Game Making: Start By Healing the Player

Chapter 40

chapter 40

capital city games department.

unlike the previous world, the various divisions of entertainment industries are not governed under one entity in this parallel universe.

instead, each industry has their own governing body acting as liaison between the national government and the industry as a whole.

the games department is, of course, in charge of the gaming industry.

domestic agents are assigned within the department to review games from both domestic and overseas developers before they hit the shelves.

sometimes there is also a need to review games that are already on sale domestically but are in the process of shipping out to overseas markets.

and again, unlike the one-size-fits-all approach of the previous world, this parallel world employs a detailed grading system.

this is mainly due to the higher tech level of the parallel world, allowing for the creation of extreme variances. however, the actual barriers to entry and review parameters are not as vigorous as those of the previous world.

and its all thanks to the system of having national identity numbers being tied to online accounts. so if youre underaged, dont even think about meeting your new favorite porn stars, you wont be able to find them.

unfortunately, this also means games with more erotic aspects will have more hoops to jump through as well .

just like chen xus first game, mirror. which had to be exported and sold domestically as an overseas game. it exists in a gray zone, not exactly supported, but not a target for elimination either.

another, much more appreciated service provided by the games department, is their proprietary game engine, much like the unreal engine of the previous world. its just that one is a commercial product and the other is state-owned and funded, so the level of technology on display is absolutely night and day.

at this time, the managers and appointed judges of the capital city games department, who were in charge of this years science fiction game design contest, were in a meeting to discuss the situation.

unlike the average player, these appointed judges are obliged to experience every single submission. their internal scoring system will be based on a combination of a list of fixed criteria and their own personal judgements regarding the contents of the game.

after all, it would be unrealistic to judge every single submitted game within the timeframe if they had to complete them from start to finish.

so in terms of popularity, one could say that chen xu somehow had it all figured out.

this led many players to give to the moon a chance.

and subsequently causing a flood of intense, pyramid scheme-esque posts on numerous forums.

[ i urge everybody to play to the moon chen xus latest work as an entry to this contest. i was moved to tears! ][ my brother upstairs, i am still in tears. also, didnt chen xu make this game in like ten days? ][ so what if the game was made in ten days? if it works, it works! and the story was really touching. when you play it, youll understand what it means to make a macho man cry. ][ dude fuck you for bringing it up! i feel like crying again! ][ are you guys being serious or is this just some meme im too old to understand? ][ youll know when you play it my dude. the game made me realize that i have a very low tolerance for sadness. ][ alright ill take your word for it this time. ][ so who are you guys planning to vote for? ill probably go to the moon since i literally cant think of any other game right now ][ yep, to the moon for me too. ][ idk guys, i was very moved, and i know it left the deepest impression in my heart, but i dont really think its a real sci fi game? does that make sense? anyone else feel the same way? ][ i literally dont care bro im voting for it. ]

these players, who were deeply mired in the emotional turmoil caused by the game, voted for it without regard or hesitation.

as for it not being strictly a sci fi game?

sure, sure. but after that roller coaster of an experience, not many people cared anymore.

and why should they? if they think the game is great, if the game manages to impress them, then the vote is decided, end of story.

whether the game qualifies, thats just semantics in the end.

..

soon, the three day sales figures for the participating games were revealed on the official platform.

to the moon took the lead with 193,000 units sold, followed by galactic heroes with 87,000 units sold.

now, this is already a highly alarming figure, but there are two perfectly reasonable explanations for it.

number one, to the moon is actually released for both pc and mobile, so it would naturally have a much wider player base.

number two, the price of to the moon is only 15 yuan. its actually related to the content and length of the game. after all, it takes only around 4 hours to finish the whole thing, and there is no real incentive to replay the game other than catching little details you missed in the first run.

but the lower pricing still makes a huge impact on sales count.

galactic heroes costs 65 yuan.