How Baidu Turned the Asian Games into an Engaging Game Hub

Project Background

Leveraging the Asian Games buzz, Baidu created an activity suite within its app that lets users not only watch the games but also participate in fun, interactive experiences, extending interaction time and enhancing the event atmosphere. Three mini‑games—"Asian Games Game King", "Asian Games Collect Card", and "Asian Games Challenge"—were built on a unified recommendation platform for homepage and video feeds.

Understanding Baidu users—who habitually browse news, watch videos, and read articles—the team focused on simple, entertaining mini‑games to encourage deeper participation, moving users from "watch" to "play" to "post videos".

Designing Fun and Engaging Experiences

Asian Games Game King

1. Game Settings

Early research identified three sports suitable for gamification: swimming, shooting, and breakdance, evaluated on universality, competitiveness, and fun, while ensuring mobile‑friendly, easy‑to‑learn interactions.

Swimming – continuous button tapping to reach the finish line; speed increases with level.

Shooting – press‑and‑hold to aim, release to fire; targets move farther in higher levels.

Breakdance – tap appearing hotspots to perform dance moves; music speeds up as difficulty rises.

2. Immersive Game Experience

The team reduced decision cost by recommending games based on user progress, creating a layered immersive flow across three stages:

Stage 1 – Pre‑game : Full‑screen dynamic effects and soundtracks customized for each game’s homepage.

Swimming – 3D buoyancy simulation with water ripples; Shooting – futuristic light beams guiding toward the target; Breakdance – stage lighting warms up the atmosphere.

Stage 2 – Mid‑game : Three difficulty levels per mini‑game, each with richer visual effects and distinct “爽点” (pleasure points) to keep users engaged.

Swimming – combo clicks trigger seven different effects; Shooting – target designs become more complex; Breakdance – stage visuals become increasingly elaborate.

Stage 3 – Post‑game : A custom shareable poster is generated after clearing a game, encouraging users to showcase achievements and drive viral sharing.

3. Building an Activity IP

Pre‑created characters "Xiao Shuai" and "Xiao Mei" serve as avatars whose sports talents can be upgraded, enhancing immersion. Users can switch avatars after completing games, reinforcing the Asian Games vibe across the app.

Collect Card Project

The original single‑layer card collection was upgraded to a two‑layer system, rewarding users with medals early and sport‑specific cards later, encouraging repeat visits throughout the Games.

2. Enhanced Visual Effects

A “love‑drama” style synthesis animation was retained, with added two‑layer card transition effects to highlight upgrades.

Asian Games Challenge Project

Beyond watching videos and playing games, users can submit short videos cheering for athletes. Daily video submissions grant a chance to share the day’s prize pool, fostering continuous engagement.

Conclusion

The operation design team built a comprehensive Asian Games activity matrix inside Baidu APP, effectively boosting user perception of the event and providing valuable large‑scale project design experience for future Olympic initiatives.