limited. This study aims to investigate the key factors and mechanisms through which digital game use motivations shape players’ intention to seek TCM treatment. Methods Based on data collected through an online questionnaire survey of 460 Chinese digital game players, PLS-SEM was utilized to examine the core factors and relationships between gaming motivations, TCM cultural identity, health self-efficacy, and TCM treatment intention. Results The findings reveal that three types of game use motivations—hedonic, social, and knowledge-seeking—indirectly enhance players’ willingness to accept TCM treatment by strengthening their health self-efficacy and identification with TCM culture. Additionally, players’ distrust of the TCM healthcare system negatively moderates the association between gaming motivations and TCM treatment intention. Conclusion This study demonstrates the potential of digital games as effective tools for integrating cultural transmission with public health communication. By improving players’ TCM treatment intention, digital games containing TCM culture contribute to the public health objectives outlined in the Health China 2030 strategy. The results provide both theoretical grounding and practical guidance for government agencies and enterprises seeking to leverage digital games to promote TCM cultural inheritance and enhance public health education as part of health welfare improvements.