Travel Frog appeal lies in its simplicity

Editor's Note: A mobile game about a traveling frog with origins in Japan has become very popular in China. Millions of "mothers" of Tabi Kaeru, or Travel Frog, have popped up in China, pushing the game high on the list of free downloadable games in Apple's app store. Two experts share their views on this surprisingly popular game with China Daily's Yao Yuxin. Excerpts follow:

Higher grading level can expand gaming market

The online gaming sector has become the leader of China's cultural industry, making more than 210 billion yuan ($31.91 billion) last year. The high-quality Honor of Kings developed by Chinese gaming and social media giant Tencent became the most popular game last year. It even entered the mainstream public discourse.

However, the Chinese gaming industry needs a higher level of classification to build an even bigger market, as the mobile games that have recently attracted the highest number of female players in China－Travel Frog and Love and Producer－both originated in Japan.

Different from competitive games such as Honor of Kings, Travel Frog is just a recreational game that involves no tense confrontations and thus does not demand hyper focus for a long time. The frog decides on its own when to eat, read or embark on a journey; the player just collects clovers to buy food and other items for the frog's trip without knowing when it will leave or return.

That today's young generation faces huge survival pressure given the exorbitant costs of hosting a wedding ceremony, buying a home and raising children could explain why the Travel Frog has become so popular in China. In fact, youths often feel powerless, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for young people to climb up the social ladder.

Perhaps many Chinese youths low on expectations prefer to play a simple game like the Travel Frog because it reflects the "loneliness economy". And women aged 30 years or above struggling in big cities have developed a special liking for the Travel Frog, as it eases their frayed nerves and helps them forget their loneliness, even if temporarily.

Sun Jiashan, an expert at the Chinese National Academy of Arts

Mobile games give females more choices

Female-oriented online games are becoming increasingly popular in China, as reflected in the mass appeal of games such as Travel Frog and Love and Producer.

Male players have long dominated the traditional gaming market in China, with many of the recent games focusing on conflicts, confrontations or battle techniques, where female characters are always over-sexualized or waiting to be rescued by powerful men as in Super Mario.

There indeed has been a dearth of games that can attract females. However, Travel Frog, which originated in Japan, has not only caught the attention of female players but also inspired many to care more about people's psychological needs.

The market for female-oriented games in China has been lagging behind those of developed countries such as Japan and the United States, where women comprise a major part of the players. Maybe China's patriarchal culture, which used to be indifferent to women's recreational needs, is to blame for that.

However, with China's fast-paced economic and social development, and Chinese people's increasing awareness about gender equality, society is attaching greater importance to women's rights and consumer power. Besides, thanks to technological innovation, mobile terminals are breaking social and gender barriers, by allowing everyone to download and play online games.

Travel Frog has become popular also because a player needs just mild interaction with other gamers and doesn't have to spend much time on taking care of the frog. It meets the expectation of modern interpersonal relationships of today's youths, who despite desiring a close relationship want to remain independent.

The young players are taking quite a rational decision by raising a digital pet as an "emotional companion" in these times of intense competition, because they don't need a lot of money or space to take care of the pet.

Zhou Kui, an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University