About

ERROR143 is a visual novel and role-playing game hosted on the platform itch.io and on the Apple app store. It follows the plot of a classic romance, featuring a main love interest, a hacker named Micah Yujin, who the player interacts with. The game's concept was first synthesized in a private Discord server, created by indie game developer Jenny Vi Pham. After announcing it in the server and on Twitter in mid-2022, the game grew a small fandom by late 2022 that became increasingly prevalent on TikTok in 2022. Around the same time, the creator of ERROR143 was viewed as problematic by some in December 2022 for having a voice actor that was in the controversial Camp Buddy game that allegedly hosted CP. Additionally in December 2022, discourse about an NSFW Patreon version of the game leaked on TikTok.

History

On May 19th, 2022, Jenny Vi Pham announced on Twitter^[1] that the beta version of ERROR143 was available on Patreon for any who was interested. About a month later, on June 1st, 2022, Vi Pham announced on Twitter^[2] that the full game was officially uploaded, earning over 970 likes in six months (shown below).

Months later, on November 23rd, 2022, Jenny Vi Pham uploaded to YouTube^[3] a trailer for ERROR143, gaining roughly 3,800 views in one month (shown below).

Premise

ERROR143 is a role-playing, romantic visual novel in which the player plays the role of a hacker who's just bested their hacking rival in a hacking competition.^[4] The rival hacker's name is Micah Yujin, an equally powerful hacker that becomes the player's love interest and boyfriend in the game. Through a series of choices in the game, the player and Micah end up in one of three endings with their own progressions.

Online Presence

Fandom

Starting in July 2022, YouTubers began playing ERROR143 and posting videos of their gameplay. For instance, on July 12th, 2022, YouTuber^[5] KBug424 uploaded a full gameplay of ERROR143, claiming that it was the "BEST GAME EVER" in the title. Over the course of five months, the video received roughly 39,000 views and 1,300 likes (shown below, left). On July 24th, 2022, YouTuber^[6] Your Game posted a playthrough, gaining roughly 66,000 views and 2,800 likes in five months (shown below, right).

On TikTok

Additionally, Jenny Vi Pham grew a large following on TikTok^[7] for her ERROR143 related content that surfaced in May 2022. Going into mid-2022 many of Vi Pham's TikToks received viral engagement. For instance, on July 9th, 2022, she posted a TikTok^[7] video that received roughly 549,500 plays and 143,400 likes in five months (shown below, left). On November 23rd, 2022, she posted a TikTok^[9] that earned roughly 189,400 likes in one month (shown below, right).

Coinciding with Jenny Vi Pham's increase in TikTok viewership in November and December 2022, the ERROR143 app climbed to the top of the Apple app store's video game chart, whereby December 17th, 2022, ERROR143 was the number one role-playing game on the Apple app store. This was made evident in a tweet^[9] from Vi Pham on that day, earning roughly 3,400 likes in five days (shown below).

Going into December 2022, more ERROR143 related content surfaced on TikTok and elsewhere.

Camp Buddy Voice Actor And ERROR143 Creator Being Problematic Controversy

In December 2022, TikTokers started making content about the voice actor of Micah in the ERROR143 game. The voice actor was said to have worked on the controversial game Camp Buddy which allegedly featured moments of cartoon CP. Multiple TikToks surfaced that labeled Vi Pham as problematic due to the hiring (example shown below, left). On December 21st, 2022, Vi Pham uploaded two TikToks that outlined her defense, stating that she didn't know what Camp Buddy was and that she simply picked Corey (the voice actor) only due to his voice (shown below, right).

NSFW ERROR143 Patreon Leak

In mid-December 2022, multiple TikTokers created content about the NSFW Patreon version of ERROR143 that featured explicit scenes with the character Micah. Many TikTokers made viral videos that joked about the leak (examples shown below).

Search Interest

External References