China gamers gripped by Hong Kong-themed ‘escape rooms’ which recreate iconic city scenes, gangster film plots, Cantopop legends
- Gamers in Beijing are flocking to online ‘escape rooms’ with iconic Hong Kong themes
- Players revel in immersive nature of rooms and say the way they mimic the city makes them want to visit one day
As the online “escape room” trend sweeps China, a new genre of Hong Kong-themed games has gripped the imagination of young adults in the country’s capital Beijing.
Called “Gang Feng Mi Shi“ in Chinese, the rooms not only showcase iconic cityscapes from districts and locations like Mong Kok, Nathan Road, and Lan Kwai Fong, they also incorporate plots inspired by Hong Kong gangster movies, traditional tea houses, and other cultural icons of the city.
Players say they experience “strong feelings of immersion” and a sensation of being “instantly transported to Hong Kong” in the rooms.
A prime example is the room “Cover The Sky With One Hand”.
Inspired by Hong Kong gangster films, the plot unfolds in the “Harbour City” in 1997 and revolves around two rival gangs vying for dominance and navigating their confrontations with the police.
Participants are secretly assigned roles in each of the rival gangs or the police force, and they must search for clues to find their teammates and collaborate to succeed as a team.
