Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  That meant that it made no difference to the rich version whether you bought the poor version or not.

  That was very ridiculous!

  That seemed to be screaming ‘You best not buy both; if you really want to buy it, then buy the rich version.’

  It was not very reasonable!

  He could not help but apply his theory for game design to this game. He spoke about four main points to Boss Ma:

  Choose marketing methods according to the game content…

  Choose a game type with a high market share…

  Have your personal opinion in the game…

  Analyze and fulfill the market demand…

  This game, Struggle, really did not fulfill a single one of them! Every one of them was wrong!

  He An felt that this game would not be perfect if there was one condition missing; if two were missing, then the sales would be worrying. Three would mean absolute violent death.

  However, a game with all four conditions not met? Unheard of!

  He should choose the game type and appropriate marketing methods right at the very least? They were the easiest of all. Wasn’t it a bit too ridiculous for them to be all wrong?

  As for the last two points, the methods of Struggle seemed to be rather problematic as well.

  He An mentioned before that a game with personal opinions had to take into account the affordability of the audience and their acceptance.

  What was the personal opinion that Struggle had then?

  Stirring hatred? Or that it was useless to struggle?

  Indeed, this game was realistic enough for a realism theme, including the details of the lives of the poor and rich which were basically consistent with some data in the United States.

  However, these endings were simply too disgusting, right?

  More importantly, advocating the uselessness of struggling was wrong in any context. Cutting bloody reality apart did not seem to have much guidance significance and would only cause discomfort.

  As the saying went, ‘kneel in the face of reality’ meant exactly this.

  Real life was miserable enough. I knew as well how bad it was; did you have to hold a loudspeaker and blow it in front of me?

  Wasn’t that simply disgusting?

  Therefore, the first feeling He An had was that it was not appropriate because there was no guiding significance and would not be well accepted by the people. Moreover, it was easy to cause disgust.

  As for analyzing and satisfying market demand, it was even more irrelevant now.

  Obviously, in the current mainstream market, games were still regarded as entertainment and leisure. If it was so serious and heavy, then it would obviously not meet the needs of most players!

  As for the higher level of creative demand…

  He An previously felt that Boss Pei was a master of demand creation. However, to create demand for Struggle would be extremely difficult!

  Moreover, there were four questions in this exam paper. You got the first three wrong; could you still answer the last question correctly?

  If you could answer it correctly, then I would…

  Frame this paper up on the spot!

  He An originally wanted to set a flag, but he decided against it after thinking about it. He could not underestimate Boss Pei.

  Could Boss Pei not think of the problems that he thought of? He could definitely think of them.

  Moreover, He An subconsciously felt that this game was not really that offensive to him. There were still some special emotions to it if he were to dig deeper into his feelings for this game.

  He An thought about it for a while and decided to temporarily forget the experiences and theory he had accumulated over the past few decades to reexamine this game from the perspective of an ordinary person to gain a deeper perspective.

  What if his theory was out of date?

  …

  At the same time, Pei Qian was at home, using his laptop to check the first batch of evaluations of Struggle. The game flow of Struggle was not long. If one bought the game yesterday and played it through the night, they would have finished it.

  Pei Qian was very certain that the feedback and reaction to Struggle would directly determine whether Struggle could succeed in losing money in the long term or not!

  The best result, of course, would be for the players to criticize the game so badly that they would call for a refund and make more players refuse to buy or even to pay attention.

  Of course, Pei Qian felt that such thinking was too optimistic. The closest result would be that a minority of players raved Struggle highly and many people wouldn’t buy it.

  Such an outcome would be very acceptable for Pei Qian, which was almost the most likely result.

  Pei Qian started to check the comments of the players.

  “False publicity! I thought that it was a large-scale action game, but I only realized that I was cheated after I came in!”

  “However, the publicity slogan is completely correct; I can only say that this person is a marketing genius. That is deliberately misleading at best, even though it really pissed me off. Since when did Tengda start playing on such cleverness? Are they afraid that they would not get any buyers if they were to promote it for what it really is?”

  “But I feel that it is okay to advertise that this is an interactive movie game, we will still buy it to play!”

  “No one can stop me from giving a one-star bad review this time! I bought this game as soon as it was released, and I kept thinking about the perfect ending when I pulled an all-nighter until this morning. What was the result? I was repeatedly disgusted several times. I watched both endings three or four times!”

  “I feel that my soul has been severely traumatized! The poor version made me blue so I played the rich version. It was pretty good at first, but I never expected the twist at the end!”

  “It is not bad for you, alright? I played the rich version first, and the ending left a bad aftertaste. I thought that the poor version would be different, but it was pathetic from start to end. I’m not myself anymore!”

  “It is the same no matter which sequence you play it in. You will feel sick, won’t you?”

  “Is this a game? This theme should be shot into a documentary or an art film, shouldn’t it?”

  “Game is obviously much freer in expression than documentaries or art films. Think about the characters in it and then think about the two versions which are priced separately. There are so many interactive experiences that movies cannot provide.”

  “Anyway, no matter what you say, I’m going to praise this game to the end! The two endings especially, the ‘liar’ in the rich version and the monologue in the poor version that echoed at the start and end, are awesome!”

  “Ok, those two paragraphs really felt okay, but don’t you feel that it is lame looking at the game as a whole? It seemed like a game made to reproduce reality. Where is the fun? And the personal opinion was too serious. It is advocating fatalism, class theory, or that struggles are useless?”

  “Indeed, I think that this game might be better in the west. They like to moan and groan without any illness. Most domestic players still recognize that God rewards hard work and self-improvement’. The theme of this game is contradictory to that and will cause instinctive discomfort.”

  “I think we should call out to Teacher Qiao at this time!”

  “Indeed, there might be some things that we didn’t notice? Teacher Qiao might be more detailed and would be more comprehensive.”

  Pei Qian felt that the current situation was still rather optimistic, browsing through a large number of player comments. However, it was still worse than his own estimates.

  A large number of players were stimulated by the cruel reality reflected in the game, which was in line with Pei Qian’s expectations. However, the problem was that Tengda’s long-standing reputation managed to prevent the collapse of public opinion!

  Any other producers would probably have collapsed.


  However, there were now too many die-hard fans of Tengda Games. Everyone compensated doubts with their own fantasy. Such people would have a natural halo when playing Tengda Games. Ordinary advantages became special advantages in their eyes.

  Moreover, these hardcore fans were the first to play this game. That was why they were keener to participate in the discussions. Their voices were relatively loud, which made both sides get in an equal state of competition.

  Other than that, another important reason was that the quality of this game itself was really good.

  The Tengda Games Team had a wealth of development experience after all. They could produce something very brilliant even if it was a realism theme like this. The two endings especially were still quite a bluff.

  Pei Qian considered it for a while; that might also be the reason for this theme.

  Chapter 641 - Nowhere To Go For Teacher Qiao

  It was a realist theme where the materials could be taken from anywhere in reality. How the rich and the poor lived in the United States could be obtained by simply checking the information on the internet. That was why the details seemed to be particularly rich in the game.

  In short, there were two voices on the internet currently. There were obviously a lot of players who were stung and felt disgusted by the game. However, there were also a lot of die-hard Tengda fans who were trying to make up for the game through their imaginations. They might not have the volume, but they had a loud voice. Neither side could persuade the other.

  Pei Qian was very clear that this was the turning point; he must not let his guard down!

  Many games reached this step previously, but the controversies increased the heat of the topic as soon as Teacher Qiao’s video interruption was released.

  Therefore, Pei Qian definitely must not allow something like that to happen!

  I don’t care if you could see life philosophy from Struggle since it was just a mirror. It was done completely in accordance with real life. Players could always relate.

  Analyze all you want; just do not discuss nor buy it!

  Pei Qian had already used Thriller Hostel as an opportunity to think of a way to ‘seal’ Teacher Qiao.

  Pei Qian said at that time that if he wanted to find something really lacking in the Thriller Hostel video, then he had to give up on the ‘Products of the Gods’ series and not use it to interpret ‘Struggle’.

  Qiao Liang seemed to have accepted it from his attitude.

  Of course, as a conservative person, Pei Qian would not relax his vigilance for any possibilities.

  What if Teacher Qiao saw the online controversies and could not bear it as he was filled with indignation? Would he resolutely give up looking for what he was lacking, break through the seal, and publish other issues of the Products of the Gods to explain ‘Struggle’?

  Wouldn’t that be a betrayal on his part?

  Pei Qian would not permit something like that to happen.

  Therefore, he had long thought of the countermeasure. He would do things preemptively. He would walk Teacher Qiao’s road so that Teacher Qiao had nowhere to go!

  …

  At the same time, Qiao Liang opened up Struggle in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. He might be busy exposing the formaldehyde houses from Home Corporation with Fei Huang Workspace, but he had to play the new game by Boss Pei without any delay.

  Qiao Liang had waited for more than half a year for this game. He had not updated Products of the Gods for about half a year as well.

  It wasn’t that he did not want to make videos for the games of other companies, but there were so many good games in the world. There were many international standalone games even if the domestic ones could not make it. There were always enough materials.

  However, Qiao Liang just felt that the AAA masterpieces of other games companies were good, but they always felt boring!

  As to how this felt? He really could not say.

  The international companies worthy of going into Products of the Gods had two types:

  The first type attracted much attention before the release and was raved at the time of release. It became a classic and was still enduring after its sales.

  The second type attracted much attention before the release and was raved at the time of release but gradually faded out after the release.

  The worst game was those that were raving before the release but was disappointed after the release. Such games had no place in Products of the Gods.

  In short, the successful AAA masterpieces from abroad attracted much attention and succeeded logically.

  What did they lack?

  Qiao Liang felt that he lacked a sense of twist and anticipation.

  Everyone knew that it was a good game at the beginning of its promotion. Most people would be able to analyze the goodness of it. There was no point making an interpretational video about it. It was nothing new and not special enough.

  On the other hand, Boss Pei’s games were controversial when they were first released. However, after digging out their deep meaning and interpreting them, public opinion could be reversed instantly. All shortcomings suddenly became advantages.

  Such twist and anticipation were the elements that Qiao Liang was concerned about!

  He had also tried to play successful games abroad, but he really felt that it was not exciting enough. This kind of excitement belonged to Boss Pei alone.

  Therefore, Qiao Liang—who regarded Products of the Gods as a precious brand—did not want to use some videos that ‘looked okay’ to make up the numbers. That had nothing to do with the quality of the game… but a lot to do with the way the video was interpreted.

  A good game did not mean it would make a good video.

  Therefore, it had been delayed

  However, seeing Struggle and the fierce debate on the internet, Qiao Liang suddenly burst into creative enthusiasm again!

  Interpreting the series of videos with the Products of the Gods turning all shortcomings into advantages. That was my mission!

  If the core players of Tengda Games had vivid imaginations with their own halos for Tengda Games, then Qiao Liang obviously had the strongest ability of all.

  He had a lot to say after playing Struggle.

  However, he fell into hesitation again; his hesitation came mainly from three aspects.

  First of all, the analysis for the game Struggle was too complicated and not as clear as Repent and be Saved.

  Qiao Liang thought about it casually and came up with at least ten points that could be analyzed, such as wealth, the poverty gap, chicken soup for those who were struggling, the importance of education, exploitation and hatred between classes, why the rich did not consume minced meat…

  However, these questions seemed too loose.

  The game Struggle gave Qiao Liang the feeling that it was a mirror, showing the cruelty of reality. However, it did not have a clear expression.

  He could not find the theme and focus.

  Of course, just a mirror would not pose much of a problem. It was also meaningful to sharply expose reality as a reality game. However, what would this video do for Qiao Liang?

  Explain all the main points? It would not be much of an analysis of a game but that of reality then. It lacked a good theme and entry point.

  The difficulty in making this video became rather big.

  Secondly, Boss Pei said that if he were to find the missing part of the Thriller Hostel video, he had to give up on the Products of the Gods and on the explanation of Struggle. If he did not listen, then he would probably lose the opportunity for the Thriller Hostel forever.

  Finally, he was currently working with Fei Huang Workspace to make a video on exposing the Home Corporation’s formaldehyde rental houses.

  He could spare the time to trial playing the game, but making two videos at the same time was tantamount to using one mind on two matters. He would be able to devote 100% of his energy to neither side.

  Therefore, Qiao Liang fell into disarray. H
e would have accumulated a lot of materials quickly before Boss Pei’s game was released, and the first video would be out in no time.

  However, this time, he felt very aggrieved. He felt that his preparations were not well enough this time.

  Qiao Liang intended to scan the comments on the internet so that he might be able to get some material and inspiration.

  No matter whether it was criticism or appreciation of Struggle, he would be able to better understand the meaning of the game. Everyone’s experience was different so the content they saw in Struggle would also be different.

  However, after looking through some mixed reviews from players, Qiao Liang suddenly discovered something that made him shocked.

  The official Weibo of Tengda Games actually posted a long post about Struggle!

  “Struggle is a realistic game. It is like a mirror, reflecting the reality of life. The game itself has no clear theme. The designer’s goal is to let every player see different contents in the game.

  “We welcome everyone’s interpretation of the meaning contained within the game, such as the meaning of education, the class system, nature of exploitation and poverty…

  “The official site will continue to pay attention and would select excellent answers who would be rewarded with full waivers for all three games: Game Designer, Repent and be Saved, and Struggle!”

  Many players had begun to actively participate not long after this Weibo was posted!

  There might still be great controversies about Struggle on the internet. Many die-hard fans had been trying hard to think about the connotation of the game. Their enthusiasm for participation was even more active now!

  There were even more comments from players that had been officially selected.

  “I was impressed by the fact that the poor and the rich in the game have actually become two completely separated groups. The two groups do not understand each other. Just like the protagonist of the rich version feels ‘How can there be no time to accompany my children? Can anyone be busier than a President?’

  “However, the story of the poor version tells us that many poor people are indeed busier than a President because the President can control his own time, but the poor cannot. When he is young, he will fall into the abyss if he even relaxed slightly.