He An sipped his coffee and continued speaking. “While I was working to produce The Landlord Game on the computer, I wanted to make it more interesting. That was why I added a lot of fascinating game play.
“For example, I added a variety of props and cards, increased the number of special events, established a perfect stock system, incorporated character voices, created a lottery mechanism, and so on. I also added different maps and polished the style of the game… “All of those designs served to make the game more interesting and cause gamers to love it more. “Obviously, that game contains smuggled goods-my agreement with Henry’s theories.
“Many people have tried analyzing my game, looking for elements that were confirmed by reality. For example, the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer; buying land emphasizes one’s first-mover advantage; location is king; insider information is important when dabbling in the stock market; paying attention to surrounding events is important when making investments; the essence of war is the redistribution of resources; people who do not have starting capital cannot enter the market…
“I had thought about most of those when I started designing the game. I only had a vague understanding of some during the designing process. However, I had absolutely no clue of an extremely small number of those things when I was developing the game. It was only when I was trying to perfect the rules that they took shape.
“Obviously, I had stuffed a lot of smuggled goods in that game. However, that game did not cause any gamers any disgust. Instead, it resonated with many people. That is one example of a successful plan. “In general, there are three principles to follow when trying to smuggle goods: “First, convey positive value.
“Second, guarantee fun.
“Third, have appropriate depth.
“The quality of any product must be achieved, be it a game or other cultural products. Generally speaking, games should be ‘fun’. Otherwise, they would not qualify as games. Gamers would not welcome it. The goods you smuggle would not be able to affect others
“You need to have appropriate depth so as not to disgust your players. “Some of them would dabble and stop. They would only have a preliminary and superficial understanding of whatever you want to express. For them, the main pleasure of the game would lie in the gameplay. “Some would be savvier. Of their own initiative, they would make associative connections between the game and the world around them.
“Some would dig deep into every detail of the game. They would completely understand the goods that you’re smuggling. In very rare cases, they might even over-analyze your thoughts…
“Thus, having appropriate depth would allow those three different types of players to play your game comfortably.
“Of course, I’m just talking about those things in theory. In practice, you would need to make decisions based on the situation you’re in. Don’t think that this is useless. The game industry, along with most other cultural industries, has no quantifiable standard for success.
“If a quantifiable standard for success existed, and there was a method to achieve quick success, everyone would be making successful games by now.
“The real value lies in these theories. Once you understand these theories, you would have found the correct method. That would be the first step to success.”
Pei Qian nodded. Obviously, that was the most useful information that He An had in his storage of theories. To Pei Qian, those things were extremely hard to put into practice. Still, the theories themselves were very valuable.
It was like many instrumental disciplines. They could not directly change one’s life, but they could subtly do so by increasing one’s wisdom. He An took another sip of his coffee and spoke rather emotionally. “Next, I will share my opinion on the current gaming industry
“This only represents my own thoughts. Boss Ma, you can take it with a pinch of salt. It’s alright if you do not agree with me
“The domestic game market is becoming increasingly prosperous, but I think that it’s becoming increasingly hollow as well. Games with paywalls that peddle hatred can bring gamers a myriad of emotions. However, do they offer positive value of any kind? No, they do not!
“Of course, I am not saying that every game has to be educational. That’s a misconception. Games are for entertainment. Their first goal should be entertainment, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Yet, that does not mean that games are hollow and meaningless in themselves. A game that peddles hatred, plays with chance, and throws side-balls could achieve some success in the market. However, they would never become classic games that are known throughout generations, and they would never win any real respect from gamers.
“We want to emphasize that games are for entertainment, and that’s right. However, we cannot mock developers who want to express certain content to gamers through their games. They are essential to the market.
“Unfortunately, game developers like that are few and far between in the current market. “Everyone likes violence, dramatic scenes, beautiful faces, and hot figures. The competition among game merchants can be likened to dishes that contain increasing amounts of seasoning. Gamers’ taste thresholds are constantly pushed higher, leaving chefs who insist on sticking to original flavors with nowhere to go.
“That’s why I’m considering retirement as well. I know full well that, in such a market, creating another game like The Landlord Game would not guarantee success anymore. “That’s also why I admire Tengda Games so much. Tengda Games’ Boss Pei is one of the rare developers in China, who dare to and are good at smuggling goods in their games. What’s more, his games are always so thought-provoking.
“Boss Ma, if you become an outstanding game developer in the future, I also hope that you would understand how to smuggle the right goods in your games, appropriately and with restraint.
“Of course, don’t forget to carefully wrap your smuggled goods with exquisite and acceptable packaging. You would definitely fail if you reveal the cold, hard truth to gamers directly.”
Pei Qian listened intently, feeling conflicted inside.
He could sense the sorrow of a hero’s twilight from He An’s speech. He could imagine what He An had been like when he was working on The Landlord Game and other successful games: high-spirited and enjoying both fame and fortune.
Now, facing a market environment like that, he looked like he was retiring nonchalantly, but there was a sense of helplessness in that decision as well.
Still, there was good news. Pei Qian felt like he could definitely incur losses this time!
Did Struggle contain any smuggled goods? Regardless of the answer, Teacher Qiao would surely be able to come up with some smuggled goods. Yet, this game was just as He An had said. The cold, hard truth would be placed right in front of gamers! That was taboo!
According to He An’s theory, to successfully smuggle goods, the game had to have appropriate depth, so that the gamers who dug more also learned more. Burying useful content just under the surface would dissuade most gamers, who were only looking to dabble and stop. That was a surefire way to fail!
He An glanced at the clock. “Alright, let’s stop here for today.
“I hope this lesson was helpful to you.
“Also, please remember not to place the cold, hard truth directly in front of gamers. It would only backfire.”
Afraid that ‘Ma Yang’ would knowingly commit the crime, he emphasized the lesson once more. Pei Qian nodded. “Alright, Teacher He! I’ll keep your advice in mind!”
Chapter 561 - Help Boss Pei Publicize
June 24th, Friday… At Dream Realization Ventures…
He Desheng looked at his watch; Boss Pei was about to arrive in less than 10 minutes.
He Desheng could not help but hold his forehead with a slight headache, looking at the slightly anxious Zhang Wang who did not realize the true seriousness of the problem… then at Ma Yang again, who was having fun with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine.
H
e did not know what came over Boss Pei today to have given advanced notice to head over to Dream Realization Ventures to understand the progress with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine.
Therefore, He Desheng called Zhang Wang and Ma Yang over to give a joint update.
That was because He Desheng did not know how to give an update!
Up to now, thousands of Fully-Automated Bickering Machines had been produced. There might still be a gap between what was currently produced and the final goal of 20,000 stocks, but any idiot could see that the situation was not good.
These few thousand Fully-Automated Bickering Machines were all in the warehouse, unable to be sold!
During this time, He Desheng and Zhang Wang had also thought about some publicity methods. For example, publishing them in online shops, advertising appropriately, and selling to some handicraft shops.
However, all of them without exceptiongave them the cold shoulder!
He tried to advertise, but the conversion rate was horribly low. In layman’s terms, many people watched the advertisement, but no one bought it at all!
He Desheng sighed helplessly even though he knew this would be the result. In fact, He Desheng felt it was impossible when Zhang Wang first brought this project up.
The shared phone booth previously was useful after all. It could serve as a resting spot, a place to sing, and as a landmark building in the city. It had a completely profitable case.
However, there was absolutely no practical use for this Fully-Automated Bickering Machine!
Moreover, it was too expensive-completely out of the affordability of most consumers if it was to be a handicraft or a sand sculpture toy.
The sales figures were in double digits until now; many of them even returned their goods. They probably felt bored after playing with it for a day and immediately regretted spending 500 yuan on it.
In short, it was terrible. He Desheng was frantic now because Boss Pei would be there soon.
If He Desheng gave the report himself, he would definitely advise Boss Pei to stop the production and try to sell the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine at a reduced price to stop the loss in time.
However, if he were to do that, he would certainly not be immune to criticism.
Therefore, He Desheng called Zhang Wang and Ma Yang here to throw the responsibility to them. Anyway, the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine was a project strongly requested by these two people.
He looked at Ma Yang, having a great time with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine, and could not help but wonder if Boss Ma really blocked an atomic bomb for Boss Pei. He would be able to know the correct answer today.
Boss Pei arrived as He Desheng was still fretting over it.
He quickly stood up and welcomed him, “Boss
Pei!”
Ma Yang reluctantly put down the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine until the ‘continuous bar-lifting’ status number disappeared. He then came to the conference table and greeted Pei Qian.
“Brother Qian!” Ma Yang had no shred of worry on his face.
Pei Qian’s eyes swept across to see Ma Yang, Zhang Wang, and He Desheng’s expressions. He realized that their anxiety was of a good proportion, which gave him instant relief.
It should be rather stable then!
“When is DGE Esports Club going to start?” Pei Qian asked Ma Yang a relatively irrelevant question first.
Ma Yang replied, “Next week. Brother Qian, it is not that we are not active. It takes time for the club to form teams and to try out players.”
Pei Qian nodded. “Ok, I understand. Right, let’s go into the main topic. How is the progress of the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine project?”
Ma Yang answered immediately, “Very smoothly! So far, thousands of units have been mass-produced. The stocks are very sufficient, and all of them have been carefully inspected. Individual defective goods have all been returned for repair!”
He Desheng could not help but to give a thumbs-up in his heart. You can do it, Boss Ma!
How dare you report good news rather than the bad in front of Boss Pei. Do you treat Boss Pei as a three-year-old, easy to fool? Pei Qian coughed lightly as expected. “What about the sales then?” Zhang Wang stood up. “Boss Pei, I’m willing to bear the responsibility of the poor sales results. It has nothing to do with Boss Ma!”
Pei Qian raised his hand. “Don’t make haste. Tell me a specific number of units sold first.” Zhang Wang pursed his lips. “Thirty units.”
Pei Qian was stunned for two seconds. He nearly blurted out: How could so many units be sold?
There were actually thirty-one idiots who spent 500 yuan to buy this rubbish? The world was filled with all sorts of people!
Zhang Wang paused before adding on. “One of them was delivered to your residence, seven more were returned to us…
“Boss Pei, I’m the one mainly responsible for the loss this time. I’m willing to pay out of my own pocket to bear part of the loss…” Zhang Wang became less confident as he spoke. Obviously, as a great inventor, he was hit hard to find that his invention was so unpopular.
Moreover, even though Zhang Wang had a lot of shares in the shared phone booth project, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the eight million yuan investment.
Pei Qian frowned immediately.
What do you mean? You want to fight with me over making losses as well?
Dream on!
Pei Qian held a hand up immediately. “What are you talking about? Dream Realization Ventures does venture capitalism. The one who shoulders the risk is definitely Dream Realization Ventures.
“These days, it is all about defrauding investors’ money. How can they fill the hole for the investors?
“You don’t need to care about anything, just continue producing according to the original plan! Cancel all the advertisements; only leave the online store.”
The online store could not be canceled too because the rules required an active sales channel.
Zhang Wang started, “But Boss Pei…”
Pei Qian interrupted him, “But what? The biggest problem with this project now is that the production is too slow. You only produced a few thousand units in a month. When will 20,000 units be produced then?
“Grasp the production capacity and fill our warehouse with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine as soon as possible. Otherwise, you should take a leaf out of Chang You’s book and go personally to the production line!”
“Yes, Boss Pei!” Zhang Wang said with tears in his eyes, deeply moved.
Ma Yang nodded. “See, I told you not to worry a long time ago. How can something as fun as this not be able to sell? Orders will definitely fly off the shelf once we have enough stock and do some publicity!”
Pei Qian passed an approving look. “Well said! Everyone must be like Boss Ma; maintain an optimistic spirit!”
He Desheng was speechless.
He had confirmed it. Boss Ma must have blocked an atomic bomb for Boss Pei before. Moreover, it was probably more than one bomb.
Pei Qian left with great satisfaction after he understood the situation with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine. He was still thinking if he should just give it all away if the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine could not be sold.
It would still be worth a bit of money even if he sold them as scrap metal; however, it would become a pure loss if he were to give it all away.
Then again, he dismissed that idea immediately.
He should definitely not do that!
What if it became a gadget for training hand speed if he were to send it to DGE Esports Club? What if it became trendy amongst the whales if he were to give them to Boss Li and his clique?
After all, anything that was related to Boss Pei would not escape the fate of being over-interpreted.
Therefore, Pei Qian decided that it was strictly forbidden to make this public. It was best not to give it away as a gift or to advertise. The best solution to them was to leave them in the wareh
ouse to collect dust.
Zhang Wang’s mood was very complicated after he watched Boss Pei leave. The shared phone booth would not have succeeded without Boss Pei. However, Boss Pei still trusted him so much even though the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine had such a bad start.
Zhang Wang felt a little ashamed while feeling touched.
He Desheng walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Boss Pei said that we should mass-produce as much as possible so don’t think too much.”
He Desheng might not be able to guess the plan that Boss Pei had up his sleeve, but it was definitely right to act according to Boss Pei’s requirement. Zhang Wang nodded. “I know, I just feel like I let down Boss Pei. I don’t know what else I can do to help Boss Pei.”
“Hmm?” He Desheng was taken aback and thought for a while. “Do you have any invention that can be used for the Thriller Hostel? Boss Pei seemed to be focused on this huge haunted house recently.”
Zhang Wang frowned slightly. “This… I’m afraid no; the mechanisms in the Thriller Hostel are probably already designed. My earthy inventions are hard to pass up.”
“However… does the Thriller Hostel require any publicity?”
He Desheng nodded. “Publicity? Of course, who would reject more publicity?”
Zhang Wang gave it some serious thought. “Then… how about I use the shared phone booth to publicize Thriller Hostel?”The shared phone booth had an outward-facing display within it. It was originally used for advertising and investment promotion so various advertising contents could be advertised there.
He Desheng suddenly replied, “Oh? That is a good idea! Then, I’ll send a message to Chen Kangtuo and ask him to send the promotional materials over.”
Zhang Wang could not help but be happy. His guilt was relieved.
The Fully-Automated Bickering Machine might not seem to be optimistic currently and would likely cause a loss. However, it would also be a great help to Boss Pei by advertising the opening of the Thriller Hostel in the shared phone booth in the shopping malls of major cities!
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