In-game dialogue can be fairly mundane, although there may be some discussion going on at launch. The action takes place among those who donate, trying to get each other to spend more money.
A completely new language, digital currency, and many ambiguous rules that are part of the gameplay add a surreal quality to the events.
We’ve seen some of the highest-value items being gifted, such as the “TikTok Universe”, worth more than $500 (£385) and equivalent to nearly 50,000 TikTok coins. An animation of people dancing to a catchy song is shown.
It’s slightly cheaper at $400 (£308) and the fan-favorite animal is the lion, which roars loudly when it appears on screen. Or there are gentle whales swimming in underwater tunnels.
Some gifts apply a filter to the influencer’s face, including cowboy hats and mustaches, red berets, and seasonal pumpkin heads.
Zara said she started playing the game because she wanted to protect her clan’s pride.
It was “exciting” and “my side always won,” she recalls.
But Zara spent more than $7,000 on games to pay for college.
“If my parents found out that I spend a lot of money on TikTok, they would be shocked. They wouldn’t be happy. But somehow it’s like an addiction.”
She also questions why she donates her hard-earned cash to influencers who rarely show any gratitude.
But as she dives deeper into this world, she experiences something much more sinister.
We have seen evidence of male influencers living in the United States insulting and threatening female TikTokers and threatening to post sexual images.
Zara says that happens a lot. “They find out who you are, take your family photos and pictures, and say, ‘We’re going to expose you.’”
She said a male influencer living in the US did this to her and that she couldn’t sleep at night because she was so scared and worried that her family would see the doctored photos he had threatened to share.
“Imagine your family seeing a naked picture of you. They don’t know it’s been photoshopped.”
When Zara reported the account to TikTok, she said no action was taken.
The influencer goes by the name Hussein Kibray online and has over 200,000 followers. He frequently participates in games.
Zara believes other women have been threatened in this way, but she has not seen any of the photoshopped images of her or any other women he has shared in the public domain.
We asked him about his behavior but he did not respond to our messages.
After the BBC contacted TikTok about Kibray’s account, the social media platform responded that it had banned Kibray for violating its policy against sexual and physical abuse of adults.
“We enforce the most stringent streaming requirements in the industry, including specific policies for matched content, customized safety tools for our viewers, and only allowing people over 18 to stream or send gifts, to keep our community engaged,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. “Safety is our top priority,” he said. .”
