PS: If you want to hear more of your voices, and want to receive more of your opinions, search for the WeChat public account "qdread" now and pay attention to it, and give more support to "The Story of the Great Ghost Slashing Commander Who Failed to Read a File"!

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of animated works of the original SocialGame. Starting with 2012's "Sengoku Smash Bros.", "Adventure Driland", "Absolute Defense Leviathan", "Wrath of Bahamut" and "Temporary Girlfriend" at the end of last year, and after entering 2015, there is also a high-profile work such as "Fleet Collection". So why has this kind of social game been so popular in the past two years, setting off a boom in animation?

◇Popular "high degree of freedom"

In Japan, the definition of social gaming is rather ambiguous. Browser games on PCs, APP games on smartphones, etc., as long as there is a network server that allows people to feel the elements of social in the game, and attracts players through the characteristics of free basic play, and some of the fees are used to complete commercial purposes, such a game can be called a social game (note: this is not the same as the so-called "social game" in China). Therefore, some people have thought that APP games that can complete all the basic processing of games on the mobile phone should be distinguished, but the reality is that most people currently think that "social games = mobile games & web games" (such as the mobile game "Temporary Girlfriend", the web game "Fleet Collection"), we will not delve into this topic this time.

Social games have a principled characteristic, and there is no fixed plot in the game. There is no need for a "protagonist" in a social game that relies on the player's psychology of "collecting more powerful characters (cards)" to develop commercial purposes. Therefore, the plot of this kind of work will also be very open when it is animated, and such a high degree of freedom is very welcome by the animation producer, and it can also increase the enthusiasm of the animation staff from the side.

◇A high amount of development money has been used to help animate

That being said, social game animation has only suddenly become active in the last two or three years. In the early days of social gaming, even among the most popular titles, "Monster Thief Royal" was the only one that was dramatized in 2011. Why did you abandon cheap and convenient "advertising" and instead choose the expensive and complex "TV production" as a way of publicity?

This brings us to the transition issues faced by social games in recent years, among which the high cost and longevity of the work are the most critical factors. First of all, the cost of social game development is much higher today than it was in the early days. In the second half of the 2000s, the development cost of a social game was about 10 million yen, and the basic game framework could be completed in a few days. At the same time, it is extremely cheap and cost-effective compared with handheld games that cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the development cycle is calculated on an annual basis, and if you don't succeed, you will become a beneficiary.

◇It has a good compatibility with TV animation

However, as of 2015, it is not uncommon for social games to cost hundreds of millions of yen to develop, and games from large companies can even reach 500 million yen. And the mobile terminal has also changed from a small-screen Japanese-style mobile phone to a large-screen smartphone. In smartphone games, which have the characteristics of rich performance, manufacturers have added luxurious CG, music and other content to "fight for money". In addition, social games are different from traditional video games in that they do not have an "end point". While a traditional video game is fully produced and only needs to be released to make a profit, social games require regular events and new elements added to the game, all of which cost money. In order to make more players happy, operators have to rack their brains to get some of them to pay a lot of money.

Such a business model coincides with TV animation. Fundamentally, TV animation is based on free viewing to increase popularity, and if it gains popularity, it can make money by selling Blu-ray discs and merchandise in large quantities. It has many similarities with the business model of social gaming. Therefore, we can think that the compatibility between social games and TV animation is very good, and in the context of high costs, TV animation of social games has become a "new" and "cheap" road.

In addition, the large increase in costs directly leads to a relatively long operation cycle for social games to recover these costs, and "longevity" has become a problem that has to be faced. As we all know, making an animation requires a series of tedious and complicated steps such as planning, setting, and storyboarding, and it often takes more than half a year to prepare for it, and most works take 1~2 years until they start broadcasting. And this long cycle is exactly in line with the "longevity" goal that social gaming needs. For example, Wrath of Bahamut began airing last October, and the original game had been in operation for almost three years at that time. Compared to console/handheld games that "end at the end of the release", social games that "only start at the beginning of the release" can extend the life cycle of the work, which has also become one of the indispensable benefits of animation.

◇I look at the development of the world

The meaning of the word "animation" is extraordinary, and the relationship between social gaming and animation is even more diverse. Beautiful girl card games such as "Warring States Smash Bros." and "Temporary Girlfriend" are the animations of the original works and are placed in the male-to-beautiful girl animation file late at night, and the audience is obviously the same. On the other hand, "Adventure Driland" shifts the target from the elderly group based on the premise of school fees to the younger children, and the vision is quite broad.

At present, the most high-profile social game animations in the industry are none other than "Wrath of Bahamut" and "Armada Collection". The former's success with its quality of art and huge budget was impressed by the quality of the production, but even in Japan, "Wrath of Bahamut" has made a name for itself around the world. Games and animations, both of which currently have the intention of "entering the world".

"Fleet Collection" is the same as "Raid on the Witch" and "The Girl and the Chariot", which is positioned as a "weapon beautiful girl animation", and the work personifies the real warship and depicts the activity of the ship's girls. Although the theme of Armada Collection is sensitive, it has attracted many viewers who have not played the original game through the guò animation format, which further boosts the popularity of the original game. It's not too much to say that the "helm" of this work may become a "compass" that will sweetly accompany social games and animation in the future. (Duogen Qing History) (My novel "The Tale of the Great Ghost Slashing Warrior Who Failed to Read a File" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there will also be a 100% lottery gift for everyone!) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner to "add friends", search for the official account "qdread" and follow, hurry up! )