BUV Students Bring Vietnamese Folklore to the World Through Global Gaming Platform

Curse of the Lineage is a Vietnamese-inspired horror puzzle game made by BUV students that has captured unexpected attention on the global gaming platform Steam, achieving 4,000 wishlist saves even before any official marketing campaign began. 

Created over the summer by five Computer Games Design & Programming students and one Contemporary Creative Practice student from British University Vietnam (BUV), Curse of the Lineage delivers a storyline and level of professionalism comparable to products from established indie studios. Notably, of the thousands of wishlist saves on Steam, 70% came from international players. 

BUV students showcasing their game at the Vietnam International Innovation Expo 2025, National Innovation Center.

Mr. Hoang Bao Long, Senior Teaching Fellow at BUV’s School of Computing & Innovative Technologies and the team’s advisor, proudly shared: “Although Steam already hosts many horror puzzle titles, Curse of the Lineage has not been overshadowed like typical indie games. On the contrary, it has proven to resonate strongly with players, both domestic and international. The team hit the right market sweet spot, writing descriptions and choosing hashtags that aligned perfectly with what the market wants to see. This reflects the students’ professionalism and business mindset — they are not just making games for fun.” 

From losing a school competition to an unexpected success 

Curse of the Lineage was originally a short game created within just 48 hours by Vu Van Duc Kien, Tran Quoc Khanh, Nguyen Hoang Nhat Minh, and Bui Tran Nguyen Vu during the BUV Game Jam 2025. 

Although the game only came second, judges recognised its strong potential to become a full project. The Game Jam demo impressed players through its simple yet unique puzzle mechanics, challenging gameplay, and polished, trendy 2D pixel-art graphics — perfectly aligned with current gaming trends. Lecturer Hoang Bao Long encouraged the team to incorporate a richer storyline to take the game further. 

The team chose Vietnamese ghost stories as the thematic foundation for their debut game. 

After the competition, the four students began their internships at LacBird, joined by Nguyen Minh Duc (game artist) and later by Tran Quang Minh (sound designer). The development process has lasted around six months so far, and the initial stages were the most difficult, as none of the members had extensive experience completing a full game as a team. 

“The most memorable time for me was those first weeks, when we discussed everything together, figured out roles, and started bonding as a team,” shared Nhat Minh, the team’s project manager. “We had to change direction constantly and define our identity from scratch, but once we found common ground, things became easier, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.” 

During this time, the team received invaluable support from BUV’s game lecturers, especially Hoang Bao Long and Bui Hoang Ha Chau. Beyond technical guidance, the students received help with story development, teamwork strategies, and even communications planning for the game. 

BUV lecturers provided continuous support throughout the development process. 

From there, Curse of the Lineage took shape, initially just a passion project, but with strong advisor support, it evolved into a title with genuine commercial potential, receiving investment and release plans like a professional indie game. 

Honouring Vietnamese folklore in every detail 

As soon as the team decided the game would focus on Vietnamese culture, they committed to researching and refining every visual and narrative detail. 

“We didn’t want to create elements that simply look Vietnamese but feel hollow. Everything had to come from authentic Vietnamese cultural materials,” the team explained. “Our first demo looked quite generic, which wasn’t what we wanted, and that made us realise how much more we needed to learn.” 

Every detail in the game draws inspiration from Vietnamese cultural elements. 

“I visited Duyên Thái craft village to research votive paper offerings,” Nhat Minh shared about his intensive research. “I studied colours, materials, shapes, and how surfaces change under different lighting. I also saw many eerie ritual objects like paper dolls or ceremonial statues, which later inspired designs in the game.” 

For Minh Duc, the game’s lead artist, cultural accuracy was the highest priority: “Because there are barely any similar games to reference, we had to build everything from scratch, from colour palettes, motifs, to backgrounds, so it felt both authentically Vietnamese and genuinely scary. Everything was new, challenging, and exciting. I relied heavily on online materials and deep dives into the history of architecture, motifs, and symbols.” 

Meanwhile, Nguyen Vu, the game designer, had his own research journey to craft a story and gameplay style rooted in local horror identity: “To create fear that’s inherently Vietnamese and not Western-inspired, Mr. Long suggested I read Vietnamese horror literature. That helped me understand the Vietnamese way of building fear and incorporate that into the game’s narrative.” 

The growth journey of young game developers 

Opportunities to create a full game and officially release it to the public are rare for students. At BUV, however, students consistently receive support to complete high-practicality projects while being empowered to experiment, innovate, and break their own limits. 

“I never imagined I’d get to compose music for a game. Working with my teammates showed me how a game is brought to life,” said Quang Minh, the team’s sound designer. “My background is more visual arts, but this project helped me understand how sound and visuals intertwine in storytelling.” 

Each member experienced noticeable growth in their skills throughout the project. 

Team members shared that their professional abilities developed significantly — from cultural research and narrative building to design, programming, and playtesting. Every step required patience, creativity, and a constant desire to learn. As a result, each student not only improved within their own role but also gained a clearer understanding of how all elements of game development connect. In essence, they didn’t just learn how to make a game — they learned how to become real game developers. 

Duc Kien, responsible for design and programming, reflected proudly: “This project is a milestone for me. It proves to myself and my family that this is a path I can grow on. The challenges have helped me mature, learn teamwork, manage tasks, and build systems in a structured way, instead of just making prototypes like before.” 

Curse of the Lineage demonstrates BUV’s strengths in game-development education: robust training, high-quality teaching, international mindset, and especially, dedicated support from lecturers. 

It stands as proof of a new generation of young Vietnamese game developers — those who honour local culture while embracing global product standards.