Jubensha

Jubensha (Chinese: 剧本杀), also known as script murder games, or simply script games (as many have evolved far beyond initial murder mysteries), are a Chinese genre of live action role-playing (LARP) murder mystery game, similar to what's known as "Parlour LARP". This genre became popular in China in the late 2010s and has been described as a "mix of Cluedo, Werewolf and LARP".

Format

Typically, script murder games can be experienced as a tabletop game, or in a format that combines live action role-playing (LARP) with an escape room experience. Players are given different script options and are assigned characters to play through the murder mystery; these games often occur at dedicated gaming stores where players pay to participate. Games often unfold in three to five hourlong sessions with four to twelve players.

The market for the genre is highly "fragmented and complex, with per-person prices for a game ranging from tens to thousands of yuan (a few dollars to hundreds of dollars). High-quality scripts are expensive; piracy and market infringement run rampant; and ultra-low-priced scripts are everywhere".

History

Academic Yuqiao Liu, in the International Journal of Role-Playing, noted that script murder games initially originated in the West with games, such as Death Wears White in 2013, that were translated into Chinese. The genre "grew rapidly in China's role-playing game market" and the term jubensha (lit. 'scripted murder') was coined then. The style become popularized in 2015 "when reality shows with names like 'Lying Man,' 'Dinner Party Seduction,' and later 'Who's The Murderer,' showed celebrities playing whodunits" which led to the development of jubensha clubs that run games in this style. Jubensha scholar Rouyu Wen of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Uppsala University stated that "while live-action roleplaying games are often a niche phenomenon in the West, it is almost as mainstream as digital games in China".

The New York Times reported that in 2021 "the number of scripted murder enterprises registered in China totaled about 6,500, a more than 60% increase from the prior year, according to state-run media". The Agence France-Presse reported that "the live action murder mystery market appears to have captured the imagination of China's urban youth before the Covid-19 pandemic emerged". During the COVID-19 pandemic, "Murder Mystery Game" (MMG) apps allowed people to play jubensha digitally and were "available to millions of people across" China. Dicebreaker reported that following the easing of pandemic restrictions in China, more than 45,000 jubensha shops opened with "nearly 10 million active players. It is estimated that soon the Jubensha market will reach 23.89 billion Chinese Yuan". Voice of America commented that, per the Chinese market research firm iResearch, script murder games are "the third most popular form of entertainment for Chinese people, after watching movies and participating in sports". Liu noted that, per a 2021 report on physical jubensha consumers in China, nearly 75% of them were under 30, and over 60 percent of players took part in two or more jubensha games per month. Vogue Business viewed the success of the "substantial market" as "based on high-quality content" and young people with a "huge appetite for suspense-driven interactive narratives where the players themselves take control". In 2022, jubensha venues in Singapore began to expand with scripts that originated in China; these games are either run in Chinese or with scripts translated into English.

Regulation

The popularization of script murder games and industry growth in China has led to both national and governmental attention with the Chinese government considering formal regulation of the industry. In September 2020, the Agence France-Presse commented that "a report on China National Radio last month voiced fears that too many of the scripts relied on murders, violent plots and sexual content, but others see the games as a way to get young people off their smartphones and back interacting with each other in real life". In October 2021, the South China Morning Post reported that "advertisements for script-killing are prominent in China. [...] The fact that it is a new industry is precisely the problem in the eyes of the authorities. Since the Covid-19 case that brought 'script-killing' to national attention, the game has been getting mainstream traction, inviting official concerns and possible future regulations".

In October 2022, Polygon commented that Chinese "regulators are beginning to take notice of the genre's mature content. A story published Wednesday indicates that municipal and provincial authorities have now begun regulating content and demanding that some retailers remove certain materials from sale. [...] As a result, some store owners are now curating their selection to fall in line with government regulation". Shanghai became the first city in mainland China to regulate LARP murder mystery games in 2022. The Shanghai Public Security Bureau has since arrested jubensha operators who committed intellectual property violations with pirated scripts. China Daily, a publication owned by the Chinese Communist Party, reported in April 2023 that China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism was beginning to draft regulations for script murder games and "soliciting public opinions". The draft regulations state that "the contents of such games must not smear the traditional Chinese culture or contain inappropriate materials involving obscenity, gambling, drugs, and other elements that could go against moral standards". The regulations also include additional rules for minors such as not allowing "underage customers on school days" and that "children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by their parents or other guardians".