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.