This Week in China: Kids Spend the Darndest Things

This week in China, we learn that some problems are universal – like kids spending an absurd amount of money through in-app purchases. We also see how some developers are working with companies to customize games, get a glimpse of an upcoming mobile racer, and finally hear the word “Foxconn” in a context that has nothing to do with Apple. Probably.

As always, this week’s Chinese news is brought to Gamezebo courtesy of our friends in Beijing at Laohu.com. If you’re looking for a more regular glimpse of gaming life in China (and happen to speak the lingo), be sure to check them out!

Three screenshots of Tencent’s Wechat game Everyday Racing (????) made their way to the internet this week. Tencent is expected to launch the game in late November. Everyday Racing is said to simulate real-word scenes and include multiple vehicles, and that the gameplay should feel a bit like Road Rash. (Laohu.com)

A 5-year-old accidentally topped up his Everyday Parkour (????) account 14 times in three days, spending a total of ¥1,400. Media reports said the child was able to top up in the Wechat game because the app provides auto-completion of CAPTCHA, enabling players to pay without CAPTCHA verification. (Laohu.com)

On November 4, mobile networking platform Momo launched its first mobile game Momo Bubble Rabbit (?????), a tile-matching game already available on Android. Com2uS, a Korean mobile game developer, customized the game for Momo by adding a number of Momo elements. For example, the character “Bubble Rabbit” takes the form of Tuta, the avatar of a popular emoticon series in Momo. (Laohu.com)

According to Taiwanese media, Foxconn announced that it would launched its first-ever mobile game within six months, aiming at expansion into mobile gaming. Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai, will enter the gaming industry with its mainland partners. (Laohu.com)

Upcoming
January 29, 2014
The Mims: Beginning Preview
By Joe Jasko
Call me narcissistic, but sometimes it just feels so good to be a god - in a godlike video game that is! For you see, the god life actually chose me, when a stray asteroid careened into a spaceship carrying a crew of funny-looking orange creatures called the Mims. When the Mims crash-landed on some foreign planets, I just happened to be watching, and the next thing you now, these guys start depending on me to get them home safe. It's just good for them that actually doing so is nothing short of a godlike great time!The Mims: Beginning has been in development over the past 18 months by the three-man studio of Squatting Penguins, and although the game is about 90% complete at the time of this writing, they've decided to turn to Indiegogo for one final push of crowdfunding support. I recently had a chance to go hands-on with an early beta build of the work in the progress, and I have to say there are plenty of reasons to donate to the Mims' ambitious (and adorable) adventures."From the moment you first boot up The Mims: Beginning, you'll immediately get a feel for the game's lighthearted sense of humor and whimsical island settings. The titular orange creatures are always a delight to behold, whether it's in their cutscene dialogue referring to the player as "you, behind the screen," or just from watching the little guys meander around the greenery and wildlife that make up the main game's terrain.Playing an all-powerful god to the Mims is certainly fun, but it's also a big responsibility. The game weaves a number of classic strategy mechanics into its gameplay, and the main items on your god itinerary are usually getting the Mims to build various structures and power sources to harvest more Bio Mass for further exploration and discoveries. The Bio Mass substance itself is derived from island fruit, which must first be planted and extracted by your little orange colonists.
News
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The latest Dice Duel update adds Dice Clubs to the addictive casual hit
By Marc Hewitt
Dice — aka Yahtzee, aka Yams, aka American Cheerio — is one of the simplest and most reliably enjoyable games in the world. All you need to play it is a piece of paper, something to write with, and five …

Jim Squires

Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.