Detective game apps make a case for socializing

It does not take much to uncover the evidence of this app's popularity, nor to build a compelling case for its attractiveness. Location-based detective games can bring out the Sherlock Holmes in users and provide a social outlet for aspiring sleuths.

In February 2018, an app named Wo Shi Mi (literally "I'm a secret") was launched on WeChat, a social media platform, and on both the app stores of Android and Apple in June, becoming the first detective social game app in China. Several similar apps followed suit, such as Juben Sha ("scripts of murder") and Xijing Da Zhentan ("playing famous detectives").

These apps provide users with online platforms to act as detectives in different crime stories and find the truth through interaction with other players, known or unknown to each other.

Zhang Wenping, a postgraduate student at the Ocean University of China located in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, is a devoted Juben Sha player. He downloaded the app in October, two months after its launch, and uses it with friends for fun and socializing.

"To me, it's not only a game, but a way of meeting more people as well as maintaining my current social network," says Zhang, 24.

He usually plays the game for half a day, from noon to bedtime. He regards socializing as the most appealing part of the app.

"I have played such detective games offline in location-based venues, but the pity is that they consume a lot of time, and it is hard to gather at least four or five friends who are available at the same time, so I prefer to use this app," says Zhang.

The time needed for each app game varies from half an hour to three hours, while each offline game in location-based environments takes at least two hours.

The app offers an experience unlike location-based games, where people have to change clothes, act out the roles and find the clues through searching and discovering.

Users only need to read the scripts and discuss the cases on the app. Clues are directly given to them, and a click of the button will provide all the information needed. With the help of technology and the internet, it's also easier to gather enough people for a game.

"Mostly I play with friends, and I make new friends with strangers on the app as well," says Zhang.

During the past six months, Zhang made 10 new friends through the app and they connect with one another on a regular basis through WeChat.

Zhao Lin, 30, the initiator of the Juben Sha app, thinks that the main reason behind the boom in detective-game apps is their social aspect.

"By setting a goal for all the users, which they can only achieve by talking and cooperating with one another, the app connects people, even strangers," Zhao says.

"Especially for those who are shy, the online chats provide them with more opportunities to meet new people."

According to Zhao, users of the app mainly come from first-and second-tier cities, and he claims that every day about 50,000 people use the app.

Wang Yue, 28, a staff member at a public relations company in Beijing, began to use the app in December.

"For enthusiasts in megacities like Beijing and Shanghai, the app offers us another choice when transportation is time-consuming," says Wang from Xining, Northwest China's Qinghai province.

She also points out another advantage of the apps over their physical counterparts - while the number of games in the location-based venues are limited, the apps offer numerous stories.

Wang used to play location-based games, but after several experiences of spending too much time on transportation, she has gradually turned to the apps, which consume less time and money.

During Spring Festival, Wang played the game with colleagues through the app when she grew tired of greeting different relatives. She also introduced the game to friends back in Xining.

"Sometimes I feel like I have nothing to talk about with old friends in my hometown, which I left six years ago, but such games connect us," she says. "When the team finishes a story, we always stay on the app, chatting to one another."