▲ The logo of cyworld. Provided by Cyworld.

 

   
▲ The logo of Qplay. Provided by Qplay

Buddy Buddy, which was once the dominant messenger in Korea, ended its service in 2012. Even though it was the most influential messenger in the early 2000s, Buddy Buddy inevitably faced its end because of the plunge in users and profits. Cyworld and Qplay, which also enjoyed glory with Buddy Buddy in the 2000s, are encountering drastic change as well. In September, Cyworld ended part of the services that had been provided in Cyworld Minihomepy, and Qplay will only remain as part of history after 2015.

 

The history of Cyworld dates back to 1999. Since it launched the service, Cyworld has been loved by over 30 million users. Among various brands provided by Cyworld, the most representative service was the traditional version of social media, Cyworld Minihomepy. Unlike the social media of today, Minihomepy was rather similar to a blog, providing private space and information. Through the page, users could keep a diary. Friends, families, and acquaintances—so called neighbors—shared their daily lives.

 

   
▲ Cyworld Minihomepy, was the most representative SNS in 2000s. Provided by Cyworld.

Qplay is another star that came to birth in 1999. For 16 years, it had many firsts; one of them being the first online quiz game in the name of “Quiz Quiz.” Many people were crazy about the first online quiz game in Korea at that time. As its popularity soared, the game was even awarded the 1999 Korea Game Awards. Furthermore, it was the first game to introduce the purchase of game items. Many achievements of Qplay have made the game a monument of game history.

 

However, every tide must have its ebb—after they reached the summit of glory, it was settled that Cyworld Minihomepy and Qplay would transform or end their service this year. Cyworld Minihomepy said goodbye to the users and partly ended its service of neighbors comments, messages, and visitors' posts this September. Qplay also announced that the game was to close down by the end of 2015, naming the last day of the game as a graduation. Yet, it is not the permanent end like Buddy Buddy; rather, they are now preparing to make a greater leap forward.

 

   
▲ Among the quizzes provided in Qplay, typing game was loved by its users. Provided by Qplay.

Cyworld stood alone as a venture enterprise in 2014 and before then it was managed by SK Communications. Thanks to the company, Cyworld generated a vast amount of profit by selling items that had to be purchased with money. However, under the influence of the big company driven by profit, there were negative consequences. Kim DongWoon, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cyworld said, “After the merger with SK Communications, Cyworld became a monster, which had a complex, scattered organization with gigantic size. Also, we could not plan a long-term blueprint under the circumstance.” Moreover, this hindered Cyworld to keep up-to-date trends.

 

In this context, Cyworld transformed its brand Minihomepy to Cyhome in October, fundamentally reconstructing both back office systems and the online platform. Kim explained that a future-oriented change was an inevitable fate that befell Cyworld. He added, “Because of the systemic problem, Cyworld indicated a downward trend in its lifecycle.It was time to create a turning point. Thus, we determined to plan a futureoriented transformation.” The result is a more standardized, modern platform of Cyhome.

 

     
   
▲ The CEO of Cyworld, Kim DongWoon elaborated a Cyworld’s vision. Photographed by Lee Ji Hoon

The same goes for Qplay. It will also follow a future trend and consumers’ needs. Since many users already turned their backs to the Qplay, Nexon, the company that manages the game, made a bold decision to shift its strategy to focus on the rising market of mobile applications. Even though Qplay will not exist as a form of internet game anymore, Nexon will be likely to release a new mobile quiz game application which follows the motive of Qplay. Chances are that the game will change its name, but users can enjoy a basically similar game.

 

Although the new attempt does not mean closing down for good, users feel a great loss from the news. Gong Yu Min (’13, Geography Education) recalled. “When I was a teenage girl, Cyworld Minihomepy was the most influential network that connected one another, even more so than Facebook. I feel really sorry that it ended some services that held my memory.” Jeong Hee Won (’14, English Language Education) said, “When I was a big fan of Qplay, I used to spend all my vacation playing the game. I am deeply sad because of the news.” She added, “I guess that the mobile platform cannot deliver the exact experience as before.”

 

     
   
▲ Nexon plans to make new mobile quiz game.

These feelings of loss come from the emotional identification with the space and the game. The CEO of Cyworld, Kim DongWoon said, “As the internet technology develops, people immerse themselves in games or internet space. This identification has been a driving force of Cyworld. In particular, users regarded Minihomepy as their private space in reality and when there was a change, they tended to feel offended.” Similar to Cyworld, users relate their memory, which is a part of themselves, to Qplay, so that they feel a pang of loss from the closure of the game.

 

Therefore, it is the responsibility of the leavers to console users’ loss and keep their memory. Even though Cyworld reduced services due to difficulties of maintaining its data base, Cyhome aims to preserve Minihomepy’s major value, which is communication, by providing an open profile service based on the public DB. Kim stressed, “The memory should not be overwhelmed by economical profits. I think it is a public property. Moreover, a record of individual’s memory has to be open depending on a writer’s will.”In addition, to commemorate Qplay, Nexon will exhibit Qplay’s avatars and its history in the Nexon Museum.

 

   
▲ Cyworld drastically changes its interface. Provided by Cyworld.

The end is just another beginning. Although both Cyworld Minihompey and Qplay will not exist the same as before, they will be preserved in a more developed form. In addition, the memory is within its users all the time. If the new transformation fits into consumer’s needs, both Cyworld and Qplay can make greater synergy than before. Through the change, they expect to enjoy a renaissance of their 2000s.

저작권자 © The Granite Tower 무단전재 및 재배포 금지