A new type of game is becoming popular in the world of young people: dozens of people get together, choose "cat" and "mouse", collectively open their phones to share their location, and then stage a game of "hide and seek" in which you hide and you chase me.
This new game, which first appeared on some university campuses earlier this year, has quietly become popular in major cities across the country.
Image from the web infographic
Activity enthusiasts said the game "not only exercises to lose weight, but also immerses in the joy of childhood hide-and-seek and release the stress of life." But some netizens are worried about the security behind it. Recently, a number of parks in Chengdu said in an interview that everyone is welcome to play in the park, but they need to pay attention to safety, and the park will also strengthen safety services.
· Experience · Through the WeChat group organization, I played a game and ran 10,000 stepsOpening Douyin and Xiaohongshu, searching for "offline peek-a-boo", the reporter found several "hide-a-boo" WeChat groups in Chengdu. On September 10, according to the activity notice sent by one of the group owners, the reporter participated in the shared location peek-a-boo event held in Jincheng Lake that night.
At 19:30, the reporter arrived at the meeting place near the Jincheng Avenue subway station, and at this time nearly 50 people had arrived, all young people in their twenties and thirties. A table was placed in the middle of the crowd, with QR codes, mineral water, flower water, fluorescent bracelets, etc. on it, and the group leader Xiaohuang sat at the table.
After scanning the code to pay 19.9 yuan, the reporter joined the game.
Before the first game starts, the group owner announces the rules and reminds everyone to pay attention to safety, during which 5 people are selected to play "cat" and more than 40 people to play "mouse". Each person wears two fluorescent bracelets on their wrists to distinguish them from passers-by.
At 20 o'clock, the "rats" began to disperse deep into the park. After 10 minutes, the reporter playing "Cat" and several other "Cats" began to move, all sharing their locations in a group on the map of Gaode, collectively changing to the avatar of Tom Cat or Jerry Mouse. At this time, the "rats" were scattered in various positions within a radius of 600 meters, some huddling, and some hiding alone.
At first, the reporter huddled with several other "cats", but the "mice" on the map were always far apart; Then the reporter acted alone and successfully caught a "mouse" on the side of the road who forgot to look at the shared location. In order to improve the efficiency of catching "rats", the reporter discussed a round-up plan with another "cat" and successfully outflanked a "mouse" on a small road. For each "mouse" caught, the "mouse" must hand over a bracelet and join the "cat" camp to catch other "mice". In the end, the one who won the most fluorescent bracelets was "Elvis", and the one who hid last was "Rat King".
After a round of play, the reporter ran about 10,000 steps. The reporter of the second game did not participate, and followed the action of a team of "mice" throughout the game, in which they were once scattered by the "cat" and fled in all directions; Occasionally "cats" will lie about being "mice" and try to approach them; There is also a "mouse" pretending to be a "cat" and blending into the "cat" camp in a chaotic pursuit. The reporter saw that this group of young people who had never known each other quickly mingled, and some of them still sang together.
The game ended at 21:40, and Elvis Presley was a sturdy guy who ran the whole time to catch "mice". At the end of the first inning, he ran about 5 kilometers, adding up the two rounds to collect more than 30 fluorescent bracelets.
· Traceability · Originally on university campuses, it is now popular in more than 50 citiesWhere the game originated is difficult to verify.
The reporter inquired on Douyin, Xiaohongshu, B station and other platforms and found that the earliest records appeared in February this year, starting on some university campuses. Douyin blogger @sour yogurt released the first video about sharing location peek-a-boo on February 11 this year, with more than 30 million views. Videos of some participants hiding in sewers and in the grass went viral on the Internet.
Half a year later, the gameplay has been continuously iterated, expanding from the original 5-player game to now allowing hundreds of people who have never known each other to play together; From sharing location on WeChat to sharing location with map software now; A technology company in Zhengzhou has also developed a special app to serve players, with functions such as creating event rooms, setting activity ranges, and automatically assigning factions. Now, new gameplay such as "cat, mouse and dog triangle operation" and "villain mouse, stealth cat" has been iterated.
At the beginning of September, a new "peek-a-boo" game swept the country. By querying a number of social software and offline activity software, according to incomplete statistics, more than 50 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Rongyu, Suzhou and Hangzhou have appeared corresponding "peek-a-boo" communities and offline activities. In Chongqing Hong'en Temple Forest Park, Chengdu Huanhuaxi Park, Changsha Meixi Lake Park and other places, young people have also created a lively scene of hundreds of people "hiding cats and cats" together.
According to incomplete statistics, from mid-to-late September to the National Day holiday, more than 50 shared location peek-and-seek activities will be held in Chengdu, distributed in Jincheng Lake, Xinglong Lake, Qinglong Lake, Guixi Park, Huanhuaxi, Tazishan and other major parks. The organizer will provide game props, flower water, mineral water and other materials, and charge an entry fee ranging from a few yuan to tens of yuan.
· Statements · Easy socializing, releasing "dopamine"Why is shared location peek-a-boo a craze?
Ding Daoshi, a veteran Internet observer, said: "I just played this game, I am a 'cat'. He believes that a variety of factors triggered this craze. First of all, people are "social animals", people's learning, work, and entertainment often have a group nature, and sharing a location is in line with human nature; Second, in the post-pandemic era, this is the release of people's social-emotional needs and the ability to exercise. In essence, social games - social in front and games in the back, are more sociable than gameplay, "only by clarifying this principle can you understand why this type of game is popular."
Nie Xiaojing, a psychologist at the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, believes that when people integrate into such activities with a game atmosphere, there is not much pressure, and (winning or losing) can be repeated, which is different from the unrepeatable state of real life, making it easy to participate in it.
Nie Xiaojing said that the sportiness of this game is also different from the regular exercise, which is more interesting, allowing people to complete the exercise unconsciously. In addition, the social attributes are particularly important, the participants have the initial commonalities, which are important interpersonal links that provide a sense of belonging, which is the first step in socializing; In the process of the game, each has its own tasks, and natural contact will occur in the process of completing the task, including verbal, physical, and even emotional, which is an important process to promote interpersonal relationships.
At the same time, the advancement of such relationships is accompanied by the pleasurable experience of dopamine secretion during exercise, which is more likely than interpersonal relationships in other occasions. The setting of "game + sports" also provides a "simple" background for interpersonal relationships, which will not make people feel too much about the complexity of real social interaction, make social interaction unburdened, and give people a feeling of innocence. "This game is a game that fits the 'human being' way."
"This game is very sweaty and makes new friends." Ms. Lian, a player from Inner Mongolia, said. Player Mr. Li also said that this game can not only exercise physical strength, but also "Infernal Affairs" battle of wits and courage.
· Park · Accommodating, but please be safeSome event conveners claimed that the game "can not only exercise weight loss, but also immerse yourself in the joy of childhood hide-and-seek and release the stress of life." But many organizers and netizens stressed that do not chase in places with complicated terrain, avoid falling into the water or falling from a height, and do not leave the park, run out of the activity area, etc.
Indeed, although sharing location hide-and-seek cats is fun, there are objectively certain security risks because they have to chase each other. Activities such as "bare hand bridge climbing" that have sprung up in Beijing and other places this year have attracted many enthusiasts to participate, but also raised safety questions. Although peek-a-boo games are much less risky than the aforementioned activities, accidents can occur during the chase.
So what is the attitude of the park side? In this regard, the reporter consulted Chengdu Tianfu Greenway Group (Jincheng Lake manager), Xinglong Lake Community Residents' Committee of Xinglong Street, Tianfu New Area, Huanhuaxi Park manager and other relevant staff. They welcome young people to play and play sports in the park, and the park needs the vitality of young people. But also remind everyone to pay attention to safety, abide by the park's regulations, and cooperate with the service and management of park staff, such as do not play near the water, do not play in places where motor vehicles pass, do not climb trees, do not play too late, pay attention to avoid pedestrians, etc.
(Chengdu Business Daily Red Star News reporter Wang Tuo)