In this article, we’ll take a look at the various problems that have arisen from the popularity of Anipang and similar games on KakaoTalk in Korea, and discuss how KakaoTalk’s game industry will change in the future.
Recently, a KakaoTalk-based game called Anipang has become popular in South Korea. Anipang is a simple puzzle game that can be played by people of all ages, and many people have become obsessed with it. As a result, games like Candy Pang, which is similar to Anipang, started to trend. These suddenly popular games have caused a number of problems, and they have the potential to cause even more. Let’s take a look at the problems.
First, let’s take a look at the evolution of KakaoTalk games. Before Anipang, KakaoTalk was a pure messenger without games. Since it was a free application, KakaoTalk needed an industry other than messaging to make money, so one day, it introduced Plus Friends, which allowed people to add friends for advertising and promotion purposes, such as entertainment agencies and companies. Up until this point, KakaoTalk was just a messenger. However, the story changed after the introduction of a game called Anipang. With the rise of Anipang, and the subsequent rise of KakaoTalk games like Candy Pang and Dragon Flight, KakaoTalk became not just a messenger, but another mobile world like smartphones and Facebook. We haven’t seen many KakaoTalk games yet, but there’s no telling what other services will be added to the medium in the future.
Take Anipang, one of KakaoTalk’s current games, for example. It’s a simple game that anyone, young or old, can play, but most of South Korea is now playing it and exchanging hearts. According to one statistic, more than 100 million hearts are exchanged every day. When you send a heart on Anipang, you will receive a notification on KakaoTalk that you sent a heart. However, if you send or receive a lot of hearts, these notifications become more frequent, and they interfere with people’s time when they’re not playing the game or even when they can’t play the game. Also, the heart is an idiomatic symbol with many meanings. While this may be true for lovers and close friends, it can have a different meaning for married people or those who are about to get married. In recent articles, we’ve seen stories of people who have been accused of infidelity because of these hearts, leading to divorce, or people who have been embarrassed by receiving a heart from an ex. Of course, it’s been more than two months since the game was released, and people no longer take sending hearts on Anipang seriously. Also, the unattempted heart texts have been patched to allow you to block them without going into the settings, whereas before you had to go into the settings to block them. Even with this patch, it’s still set to send hearts by default, so if you don’t want them, you’ll have to set them anyway. I think it would be better to not send them in the first place and only show them if you want them. Considering that things like agreeing to terms and conditions on the internet have also been problematic because the other person can casually pass them off as consent, I think Anipang and other games should take this into account.
The success of KakaoTalk games is not only due to the increase in the number of users, but also to the increase in user engagement. Competing with friends, comparing rankings, and various events have kept users engaged in the game. However, these elements can sometimes create conflict among users. For example, users who lose out in a ranking competition get stressed out, and conflicts arise over in-game purchases. Therefore, it is important for game developers to create an environment where users can enjoy the game and engage in healthy competition.
One of the concerns we have with KakaoTalk is that KakaoTalk-based games are quite homogenized. For example, KakaoTalk’s internal game, Anipang, has a system called hearts that I mentioned above. These hearts are one of the fatigue systems that curb game time. It used to be quite talked about, but now it’s much less so. However, after Anipang, Candy Pang and other ○○Pang games all have the same system of exchanging hearts. You can exchange other things instead of hearts, but the only difference is when they regenerate, and they’re still hearts. Also, after Candy Pang surpassed Anipang’s share of the market, Anipang started to reference the item system or coin system of Candy Pang, but the format of the game is slightly different, and it’s hard to tell why it’s a different app. If there is no regulation or restriction on similar games, or at least minimal management, there is a great risk that people will leave KakaoTalk due to ads and hearts from similar games. Unlike Apple’s App Store, the Android Market does not regulate applications. There is a lot of talk about this, but even if these apps that are part of KakaoTalk’s add-ons are unregulated in the Android Market, it is in the best interest of KakaoTalk’s users to have them vetted by KakaoTalk since they are add-ons.
KakaoTalk games are different from other gaming applications on the Android Market, and one of them is the integration with KakaoTalk. Pardon the pun, but KakaoTalk was initially welcomed because it was lightweight compared to the mobile version of Nateon and other messaging applications. However, as more and more KakaoTalk-based applications like Anipang and CandyPang are added, KakaoTalk will lose its lightweight nature. While this is an unavoidable choice given that KakaoTalk’s revenue base comes from ads and games like these, anyone can create a program that functions as a messenger, so there’s no telling when or where a competitor to KakaoTalk will come along. Although KakaoTalk is currently the No. 1 mobile messenger in Korea, I think KakaoTalk should be aware that the times are changing rapidly with each passing day, and that it needs to provide new services and pleasant services to keep up with them. In other words, since there are not many KakaoTalk games yet, there should be a certain amount of regulation to prevent KakaoTalk from becoming the next Cyworld.
The influence of KakaoTalk games is not just limited to Korea. The popularity of KakaoTalk games is also growing in the global market, which is helping to raise the profile of the Korean game industry. However, in order to succeed in the global market, localization that takes into account cultural differences is essential. By providing game content that reflects the culture and tastes of each country, you can reach a wider audience. For example, in the Japanese market, you need a Japanese version of your game and marketing that utilizes Japanese characters. In the U.S. market, on the other hand, game design and promotion strategies that are tailored to local trends are important.
Therefore, KakaoTalk should look for ways to increase user satisfaction along with the growth of the gaming industry. It is important to build an image as a company that fulfills social responsibility along with fun games. To do this, it should actively reflect user feedback and improve its systems to ensure that games are safe for all ages. In addition, various campaigns and programs to address the addictive nature of gaming should be implemented to help users enjoy healthy gaming.
