Script Kill: The Industry of "Game of Life"
China News Weekly reporter/Zhao Yiwei
Published in the 988th issue of China News Weekly on March 22, 2020
In a 4-hour script killing, you can become an ancient prince, a spy of the Republic of China, a superpower who can travel through time and space or possess magic. You can be in a murder or event puzzle, and follow the investigation and reasoning. The mission line, experience different life experiences.
Script-killing games aimed at young people are becoming a soaring category in the offline social entertainment market.
This is a new cultural and creative product that originated from a real-life game in the UK. It provides audiences with an immersive experience through virtual story scenes such as text scripts, host guidance, and scene building.
Beginning in 2016, Script Killing started from a board game with scripted gameplay, and gradually iterated into a professional scripted game experience pavilion. The game context has also evolved from a single murderer and hunter to a diversified plot game, attracting A large number of young people who are tired of KTV and bars.
In the next 4 years, script kill and escape room gradually carried the banner of offline social games.
The epidemic has further accelerated the expansion of the script killing market.
Beginning in 2020, offline script-killing stores have increased dramatically. The number of stores nationwide has surged from 2,400 at the beginning of the year to 30,000 at the end of the year. The total number of players has exceeded 50 million, and the estimated market size has exceeded 10 billion yuan.
Not only offline, but during the Spring Festival this year, the head script-killing app "I am Mystery" ushered in an outbreak of users, and the server was on the verge of collapse, even overwhelming the limelight of the once social game overlord "Werewolf".
The script killed the fire and ignited a new wave of entrepreneurship.
With the rapid growth of offline stores, related script writers, distributors, decorators, and prop clothing dealers have followed up. The industry chain dedicated to script killing has begun to take shape, waiting for the continued expansion of the market.
“Nowadays, script killing has become a trend, but not everyone on the trend can make money.” The person in charge of a well-known script killing chain brand told China News Weekly, “The current domestic script killing industry is still very young, and the industry threshold The competition is very disorderly. There are many cases of blindly opening stores and three-month bankruptcy. At this stage, you need to be cautious when you enter the industry. It is impossible to make a profit."
Script demand exploded
The first to perceive market changes is the writer of the script kill.
Since October last year, a script-killing author exchange group established by the group leader Wang Sansan has rapidly expanded from 0 to nearly 500 people, half of which are born in the 90s and one third are born in the 00s.
Wang Sansan told China News Weekly that most of these script writers were written online novels and self-media copywriters. There were also students and office workers who wrote part-time writers. Some early authors or authors who wrote representative works have already obtained them. Full-time signing, the income is much higher than that of ordinary authors.
The direct reason for the growth of the author community is the explosion of demand in the script-killing market.
Due to the plot characteristics of the script-killing game, players with a script usually only play it once. Even if it is a script with multiple branches and multiple endings, the probability of the player's second brush is very low.
Therefore, with the development of the script-killing industry, the market has increasingly strong demand for new scripts. It is far from enough to rely solely on the output of the former "handful" of script-killing authors.
According to the creation and distribution process of the script, the author usually creates a script and submits it to the editor or producer for evaluation and modification. Then the script maker organizes the test, gives feedback and revises, and the final version is printed and sold by the publisher.
In terms of revenue settlement, authors can get a share of 20%-50% of sales. The revenue of a specific script is determined by the script's level, author's reputation, and sales.
According to Wang Sansan, there are currently three types of script sales on the market: exclusive books (one city has only one authorized quota), city-limited books (one city has three authorized places), boxed books (unlimited authorized places, As long as you want to buy, you can buy it).
The quality requirements of the three kinds of scripts are different. The exclusive version is higher than the city limit version and higher than the boxed version, and the corresponding price is also different. Usually the boxed version is priced at about 500 yuan, the city limited version is about 2,000 yuan, and the exclusive version starts from 5,000. It ranges from yuan to 20,000 yuan.
Writing a script is not an easy task.
The 28-year-old script killer Jiang Yu has written for half a year, and there is only one script that has actually entered the market, and it was sent out through online platform submissions.
In reality, Jiangyu is an employee of a state-owned enterprise. After finishing his nine-to-five work every day, he will spare part of his spare time to write scripts. In addition to this published script, two other scripts are being put on hold and reworked.
"Script-killing writing particularly needs interest support, because the income is not expected, and the writing process is also very hard. It is very difficult for a newcomer to even write a boxed book. Even if a boxed book is written by a publisher, Except for very few popular scripts that can sell 1,000 copies, the sales of ordinary boxed scripts range from tens to hundreds, and there is no fixed income for authors." Jiang Yu calculated an account with China News Weekly. A boxed book sells for 500 yuan, and the author is divided into three as examples. The ordinary boxed book sells 200 copies and the sales volume is 100,000 yuan, and the author can get 30,000 yuan.
In fact, some people can make hundreds of thousands of writing a script, and most people can't make even 10,000 when writing a script. If there is no publisher willing to cooperate, the income of submissions to online platforms is also very low, on average 1,000. Yuan~2000 Yuan.
Even the script creation process that is not profitable is very hard. The most conventional six-person boxed version has at least 5000 words for each character script and at least 3000 words for design clues, plus the host’s manual, etc. The total number of words created is at least 40,000 words.
In an ideal situation, if you create 2 to 3 hours a day, the first draft writing process is 3 to 4 weeks, and subsequent revisions and re-creation will also take 3 to 4 weeks. The final production cycle of a script is 3 to 4 months.
For novices or part-time authors, it is commonplace for submissions to be killed, repeated revisions and damages. The production cycle is as short as 2 to 3 months, and as long as one and a half years.
"Full-time scripts kill authors, none of them are not straight-haired writing." Shen Nian, a 26-year-old full-time author, told China News Weekly. At the fastest time, he spends more than 7 hours of intense writing a day and writes in a week. A script, even if the entire process goes through smoothly, it will take more than one month for the script to be released.
"Because the script killer circle is chaotic, and there is no special supervision, some writers specifically plagiarize the explosive books, destroying the ecology of the entire circle." Shen Nian said, "Change your personal name, change location, and directly copy the most energy-consuming The main storyline, tactics, and motives are copied out and sold by another publisher. This kind of script not only hurts the author’s circle, but also hurts stores and players, and the cost of rights protection is high."
Expanding industrial chain
As a new industry that emerged against the trend during the epidemic, Script Kill not only ushered in its own market expansion, but also led to the development of sub-categories in some other industries.
Around the script-killing game, a series of specialized businesses such as creation, packaging, publicity and distribution, shop guidance, professional decoration, personnel training, and costume props have been derived.
“In the past six months, a large number of newly opened script-killing shops have rescued many small decoration companies.” Gao Yun, a person in charge of a company specializing in script-killing decoration in Xi’an, told China News Weekly, “The decoration of script-killing shops is usually based on Type and theme. According to the type, it can be divided into real scene script kill and desktop script kill. A real-world theme room covers an area of 100-300 square meters, and a desktop theme room covers an area of 15-30 square meters. The decoration materials and decoration required for different themes The prices are different. The decoration cost per square meter ranges from 800 to 1,500 yuan. A medium-scale script kills a new store, and the initial decoration investment requires 200,000 to 400,000 yuan, which is much higher than the traditional board game bar."
Not only decoration, but if you want to create a scripted killing shop with an immersive experience, you also need to prepare corresponding costumes and props according to the theme to help players "get into the play" faster.
"In the past few years, many shops that supplied costumes to photo studios have begun to transform the supply of script-killing clothing." A Jiangsu company specializing in script-killing clothing supply told China News Weekly, “The most popular clothing in script-killing is mainly It is the ancient costume Hanfu, the cheongsam Chinese tunic suit of the Republic of China, and Japanese clothing. They have a great overlap with the costumes of the former photo studio, and the script killing shop has lower requirements for clothing, which is convenient for production. During the epidemic, many photo studios reduced the demand for clothing. Some style clothing suppliers’ orders are also supported by scripts."
In addition to hardware service providers, training institutions that provide professionals for the rapidly growing script-killing industry have also emerged.
There is a consensus in the script-killing industry: the game experience of a script-killing largely depends on the on-site performance of DM (Dungeon Master).
In a script killing, the role of DMs is very important. They are not only the host, but also serve as directors, referees, notaries and other identities. They play a very important role in the organization and integrity of the game. They are the script Kill the connected characters in the key plot of the game.
In the actual market, the salary range of DM in first-tier cities is between 4000 and 8000 yuan/month, which is also the highest paid position under the category of script killing.
"DM is not so much a host, as it is a qualified process controller + competent actor," the head of a Shanghai script killing operation and DM training organization told China News Weekly. "Many script killings are based on For cost considerations, we only cultivate DMs based on experience in our own store. There is neither strict screening nor professional guidance. The final results may not be satisfactory. The DM's on-site play will determine the player experience of a game with a high probability. If the quality of the DM is not good It will also affect the reputation and retention of this store."
In addition, like all cultural content products, script kills that are still in the early stages of development are also facing the problem of rampant piracy.
"Currently, the main script purchase channels include publishers, platforms, and city exhibitions. The exclusive or city-limited books for pre-sales can generally only be snapped up at the exhibition." A person in charge of a script killing company in Beijing told China News "The Weekly", "The problem of piracy in the script killing industry has always existed, especially in small stores and new stores in lower-tier cities. In order to reduce the cost of buying pirated scripts, a boxed script with a regular price of 500 yuan may be able to buy pirated versions for 100 yuan. However. , The printing quality of pirated scripts and the texture of the props are very poor, which can be easily distinguished by experienced players. In addition, many of the scripts that kill players are born after 95. They have a strong sense of copyright. Shops that often use pirated versions will also be looked down upon by players, and will have a long-term reputation. Not good."
Difficult to make money
In less than a year, whether in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, or in capital cities such as Guiyang, Xi'an, and Chengdu, the number of script-killing shops has doubled.
In the seemingly booming market, the first round of reshuffle has already begun.
"After the Spring Festival this year, the script killing shop ushered in the off-season, but the real script killing shop has a large area, high operating costs, low customer retention, and it is difficult to truly make a profit." Gu Yuan, the 28-year-old script killing shop owner, has already planned to make a profit. A script-killing shop in Shanghai’s Huangpu District was transferred. He told China News Weekly, “The shop was originally opened because there was a well-run secret room in the same building. , The effect is not as expected."
In fact, Gu Yuan’s script-killing shop has only been in operation for two months, including more than half a month’s test phase. Since it is a real-time evidence-searching secret room, the investment in the preliminary decoration facilities is large, but the business situation is not Desirable.
Gu Yuan calculated an account. The rent for a room of 120 square meters is 15,000 yuan/month, the decoration equipment costs more than 200,000 yuan, and the staff cost is 6,000 yuan/month. Based on the unit price of 268 yuan/person, 7 people per day are calculated. It needs to operate at least 15 games per month to barely make a profit.
The reality is that the prime time for scripts to kill shops in first-tier cities is only every Saturday and Sunday. It is very difficult to get two games on midweek and working days, and it is almost impossible to achieve the opening goal.
The same front-line script to kill the big city Beijing also faces such a dilemma.
A Beijing script-killing shopkeeper told China News Weekly that the main consumer group of script-killing is 15-35 years old, accounting for about 90%, most of whom are students or office workers, and they don’t have much free time in their spare time. Except for weekends and holidays, winter and summer vacations, most of the year is in the off-season.
During the summer vacation, one month's net profit can reach up to 40,000 yuan, but in the off-season, it is difficult to achieve monthly profit.
The same profit model is much easier in second- and third-tier cities.
In Guiyang, known as the "Script Capital", the rent of a script-killing shop in the same area is only 1/5 of Beijing's. Young people have a slower pace of life, more spare time, and higher disposable income. Good living soil.
"Except for weekends and holidays, rooms are often full during workdays, and monthly profitability under normal operations is not a big problem." A Guiyang script-killing shop owner told China News Weekly, "But now there are more and more new stores. The competition in the industry is getting fiercer, and some old stores’ decoration facilities are too late to be transformed, and new stores are robbed of customers. A year ago, there were only three or five script-killing stores in one area in Guiyang, and now there are nearly 20 stores. Up."
"It is no exaggeration to say that new stores are opening every day, and stores are on the verge of closing every day. Although the industry is still in its infancy, the first round of reshuffle has already begun." China News Weekly stated, “Especially in the first-tier cities after the epidemic, the recovery of passenger flow is poor. Now some stores can’t support it. We have contacted nearly 20 stores that want to transfer hosting. It is expected that in the future 1~ In 2 months, if the passenger flow cannot reach a high level, more stores with tight cash flow will close down."
China News Weekly, Issue 10, 2021
Statement: The publication of the "China News Weekly" manuscript is authorized in writing