The new China Social Games blog has a post that begs the question: Are Chinese more competitive than Westerners?
The Chinese government seeks a harmonious society. But it’s Facebook’s social games that are cooperative, while China’s closer resemble the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Of China’s top 10 social games, 9 feature competitive actions that hurt other players (see graphic); the one exception is Renren Restaurant, an exact copy of Playfish’s Restaurant City on Facebook. Of Facebook’s top 10 games, only 1 features competitive actions. Chinese players cherish intense competition.
The post has more details on the game actions, which include enslaving and humiliating friends, bombs in the hospital, and looting at the farm.
Mischief Accomplished: worms added to friend's farm
Why all the Schadenfreude, Stealing, and Status?
Three speculations as to why Chinese games are more competitive.
1) Chinese Education System
Are Chinese children hard-wired for competition at a young age? Do Chinese become accustomed, even fond, of the tools required to succeed in a hyper-competitive education system? Are social games a lifelong detox from the gaokao?
2) Culture
Though ambiguous and slippery, culture is often cited as a source of societal differences (and even geopolitics, in Samuel Huntington’s Clash of the Civilizations) But real-life crime rates, including theft, are not notably higher appear in China (though harsher punishments and lackadaisical reporting muddle the issue). So why should they be in social games? Luxury goods, booming in China, help make the case that status is especially important in Chinese culture.
Nasty actions in the Wonder Hospital game
3) Specific to Social Games
Perhaps Chinese are more apt to add “friends” on social networks, even if there’s no close personal relationship. That could lead to fewer reservations about stealing from your “friends.” China’s prolific online friendships are evidenced by the finding that Chinese have more online than offline friends. Or perhaps Chinese netizens simply have a better sense of humor than Westerners when it comes to the value of virtual goods.
The new China Social Games Blog
China Social Games is a blog dedicated to tracking the hottest games, networks, and trends. Though already wildly popular in China (and on Facebook), social gaming is still in its infancy. Games are just starting to become truly social, so the China market is evolving, innovative, and yes, extremely competitive. China Social Games offer up-to-the-minute coverage as the market grows, consolidates, and Western players enter.
Our latest guest posts:
- TechCrunch: China To Police Social Games
- VentureBeat: China’s growing addiction: online farming games
- VentureBeat: The year it exploded: 10 hottest Chinese social games of 2009
China Social Games is brought to you by the BloggerInsight team, regular contributors to CNReviews. Follow @CNsocialgames on Twitter.
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Congrats on opening your new blog at ChinaSocialGames.com!
I’m interested in understanding better the effect of the education system on competition in games and in the workplace. Is it true that there are less collaborative projects and team sports in Chinese education and that affects how people behave in the workplace and then in social games?
I also think the nature of “friending” strangers in Chinese social networks seems like a likely cause for more stealing and competitive behavior. Interesting theories!
Thanks Elliott!
I must say I’m far from an expert on the Chinese education system, but hoped to spark a conversation with my anecdotal observations.
Also, I think I’ve adopted the competitive spirit myself. I find those interactions to be the best part of social games! By comparison, the social interaction in Facebook games is benign and boring.
I have more online “friends” than offline, if I met someone just once I’ll accept a friend request on FB. I dunno if that (online friends>offline) is exclusively a Chinese netizen trait. Also, are you implying that “Schadenfreude, Stealing, and Status” are inherent in competition?
China and its seedy, leacherous expats will burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn!
Contrarian Investor Sees Economic Crash in China
I have found that in Gaming, much like the Internet, that the “ID” is allowed to run free. However, there is a vector that is coming into play that may affect gamers in P.R. China – in terms of availbility of North American/European games. The porn industry in the U.S. crying foul over lost revenue to gaming, and are trying to convince local, state, and federal governments that gaming is “worse” than porn. I know, it is a laugh to see Ron Jeremy, Belladonna, or anyone else in the skin trade talking like this is the end of ages – but it is something to keep an eye on. The CCP folks in Beijing are always looking for fresh excuses generated from North American and European governments to curtain something that can be deemed “disharmonous” in the long run:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8453043.stm – Ron Screams Foul
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-10/top-5-reasons-porn-for-profit-is-dying/ – Belladona screams Unfair