The K-Pop industry is missing out on one of gaming’s biggest opportunities. Mind you, I’d be begging them to take my money if they made a game like this!
There’s something that’s been bothering me since I first got into K-pop all the way back in 2020, so naturally, I’m here to talk about it. Initially, I thought this would be a rant, but then I got deep into my concept creation bag, so…
I’m just going to jump right in because I have a lot to say: K-pop and gaming have intersected. Many times and in many ways, mostly through rhythm games, group-branded mobile apps, puzzle games, and management sims. However, the K-pop industry has never fully committed to creating a truly immersive, large-scale idol-life simulation experience despite K-pop being almost perfectly designed for it.
The genre already contains everything modern simulation games thrive on: customization, storytelling, relationship-building, progression systems, performance mechanics, fashion, fandom culture, competition, worldbuilding, social drama, luxury, and parasocial immersion.
So it feels really bizarre that such a massive entertainment industry has barely explored gaming beyond surface-level mobile experiences – especially when fans would likely obsess over a deep, open-ended idol simulator with life-sim, RPG, and interactive-story elements.
My eye begins twitching every time I think about it, which is why I’m writing this. Maybe if I finally vent about it, it won’t bother me as much.
Now, first of all, I’m not even that big of a gamer. I play one to two new games per year, maybe, and I tend to only game during the fall and winter months for whatever reason. I mostly play things I already know how to play because I’ve played them before: Dress to Impress, Telltale Walking Dead games, PUBG, the Episode games (nostalgia), and old Flash games from the 2000s (more nostalgia), mainly. I love interactive storytelling games – always have, since back in the Surviving High School days. Makes sense, since I’m a writer, I guess.
Anyway, I say all this just so you know, in case I don’t always have the correct words to convey my thoughts in this post (although, me and Google are locked TF in right now, so I’m hoping this’ll be a nice read).
I also mention it because I get the feeling that the kind of K-pop game I’m envisioning is probably too ambitious and beyond unrealistic. I know that. But am I going to fuss about it not existing anyway?
So, here we go! And don’t worry – I’ll talk about the logistics of it all later in the post, but for now…
Synopsis
I’d just like to say that there should be a massive K-pop idol game by now, and it’s upsetting me and my homegirls that there’s not. Actually, ideally, there should be two massive K-pop games by now – one where you can play as your favorite real-life idols and another where you can play as an original character. But both would function essentially the same way, and I’ll focus more on the latter in this post.
In this game, you should get to live as an idol from the trainee period through actual idol life. I envision the game genuinely having, like, a never-ending, lifelong playing potential because there’d be so much to do!
I’m talking about a game where you can train for years before debuting, compete on survival shows, build relationships with members and staff, perform at concerts, deal with scandals, navigate fan culture, decorate dorms, go on secret dates, create music and choreography, customize comeback concepts, explore open-world cities, and essentially live inside a fictional K-pop industry ecosystem that feels immersive, chaotic, emotional, and (of course) creative!
What We Have and What We Don’t
Before writing more about my game idea, I wanted to write about some K-pop games that already exist. I did my research and found some interesting games, but none really come that close to what I envision.
What We Have
BTS World
The closest existing game is BTS World…which doesn’t even exist anymore (and everyone who decided to shut that down is at the very tip-top of my hit list. It’s been years, and I’m still not over it. Roc Nation, you will crumble!)
Anyway.
BTS World is the closest in relationship-building, story choices, trainee/pre-debut fantasy, reputation/social interaction, idol schedules, and the texting/calls/story immersion I want to see. But it’s still VERY limited compared to my idea because (from what I can remember) there’s no open world, no actual performance gameplay, no real skill progression system(? Was there? It’s been years, I don’t remember), no life sim depth, no “live as an idol forever” structure, and it was mostly a visual novel/card game.
Girl Group Inc: Love Kpop Idol
I’ve never actually played this or the other games mentioned below, so I had to rely on Google, but from what I can understand, this is probably the most mechanically similar to my concept. Apparently, it includes everything from training idols, assigning positions, balancing schedules, and managing scandals to managing relationships/compatibility, promotions, budgeting, and even producing albums and managing companies. However, you don’t get to “live as” the idol, it’s not open world, immersive, or performance-focused, and it isn’t story-heavy. It’s mostly menu management.
K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut
This one includes scouting, schedules, styling, social media planning, idol management, and a debut system, but it’s from the manager’s perspective and isn’t an immersive celebrity life simulation
Idol Manager
This one isn’t K-pop; instead, it’s Japanese idol industry-inspired, but it’s very structurally close to what I imagine! It involves scandals, dating restrictions, fan backlash, idol burnout, media pressure, training, concerts, and even having to take care of your public image. Still…Not quite there, though.
The Idolmaster
Finally, this one has a lot of the same features, but it’s anime-style, not as realistic, and it’s less socially dynamic. Also, still no open world.
What We Don’t Have
With all that being said, I think it’s safe to conclude that the K-pop industry hasn’t really embraced immersive simulation gaming, idol-life RPGs, open-world/social gaming or, like, “live as an idol” fantasy gaming, and it should!
The majority of K-pop games right now are totally unrelated – rhythm games, card collection games, visual novels, puzzle games, fan service, and social games, etc. The closest things to my concept are actually Japanese idol sims + indie management games.
So, let’s discuss the game and gameplay I’ve been thinking about for years now, and would sell my right lung just to get!
Want to keep reading? You can find this post on Substack!
