The Game Supporting the Democratic Faction That Angered the Myanmar Military [New Series: Asia's Amazing Content]
Ludimus Inc.
Representative Sho Sato
Ludimus Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in helping content such as games, anime, and manga expand overseas. We specialize in emerging countries in Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. We have been informing Japanese companies about how local content markets and industries are developing and growing, including both the surface and underlying aspects.
In this series, I, the person in charge of games at our company, and Takumi Furusato, who is in charge of anime and manga, will serve as guides to share with you 'the current state of Asia's content industry.'
Recently, when I travel to Asia, I see people playing smartphone games in various situations. Posters for Chinese and Japanese anime and games are plastered around town, and it has become more common to see e-sports and cosplay events in shopping malls. On the other hand, e-sports and locally produced games and anime are also frequently discussed in local news.
It is not just people directly involved in content and media; politicians, religious figures, business conglomerates, and even military personnel or anti-establishment figures—people involved in the politics and economy of various Asian countries—are mentioning and even utilizing games and anime.
There are cases where content is used for social contribution, but there are also instances where it is used for crime and war. What is happening in Asia's content industry right now?
The Enemy is the Myanmar Military
Armed Organization as the Protagonist
Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has been a military regime governed by the State Administration Council (SAC), chaired by the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
After the coup, protests demanding democratization occurred frequently across the country, but the military suppressed them with hardline measures such as the use of live ammunition and arrests. Pro-democracy forces formed an organization called the National Unity Government and are in opposition to the military regime.
Under these circumstances, there is a game that was developed to support the Myanmar pro-democracy forces.
The game, developed by an organization called 'GZ Entertainment' centered around a single game creator, is named'War of Heroes - The PDF Game'.
PDF stands for 'People's Defence Force.' It refers to the People's Defence Force, an armed organization in which Myanmar's pro-democracy forces participate. In other words, it is a game where the pro-democracy forces themselves are the protagonists. In the game, players become members of the People's Defence Force and fight against the Myanmar military through various missions.
What is distinctive is that in this game, when players watch advertisements, they can obtain in-game items, and the system is set up so that the advertising revenue earned by the game developer can be provided to the pro-democracy forces.
It has over 500,000 downloads on Google Play, which suggests that it is being played by a considerable number of people for a mobile game from an emerging country that does not have a large budget.
The existence of this game seems to have been extremely troublesome for the Myanmar military regime.
In 2022, the Myanmar military government ordered fines for those who have this game installed on their smartphones and also ordered punishment for companies that place advertisements. In fact, it seems there is a risk that people who play this game could be arrested.
I also interviewed the developer of this game, but I communicated using highly anonymous online communication tools so as not to be tracked by the Myanmar military.
Recruitment Within Games
Asian Dark Part-time Jobs
Speaking of Myanmar, what has also become a topic in the Japanese media is the international special fraud case. News has been reported that many Japanese people have responded to recruitment for 'dark part-time jobs' in Japan, gone to international fraud bases in Myanmar, and are participating in special fraud.
While some were brought there forcibly, others seem to have come to make money. Amidst this, it has become clear that online games are being used as a primary tool for recruiting for these dark part-time jobs.
According to the National Police Agency, 89 children aged 17 or younger were involved in crimes through online games in 2023. The main titles are as follows.
'Knives Out' (China, NetEase) 37 people
'Identity V' (China, NetEase) 13 people
'Fortnite' (USA, Epic Games) 13 people
These games are popular among young people and are characterized by the ability to play cooperatively.
For example,'Knives Out' can be seen in Japan where people look for partners to play with using the hashtag '#WantToConnectWithPeoplePlayingKnivesOut' on the social media platform X. The tactic of becoming close through playing these online games and then suggesting participation in dark part-time jobs has already become common.
Of course, online game operating companies also seem to be taking measures such as suspending accounts used for illicit purposes. However, it is impossible for the management side to monitor all users in large-scale mobile games, and such incidents continue to occur one after another.
The tactic of using online games where one cooperates with unspecified others for criminal recruitment has been confirmed in reports by various governments to have been used by criminal organizations in Russia and Mexico since around 2020. Such cases are spreading to Asia, including Japan.
The Presence of Games
Influence on Society
As a result of being played by all kinds of people, games have gone beyond being merely an economic product to become an entity that influences politics and society.
Cases where games are used by people with various intentions, such as governments, the military, anti-establishment groups, or criminal organizations, are also increasing. There are cases where games created with the aim of having social influence spread, and there are also many cases where games that were not conscious of such things at all are used. It is expected that such cases will certainly spread along with the expansion of games.
The era when games were only for children ended long ago.
Regardless of whether you like games or not, or whether you play them or not, we have entered an era where we must face the works called games and the phenomenon of games, and think about how to use them and how to engage with them.
Sho Sato
Ludimus Inc. Representative, Founder & CEO
He has connections with game industry professionals in over 110 countries around the world and has strengths in researching game markets and industries, particularly in emerging countries. He is also the Secretary General of 'indie Game incubator (iGi),' Japan's first game incubator, and is involved as an advisor in 'Sofuu,' sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In 2024, he was appointed as the Chair of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). He has a track record of giving lectures in over 20 countries across six continents.
Ludimus Inc.
Official Website https://www.ludimus.co.jp/
X https://x.com/ludimusinc