A Chinese bride has turned a traditional pre-wedding challenge into a gaming competition, requiring her fiancé to defeat her in Valorant before the wedding ceremony. Viral footage shows the couple in their wedding attire, with the bride wearing decorative hair ornaments. As part of their wedding ceremony, they sit across from each other, competing in Riot Games' tactical first-person shooter.
The couple reportedly enjoy playing Valorant together, adding a personal touch to their celebration. Ultimately, the groom won the match in front of friends and family. The challenge drew attention from the game's official Instagram account, which commented, 'Wait, the wife is low-key locked in'. The chief executive of professional esports organisation GAM also joined the discussion, joking, 'How do we sign her?'
Online Reactions to the Wedding Challenge
One commenter joked, 'If I was the groom id tell my mom and dad "I told you playing video games wasnt a waste of time!" After this'. Another wrote, 'Imagine spending $30k (£22k) on a wedding and the whole thing gets cancelled because you can't aim'.
However, a third user offered a more critical perspective: 'So glad young people are destroying all the archaic traditions and institutions like a loving marriage based on respect and shared beliefs and life goals, and replacing it with performative gacha activities for the benefit of no one except strangers online.'
So glad young people are destroying all the archaic traditions and institutions like a loving marriage based on respect and shared beliefs and life goals, and replacing it with performative gacha activities for the benefit of no one except strangers online.
— Jiyeong Baek (@jiyeongvtuber) November 3, 2026
Traditional Door Games
The event was reportedly part of chuangmen, a Chinese wedding tradition known as door games. These activities typically require the groom and his friends to complete challenges set by the bridesmaids before he may enter the bride's home and proceed to the wedding ceremony.
The tasks vary by couple and may include physical challenges, food-related tasks, or questions assessing how well the groom knows the bride. For example, some games require the groom to present red envelopes containing money to the bridesmaids before being allowed to enter. These activities serve as light-hearted entertainment and let the groom show his willingness to participate in the celebrations before the ceremony.
Games of Humiliation and Harassment
Chinese wedding door games are usually light-hearted, though some have faced criticism for involving humiliation, harassment, or physical abuse. Such incidents are often associated with naohun, a tradition involving pranks on the bride, groom, and wedding party.
The South China Morning Post has reported multiple cases in which wedding hazing resulted in injuries and public outrage. In Shanxi province, a group of men tied a woman in traditional wedding attire to a lamppost with tape. Another video showed a restrained bridesmaid with firecrackers ignited near her feet.
Other cases include bridesmaids sprayed with fire extinguishers and participants subjected to unwanted physical contact. In a particularly serious case in 2018, a groom in Guizhou province suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding after being struck by a car while fleeing friends during a wedding prank.
Chinese authorities have criticised these practices and taken steps to discourage vulgar and dangerous wedding activities. In 2021, authorities in Zouping, Shandong province, banned vulgar behaviour at weddings as part of broader efforts to reform wedding traditions.
In contrast, the Valorant match provided a gaming-themed alternative, allowing the couple to incorporate a shared interest into their wedding celebration.
