Why "Boy General" video game is a hit in North Korea

• comments
• 
• 

North Korea is no longer living in the past as some people think. Millions of people in the country are already using products of technology, including mobile phones. They do not just use it for communicating. They also use it to have fun—to play games.

The Associated Press was able to take a glimpse of the hottest mobile game in North Korea today. This game is called "Boy General." It is a game based on the country's new and fun television animation series. It is said that the TV series is intended to win back the viewers who have their interest to the banned South Korean and Chinese TV series that are currently circulating in the region.

According to The Star, "Boy General" mobile game has a simple design and concept. A gamer can easily compare its map-like scenery to the "Minecraft" game.

With regard to the gameplay, it is interesting, especially if the player watches and follow its TV animation series. The player will have to do some missions for the purpose of defeating the enemies of the protagonist, the young General Swoeme.

Swoeme means "Iron Hammer." He is Koguryo kingdom's brave warrior-commander. He lasted for nearly 700 years and he was the ruler of the center of Manchuria and the majority of the Korean Peninsula until AD 668 when Manchuria supposedly faced its downfall.

Unlike the usual way that people from the rest of the world get or share their mobile game through App Store or the like, North Koreans do this by using Bluetooth.

CNBC reported that "Boy General" was first introduced in September 2015. It did not take long to be very popular, especially in Pyongyang, the heart of North Korea, where more people own a mobile phone and have more time and more money for leisure.

If the mobile game is a hit in North Korea, its TV animation series is much more popular! It returned to the face of television in August 2015. It airs every Sunday evening.

The "Boy General" TV show is said to be the reason why its mobile game is such a big hit. The TV series inspires North Koreans to be part of the TV series characters' adventure by playing the game. It serves as the "break" or the "fresh air" in North Korea's state-run TV that is packed with news programs and old propaganda movies. It is refreshing to the eyes of the North Koreans. It is also the answer to win back the interest and heart of those North Koreans who have been lured to the South Koreans and Chinese entertainment.