First overseas foray for WhatsApp-based game started during pandemic
Lim Yee Hung (right) and Hayden Hape, of Ngati Kahungunu ki Tamaki-nui-a-Rua, which represents the Ngati Kahungunu people in the Tararua District, near the south-east corner of New Zealand’s North Island, and advocates for the interests of the community. Photo credit: Hidden
Former journalist and data scientist, Lim Yee Hung, was twiddling his thumbs during the pandemic (like all of us) when during Singapore’s so-called “Circuit Breaker” – the period when people were asked to stay home and be socially-distanced when they could go out – he had an idea for a socially-distanced experience.
“I have always been interested in tech, so I taught myself coding, and built a game in the style of a chatbot,” said the Singaporean, who was a reporter for Digital Life, and had worked in the UK as a data scientist.
He and co-founder and school buddy Loh Jun Wei launched “Hidden” in 2022. “It’s a mix of storytelling and gamification, we make it interesting so people want to play the game,” he said. “It went viral really quickly.”
Since then, the game, priced at $S$29.90 per person, has attracted more than 40,000 players in Singapore and is played by 10,000 people a month, said Lim. The self-guided game format uses WhatsApp messages and an Artificial Intelligence chatbot to take players on journeys to find hidden gems in Singapore’s local neighbourhoods, not often visited by visitors, such as Dakota and Toa Payoh.
In each game, players solve a trail of clues around an area on foot. Clues are delivered via WhatsApp and a player who successfully solves each clue gets to unlock hidden secrets and the next clue.
And now Hidden will be making its debut in New Zealand, following an agreement Lim has struck for a S$1 million investment from Ngati Kahungunu ki Tamaki-nui-a-Rua, which represents one of New Zealand’s largest Maori tribes. Hidden will establish an office in New Zealand and hire a local team to create games that weave Maori stories into the country’s landscapes.
Speaking to WiT, Lim said, “I started Hidden to tell the hidden stories of Singapore. There is too much information these days and I wanted to find a way to share stories and have people enjoy it too – so I thought of a vehicle that would make people listen and be engaged.
“I didn’t focus on the tech, it’s not that tech-heavy, really. I focused more on the stories and the gaming. I did lots of research to craft the stories. Living in the UK, I also learnt how important it is to have an understanding of who you are, where you are and what it means to have an identity – what it means to be Singaporean.”
For example, he said, “Few people knew that Holland Village was built on sacred ground for the Chinese. They exhumed 3,000 bodies and stuck them in a tiny plot next to a HDB (Housing Development Board) estate, and now it’s a nightlife spot. People think of Holland Village as a place where “ang mohs” (Westerners) go to drink. If this had happened in another place, there would be an uproar but here, people didn’t draw the link. Our ancestors gracefully made way for us to have fun.
“The stories in Hidden add depth and identity to who we are.”
New Zealand is the first overseas foray for Hidden. Lim said he was interested in New Zealand because “it is a small country as well and the Maoris are the world’s best storytellers”.
“I went there for a research trip and happened to be lucky enough to meet a Maori chief and we got on well, it was a good feeling, and we thought it would make a fantastic combination – their storytelling and our tech,” he told WiT. “We are just the platform on which their stories can be hosted, that can be delivered locally and worldwide. So think of it as we are the code and they are the content.”
Ngati Kahungunu ki Tamaki-nui-a-Rua represents the Ngati Kahungunu people in the Tararua District, near the south-east corner of New Zealand’s North Island, and advocates for the interests of the community. Hayden Hape, chair of the tribe authority, told The Straits Times in this article: “People will be able to guide themselves and see the underlying stories of our history through Hidden Aotearoa… We have a beautiful, rich history that goes right back to Taiwan. We believe that we originated from Taiwan.”
The game, to be called Hidden Aotearoa, will guide players through “landscapes imbued with Maori heritage. They might even explore whakapapa (genealogy), or the spirit of kotahitanga, which emphasises unity and togetherness.”
As part of the investment deal, the New Zealand partner will receive equity in Hidden and hold a director position in the Singapore company’s board of directors.
The plan in New Zealand is to introduce the game not only to locals but to tourists who can, on arrival in Auckland, scan a QR code and join the game on WhatsApp and be guided on trips to Wellington.
In Singapore, Lim said Hidden was now played mainly by locals. “It was built for a Singaporean audience. It was difficult to get traction at the beginning, maybe the first two months, we tested it with a few people but I think if you have a good product, it’s easier to get the traction and adoption. We spent no money on marketing.”
He said the game is now played by 10,000 people a month.
He’s now in talks with Singapore Tourism Board to see how Hidden can be pitched at tour groups. As for international expansion, he’s looking at Perth or London.
