Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - ‘Mole’s World’ game fuels nostalgia among Chinese

‘Mole’s World’ game fuels nostalgia among Chinese

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
A photo illustration shows a user playing the ‘Mole’s World’ game on a smartphone in Beijing. AFP

‘Mole’s World’ game fuels nostalgia among Chinese

A re-issue of one of Asia’s most beloved video games is taking the Chinese internet by storm 13 years after its original release, fuelling a wave of nostalgia among the country’s young adults.

The mobile version of “Mole’s World” has shot to the top of the free downloads on Apple’s app store and has also been downloaded millions of times on Android phones, boosting the share price of its maker by 25 percent in the week it was released.

First available for PCs in 2008, the farming simulation game features a round-faced creature with a clown nose who captured the attention of a generation of gamers a decade ago.

Players who once burrowed into Mole’s World as children are now adults who are showing their virtual farms to co-workers during office lunch breaks.

“I play it out of nostalgia for who I was when I played it back then,” said Zhao Yiping, a 24-year-old postgraduate student and long-time Mole fan.

The game’s popularity has given developer G-bits Network Technology’s Shanghai-listed stock a nearly 25 percent boost, pushing the company’s value to more than 41 billion yuan ($6.41 billion).

G-bits has marketed the relaunch of Mole’s World heavily to young adults, enlisting Chinese pop-punk band New Pants to play in a promotional video.

It is part of a wave of companies using nostalgia to sell products to young Chinese wanting an escape from the stress and uncertainty of adulthood.

Several 1990s-themed restaurants have sprung up in major cities and fresh interpretations of old-fashioned children’s snacks such as White Rabbit and Want-Want have been released.

Boosted by Covid-19 lockdowns, China’s online gaming industry raked in 279 billion yuan in 2020, according to the China Internet Network Information Centre.

Videos of players showing off their proud achievements in Mole’s World have received tens of thousands of views on Bilibili, China’s equivalent of YouTube.

The game is “definitely a way to decompress”, said Wang Jingwen, a 25-year-old Mole’s World fan.

“People born after the 90s are now the ones holding up society and face a lot of daily pressure studying or at work,” she said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one