Have you noticed that in the past two years, many old objects and scenes have emerged on social media, such as old-fashioned TVs and retro furniture, which make people feel warm and feel like they are returning to their childhood.

These nostalgic elements actually stem from a concept called "Chinese dream core". They use objects from our childhood to evoke memories and emotions of the past.

When it comes to memories, who in our generation doesn't have bits and pieces of childhood memories? For example, game consoles, kiosks, bookstores, and the chalk-painted "hopscotch" game, and the laughter on the way to school......

In this year's summer vacation, the national mobile game "Happy Match" moved these good times to the game, allowing hundreds of millions of users to relive that innocence and happiness.

Just looking at the data, it is enough to prove its popularity - the event topic "Happy Like Childhood" has exceeded 400 million Weibo readers, and Douyin has nearly 100 million views. What's more worth mentioning is that in the highly competitive iOS best-selling list, "Happy Match" also stood out and successfully ranked among the top.

So, what exactly made Happy Match a success? Next, the author will give you an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind this.

Use the key of childhood to knock on the door of happiness

Despite the variety of gaming activities on the market, there are not many that can resonate with players because of a certain emotion. However, in this year's Happy Elimination Festival, players have unabashedly shared their emotions and talked about those beautiful childhood memories on platforms such as Douyin, Weibo, TapTap community, and the official player community. We have also witnessed countless warm and touching moments.

For example, when many players glimpse familiar childhood scenes in the game, or hear "Happy Like Childhood" adapted from the classic song "Childhood", they can't help but recall that childhood time that was unique to them, and deeply immerse themselves in that "childhood happiness".

A netizen said, "When I was in elementary school, every day after school, the school's loudspeaker played this song", and some netizens "woke up suddenly" after watching the MV of the adapted song a few times: Today's happiness in returning to childhood is given by happy elimination.......

As adults, although we have faded away from immaturity, we still have an innocent self hidden in the depths of our hearts. When you see a familiar childhood scene or hear a familiar nursery rhyme melody, it seems that you have instantly traveled back to that innocent childhood. We see that through this way of connecting the present and the past, "Happy Match" aims to awaken happiness and continue happiness, so that we can still perceive this pure happiness when we grow up.

Of course, while reminiscing about the happiness of childhood, there are also people who lament that "time flies". Looking back, "Happy Match" has become a part of my growth and cannot be separated.

One player said the portrayal of many old players: "Since the end of 13 years, Happy Pop has just come out, and I have played with feelings, and I have changed four mobile phones, and I am reluctant to uninstall it if the memory is not enough." Some netizens lamented that his father is a fan of "Happy Elimination": "My dad has been playing this for several years, almost since I started playing in the third or fourth grade of primary school, and I am still playing it." More netizens sighed, "Time flies so fast, so many years have passed unconsciously"......

Many old players took advantage of this elimination festival to express their feelings of "reluctance and can't let go" of "Happy Match". This is not only a testament to the charm of this product, but also to the fact that the game has become a part of the emotional sustenance of many players.

In the author's opinion, growing up means responsibility, and responsibility brings annoyance and stress. And the "carefree" self in childhood can "heal" the self when you grow up to a certain extent, which may be one of the meanings of the theme of this year's elimination festival with the theme of "happy like childhood".

Just as during the warm-up period of the elimination festival, some users were looking forward to the "Candy King" activity, because TA felt that "life is very bitter and needs a little sweetness", while another netizen empathized when he heard the lyrics of "Happy Like Childhood" "Who stole my smiling face", saying "It's too much in line with the current me, I hope I can get rid of this state as soon as possible"......

Although the emotions of each player are different at this year's Elimination Festival, the joy of returning to childhood is the same. We have seen that many players have given high praise to this elimination festival, and many users have returned to the game again because of the elimination festival to continue the journey of "rescuing the village chief". It has to be said that the design and gameplay of this year's elimination festival have touched many players, aroused their emotional resonance, evoked their childhood happiness, and deepened and continued their emotions for the game.

Breaking the conventions of casual games, the brand influence continues to soar

If you use a popular word to sum up the experience given to users by this year's elimination festival, "emotional value" should be the most appropriate - the good memories of childhood give players comfort and strength, so that players can understand that no matter how time passes, that innocent happiness is always in their hearts.

However, it is not easy for match-3 games to achieve such delicate emotional expression and emotional resonance. After all, compared to MMOs, MOBAs and other highly social, multi-scene games, match-3 games are more often a one-way play experience.

In fact, in the process of creating match-3 game IP, there has always been a problem: how to enhance users' sense of belonging to the product and deepen the emotional bond between users and products. In the author's opinion, this elimination festival event has undoubtedly set a textbook model for the industry. And all this stems from a decision it made in 2020 to hold a "self-made festival", or Happy Elimination Festival.

As we all know, before 2020, "self-made festivals" were more popular in medium-core games, and there are few cases in the casual game industry.

Now, after five consecutive editions, the Happy Elimination Festival has become a festival that players look forward to every summer. It brings players a full sense of ritual and belonging, and at the same time, it further enhances the depth and thickness of the game brand and expands the influence of IP.

In the author's opinion, on the one hand, the "self-made festival" has enriched the "thin" gameplay of match-3 games: from joining hands with Sister Lang Zhang Hanyun in 2020 to open the prelude to the elimination festival, to the 4 classic IP linkages of Shangmei Film in 2021, Dunhuang Feitian in 2022 and ancient myths and stories in 2023, and then to this year's "Happy Like Childhood", the festival themes are diverse, so that the game will last for a long time, and the gameplay and fun of the product have also been greatly improved.

On the other hand, the activities with different themes every year that are in line with the demands of current players have increased the topicality of the game and allowed the product to continue to break the circle: the first Sister Lang brought the topic of heat undoubtedly, and the next three sessions focused on telling Chinese stories, while spreading Chinese traditional culture, stimulating users' pride in Chinese elements.

In terms of data performance, it is more direct - since July 2020, "Happy Match" has been stable around the top 10 of the iOS free list all year round, proving its strong IP influence and vitality. The brilliant achievements have always been inseparable from the persistent and refined operation, and the "Happy Elimination Festival" and the continuous innovation of the content creativity behind it are undoubtedly a strong stroke in the operation process of the game.

Perhaps in the Chinese market, it is difficult for you to find a second "Happy Match" that is so evergreen and can be played with results. In the past many industry report data, it is often used as a pillar product to eliminate the track, and when practitioners talk about the development of the track, it is likely to be the first time to think of it, from which you can roughly know the track status of its products.

Judging from the current market competition, it is not easy to surpass "Happy Match" on the pure elimination track, not only because of the experience precipitation in research and operation, but also because of the continuous national diffusion of its brand.

As we mentioned at the beginning, the value of feelings is infinite, and it has also become a touch of affection in the hearts of many players over the years. This may be the foundation that supports the longevity of Happy Match, with new players constantly coming in, and some old players returning to the game after a short absence.

We have reason to believe that with the intensive cultivation of IP, "Happy Match" will continue to rejuvenate and become a classic in the hearts of new and old players.

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