Clash of Clans Hooks Many

Clash of Clans is a popular mobile video game that was released in 2012 for iOS and in 2013 for Android.

Approximately four million people worldwide play the game daily. At Hawaii Baptist Academy, the game appeals to many students and teachers, and many have spent countless hours playing the game.

In Clash of Clans, players create a base to fend off opposing players’ troops and also train their own troops to attack others. A lot of time is spent upgrading troops and defensive weapons, but some might say that the fun lies within the strategic raids between other players. In raids, players are able to use the troops that they have upgraded to attack others players for elixir, gold, and dark elixir. As the game progresses, more resources are required to upgrade a player’s base. This encourages others to raid frequently to gain the necessary resources. Physics teacher Andrew Vitek says, “I play Clash of Clans because it’s fun. I enjoy two aspects of the game: improving my base through farming [loot] and attacking during Clan Wars. Each aspect presents its own set of joys.”

“I play Clash of Clans because of the fellowship it creates with other clan members.”

Art teacher Garrett Omoto

The Clan War feature was added to the game in 2014 and has been proven to be a massive success. Players attack each others’ bases to earn stars. The clan with the most stars at the end of the attacking period wins the Clan War and is rewarded with bonus loot. Clan Wars give players an opportunity to interact with other plays through an in-game chat feature. Art teacher Garrett Omoto says, “I play Clash of Clans because of the fellowship it creates with other clan members. It has helped our family grow closer because we can talk about a common goal of winning a war and also encourage each other when we don’t do good.” Omoto has been able to keep in touch with many of his relatives outside of his immediate family because of the in-game chat feature.

The idea of spending countless hours on Clash of Clans can be off-putting for some gamers. Freshman Shae Yuen says, “I stopped playing because it was getting harder to raid for elixir and gold. I wasn’t able to invest all of the time I needed to.” Many students say that they spend approximately 15 minutes on the game each day. Senior Nathan Hishinuma says, “I play for a couple minutes here and there whenever I have some free time.”

Clash of Clans is free to purchase on both the App Store and the Play Store, but has some in app purchases ranging from $.99 to $99.99 for gem purchases. Players can use gems to speed up or finish upgrades. Hishinuma says, “I think it’s okay for people to use gems to advance quickly through the game because they are willing to spend some of their own money in exchange for gems.” Sophomore Joshua Fujita says, “Gems help people progress through the quicker, but it can be a waste of money since players will eventually get the resources they need.”

As a testament to the game’s popularity, developer Supercell held its first game convention, nicknamed ClashCon, in October. Held in Helsinki, Finland, the event brought together many fans from around the world.