Why script-based game is favored by Gen Z

Thanks to its interactive and immersive experiences, the script-based game, or live-action role-playing (LARP) game, has emerged as one of the most popular ways of entertainment among young people in recent years. It is also considered a new development of the cultural industry.

One notable feature of script-based games is that most practitioners and consumers are young people born in the 1990s and 2000s. With their outstanding imagination, creativity, and a spirit of exploration, they have contributed a lot to this emerging entertainment industry and sparked a new wave of immersive gaming experiences.

"The younger generation has an increasingly strong desire for expression, which can be seen as an emotional demand. They need to express themselves, communicate, and make new friends--all of these require a realistic scenario. Script-based games create a social environment to meet these needs," said Yang Wenhui, founder of Shanghai Wenmuyuezi Culture Media Co., Ltd.

"The diverse simulation scenes in games provide Generation Z immersive experience to control their own life and create their desired persona through free interpretation and expression," said Yang Tianyi, founder of Beijing Jingyu Culture Media Co., Ltd.

According to Zhang Han, a lecturer and screenwriter at the School of Drama, Film, and Television Literature of Capital Normal University, the script-based game goes beyond leisure and entertainment. "It creates a unique virtual space where players can spend three to four hours portraying someone else, experiencing a different life without bearing any social pressures," said Zhang. 

He Hanxia, founder of Beijing Storm Island Cultural Development Co., Ltd., believes Generation Z enjoys interacting with strangers. She stated, "Before 2018, Young people preferred playing games with acquaintances rather than strangers. But now, things have changed. All script-based games require group work, meaning strangers playing together mostly."

He Hanxia observed that script-based entertainment not only provides the opportunity for Generation Z to engage in social interactions with strangers but also broadens their fields for socializing. 

"Generation Z tend to integrate socializing into entertainment, such as using platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin to socialize through filming vlogs and live streaming," said He. 

Additionally, script-based games satisfy young people's desire for online sharing. Living in the digital space, Generation Z like sharing their lives online. Script-based games give players a sense of accomplishment and a specific content to share, both of which are essential," stated He Hanxia.

Source: China Youth Daily; trans-edited by Guo Yao