What game genre is expected to have a market size of 300 billion won this year? | Realworld Blog

Hello, this is the UniqueGood Experience Trend Letter.

This week, we'd like to talk about the 'mystery' genre, which is expected to have a market size of 300 billion won in Korea alone. A perpetrator who brutally murders victims, and a detective who pursues the culprit. What makes us so fascinated by such cases and profiling? And why does the mystery game market keep growing every year?

Just as watching romantic movies brings satisfaction, the development of the mystery genre has made it possible for us to become detectives investigating cases ourselves, or even become the perpetrator. Let's take a closer look at the play culture of those who find enjoyment through the mental activity of deduction.

A centipede lost a bet and went on an errand. Even after a long time, the centipede didn't return. Why was that?

Let's think for a moment. What could be the reason? Simply explaining 'because the centipede walked slowly' wouldn't be fun. That's because it's what we already expect. But what if we said, 'The centipede couldn't even start because it was still tying the laces of its twenty-third shoe'? Oh! Isn't it more interesting with the unexpected information that a centipede would need to wear multiple pairs of shoes?

This way, our brain's right frontal lobe reacts vigorously when appropriately filling cognitive gaps with unexpected information. Actually, there are two types of 'fun': the first is cognitive fun (the joy of deduction) where we feel satisfaction when surprised by discovering something different from our expectations, like the problem above, and the second is emotional fun (the joy of imagination) where we giggle thinking about certain situations.

In the earlier problem, when the reason the centipede didn't return was 'because the centipede was sitting with its legs crossed,' our brain activates the anterior cingulate cortex, which detects visual areas, along with the right frontal lobe. This is how our brain experiences pleasure through deduction and imagination.

The mystery genre also developed from people who love this kind of brain stimulation. It's said that when performances based on mythology were first staged in ancient Greek theaters, they included content about murder, pursuit, and revealing the identity of perpetrators. However, the mystery genre began to develop in earnest in 19th century England. At that time, mystery novelists like Arthur Conan Doyle, famous for the Sherlock Holmes series, and Edgar Allan Poe were actively working in England, making the mystery genre popular with the general public. This led to the emergence of games based on mystery themes.

The first mystery novel,
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue"

This book, called <The Murders in the Rue Morgue> in Korean, is considered the first mystery novel. Published by Edgar Allan Poe on April 20, 1841, this novel provided the prototype for modern mystery fiction with its detective, first-person narrator, locked-room mystery, and final revelation of the perpetrator.

So shall we take a closer look at the background behind the global development of mystery novels and games?

Starting in America... The mystery fever that spread to England and Japan

Following Edgar Allan Poe's tradition, English mystery masters like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie emerged. Arthur Conan Doyle is famous for 'Sherlock Holmes' - probably most people think of Sherlock Holmes first when they hear 'detective.' Arthur Conan Doyle was actually a doctor by profession. He started writing novels to cure his boredom because his clinic had so few patients, and it became a huge hit. Did anyone expect that the character Sherlock Holmes, created by a bored doctor, would become this famous?

Moving to more modern times, a mystery board game called 'CLUE' was released in America, gaining worldwide popularity and still being played extensively today. In Japan, a manga powerhouse, 'Detective Conan' became a hit, with over 100 volumes of manga and more than 25 animated series released. Mystery enthusiasts in Korea have probably read the Conan manga at least once.

Now enjoying the mystery genre as 'games' rather than 'books'

Until the 1900s, saying "I love the mystery genre!" naturally meant loving mystery novels or mystery films, and having extensive experience with numerous books and media works was considered something to be proud of. However, entering the 2000s, the mystery genre began transforming into playable game formats that provide immersive experiences where you become the protagonist - something impossible in the past. Due to the nature of 'deduction,' more active and free forms of entertainment became necessary. Representative mystery games include 'Mafia Game' which first appeared in 1986, 'Werewolf' which added various special roles, board games 'The Resistance: Avalon' and 'Bang!', and 'Among Us' which gained explosive popularity during the COVID-19 period.

These games have the characteristics of 'asymmetric multiplayer' genre where a majority of good weak players must defeat a minority of evil strong players. The weak (majority) team players must cooperate to stop or escape from the strong (minority) team players, while the strong (minority) team players must eliminate the weak (majority) team players or prevent them from cooperating with each other. The goal of the weak team players is often to defeat the strong team or escape or survive within a certain time limit. This is often implemented as horror or survival genres, and due to its asymmetric nature, it's a very difficult genre to balance. As with all mystery genres, well-balanced works tend to receive favorable reviews.

'Crime Scene' gains popularity in Korea

While mystery games were flourishing worldwide, in Korea, the term 'Crime Scene' particularly emerged and attracted public attention due to a JTBC variety show that aired from 2014. Famous celebrities including announcers, directors, and actors appeared and played Mafia games with passionate performances under the concept "Everyone is a detective, everyone is a perpetrator." The entertainment for viewers watching the variety show is divided into two branches: first, the fun of watching 'acting,' and second, the fun of watching 'deduction.' People who watch Crime Scene because they like the appearing celebrities are initially drawn in by the acting, variety show appeal, and appearance, but soon become captivated by the thrilling mystery game. So it's not surprising that by the time season 3 came out, there were floods of requests saying "Please cast celebrities who seem good at deduction."

Exploring crime scenes with VR

Did you know that in January 2024, Disney Research invented a movable VR HoloTile? One of the big problems with virtual reality was the range of movement, but this virtual reality HoloTile allows multiple people to move freely without the risk of colliding with each other. Disney revealed that through this newly unveiled invention, individuals can walk in any direction or anywhere the VR experience leads them without restrictions, providing a more natural and immersive feeling. Users can walk unlimited distances in any direction without collisions, allowing for greater immersion in VR experiences.

What happens when this VR technology combines with mystery games? Passive mystery novels evolved into movies and variety shows, and now the era of mystery games has opened. If we could vividly experience gruesome murder scenes or tiny traces left by perpetrators through VR, wouldn't mystery games enter a new era once again? 'Crime Scene Reconstruction' mystery games also utilize VR, and it seems advanced technology could sophisticate the way clues are obtained.

2024, a 300 billion won market in Korea alone

According to the Korea Creative Content Agency's 2022 Game Industry White Paper, the domestic mystery game market size was about 200 billion won in 2021, and it's increasing by more than 10% annually. This year, 2024, a market exceeding 300 billion won is expected, which is related to mobile mystery game apps like 'Among Us' and 'Mafia42' ranking high and the increased usage of online social apps like Discord, open chat rooms, and Munto. People gather online without seeing each other's faces, playing pranks, having verbal disputes, and having fun like old friends.

What do you think about a world where society has become more individualized, but we're more connected online?

Now making friends just by hearing voices

People play mystery games by connecting speakers and microphones, freely changing their voices while acting. Cameras are omitted at this time. This is because there's no problem with gameplay when it's done only through speech. Communicating online like this naturally leads to friendships, and sometimes romantic relationships develop. But what's interesting is that sometimes people date without knowing each other's faces! The current generation where appearance doesn't matter at all if they like each other's voice, way of speaking, and thoughts - isn't that surprising?

The most advanced form of mystery game, <Realworld Clue>

Realworld, which most successfully gamified multiplayer mystery games - essentially the variety show 'Crime Scene' - introduced a new form of mystery game called <Realworld Clue> for 2024. Realworld evolved mystery games, which were previously conducted only online or offline, into interactive games that go back and forth between online and offline. <The Yoon Ik-dae Murder Case>, which opened on February 5, 2024, is played by gathering offline at Realworld Seongsu and going back and forth between the Realworld app (online) and card deck (offline). Won't you try to find the culprit who killed Colonel Jang on a late night?

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Return after 7 years, the era of mystery opens again

Riding the wave of this mystery genre trend, JTBC's Crime Scene, which aired until 2017, will start airing again on TVING in 2024. It's a comeback after 7 years, and just like Arthur Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes in his novel then revived him after 7 years due to readers' demands, everyone is eagerly waiting for 'Crime Scene Returns.' The variety show 'Crime Scene Returns' that will breathe new life into the mystery market, and the completely new form of playable mystery game 'Realworld Clue' that has never existed before! We look forward to the major transformation of the mystery genre through these two branches.

We'll return next week with useful trends. Thank you!