Matching Mini-game “Sheep A Sheep” Hits It off in China, Arouses Controversy
A new pass-through mini game named “Yang Le Ge Yang,” translated as “Sheep A Sheep,” with a clearance rate of less than 0.1%, has become a national online sensation on China’s social media in recent days. However, it has aroused controversy over its profitability and game rules, which while away some users’ interest and desire to share personal information.
The game, available as a mini program on $TENCENT(00700.HK$ ‘s social app WeChat. It took only half a day for the game to reach the top of the iOS free game chart on September 15, with more than 45,000 downloads in a single day, according to Qimai Data.
The game, available as a mini program on $TENCENT(00700.HK$ ‘s social app WeChat. It took only half a day for the game to reach the top of the iOS free game chart on September 15, with more than 45,000 downloads in a single day, according to Qimai Data.
One of the most intuitive aspects of the game’s success is the simplicity of its mechanics and social communication nature. It has zero barriers to entry and the difficulty of the second level stimulates users’ desire to share, ridicule, and discuss their efforts with their friends on WeChat, Tencent‘s social app with a large number of active users.
Despite its early success, discussions around the “Sheep A Sheep” have also mirrored some controversies linked to China’s flourishing mini-game industry, such as the collection of user data, originality and fraud.
The advertisements, which players are required to watch if they need more rounds to play, include tattoos, education, food, shareware, and others. The ads last between 15 seconds and 30 seconds. As a result, some believe that the game developer earns a profit when these advertisements are viewed. Others believe that the game on WeChat, a frequently used app by Chinese netizens, easily causes psychological addiction problems, and the opaque game mechanism may infringe on the rights of players.
$Tencent(TCEHY.US$ $NetEase(NTES.US$ $NTES-S(09999.HK$ $China Concept Stocks(BK2517.US$ $G-bits Network Technology(603444.SH$
Despite its early success, discussions around the “Sheep A Sheep” have also mirrored some controversies linked to China’s flourishing mini-game industry, such as the collection of user data, originality and fraud.
The advertisements, which players are required to watch if they need more rounds to play, include tattoos, education, food, shareware, and others. The ads last between 15 seconds and 30 seconds. As a result, some believe that the game developer earns a profit when these advertisements are viewed. Others believe that the game on WeChat, a frequently used app by Chinese netizens, easily causes psychological addiction problems, and the opaque game mechanism may infringe on the rights of players.
$Tencent(TCEHY.US$ $NetEase(NTES.US$ $NTES-S(09999.HK$ $China Concept Stocks(BK2517.US$ $G-bits Network Technology(603444.SH$
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