He An, who spent more than five hours clearing 'Struggle' in one sitting, fell into confusion.
Was something... wrong with this game? That was just too gloomy and sad, right?
Or was my luck that bad for me to obtain the trashiest ending after choosing every option seriously?
He An reflected on himself subconsciously.
Yes, it could be something I did wrongly.
Interactive movie games like this had many side options after all. Struggle was the same.
He An looked at the plot lines in the game. It was as dense as a big net with many branches. Generally speaking, every version should have at least three to four endings to be worthy of the size of this game.
Moreover, there should be hidden endings and Easter eggs if he bought the poor and rich versions together.
Therefore, He An decided to play all the routes after his meal. He should be able to obtain a good ending then.
Such a feeling was like a table of dishes that had both delicious and disgusting tastes. If someone ate something disgusting, they would take a bite of something delicious to press it down. Otherwise, the disgusting taste would linger.
"I cannot say that Boss Pei's skills are quite deep. No matter whether the direction was right or not, the foundation is still there.
"I originally thought that the realism theme would be boring to play, but it did not feel that way. Even though they were both bad ends, but the content was still rather moving.
"I will be able to analyze the personal opinions that Boss Pei had in this game after I finish all the endings."
He An found a rare excitement and anticipation that he usually did not experience with domestically-produced standalone games. He could not wait to finish his food and continue to play the other endings of the game after the meal.
...
...
September 4th, Sunday, noon...
He An sat in front of his computer, lit up a smoke, and thought about life silently. He had been trying all sorts of routes tirelessly from last night.
He gave the protagonist of the rich version different hobbies when he was young, chose different girls to marry when he was an adult, and chose different careers when he grew up.
He gave the protagonist different courses when he was young and tried to plan carefully, save money, and find better jobs when he grew up...
Yet, no matter how hard he worked, how many routes and sub-routes he cleared; the two endings did not change one bit!
No matter what the rich man did, he would be killed at the signing ceremony.
No matter what the poor man did, he would always enter into the vicious cycle of poverty.
Of course, there were still some subtle differences between the two versions.
The progress of the game would not be affected, regardless of whether the rich man made the right choice or not. That was because funds would be replenished quickly every time he failed; choosing a different profession was just a change from one kind of success to another.
As for the poor man, choosing the right choice had its influence. If he kept choosing the wrong choice, then the ending would come in an hour. If he chose the right choices, then he could persist for up to three hours... after he tasted the sweetness of middle-class life.
As for the so-called hidden ending? It was nowhere in sight!
That was fine. What was more, there was absolutely no connection between the rich and the poor versions.
He An originally thought that the one who killed the rich protagonist was probably the poor protagonist whose dreams had shattered or perhaps even his son. However, he tried for a long time without being able to find any connection between the two.
There was absolutely no connection between the rich protagonist, the poor protagonist, and his son.
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. He 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.
"Moreover, the tragedy of the protagonist of the rich is precisely because he never understood what kind of life the real poor are living in..."
This long review was selected by the official Weibo. It was reposed, but the poster received a surprise gift package with three free games.
Qiao Liang was dizzy. He almost exploded in anger.
What did that mean?!
Are you trying to snatch my rice bowl?
The way you do it was a waste of material! How wasted!
Many connotations could only be resonated when they were expressed in a certain way.
Qiao Liang was very proficient in this when he made the video. He first set up suspense, laid the groundwork, shed some light and discussed it, and finally revealed the truth.
However, the official current event was like the extraction of the outline of a wonderful novel, spreading it out in front of readers!
Many things had to be long enough to make them look good so what was the point of just throwing a summary of the story?
However, the official method now was to encourage all players to search for these points in the game and then threw them all out dry!
Players had seen these contents. If Qiao Liang used these materials to make videos, it would become completely different. The players had been spoiled. Many people already knew what you were saying once you wrote it; how could they play like that?
What was even more exaggerated was that the official Weibo directly said 'Struggle is a mirror without a clear theme.'
Wouldn't that be equivalent to admitting that Struggle had no theme?
If Qiao Liang found a suitable theme and explained it in the video, wouldn't that create conflict with the official definition and prove that he was over-interpreting it?
The multiple blows from Boss Pei left Qiao Liang in a state of confusion.
The many ways of interpreting Struggle were all blocked by Boss Pei through mobilizing the masses!
Chapter 642: Struggle is a Textbook for Game Designers
At the same time, He An also saw this post from Tengda's Official Weibo account.
"Strange, what does this Weibo post... mean? The official sources say that there is no theme and that it is only a mirror?
"Ha, how was it possible?!
"Such rhetoric is enough to deceive ordinary players or UP Masters but not professionals like me. This Weibo post should have caused great trouble for many UP Masters who want to interpret Struggle, right?
"There was no helping it. The interpretation of this game had completely exceeded their scope of knowledge. It required very professional game design knowledge to explain it clearly!
"And this Weibo post... seems to be making certain restrictions and distinctions.
"All interpretations of Struggle could now be divided into two parts. One is to interpret the realistic issues reflected in Struggle; the other is to interpret the true meaning from the producer of Struggle.
"And this Weibo post is for all players to participate in the interpretation of the first part. Only professionals like me can see the second part!"
He An did not try to understand this Weibo literally.
The reason was simple. He recognized a simple truth: any creator would have personal opinions in their work. Any artistic work, be it a game or movie, can become a mirror. However, the creator would always have his own ideas projected into it.
In other words, any material after being processed and created in a certain art form would have a personal touch from the creator. It was just a matter of more or less.
Humans were subjective. No one could remain absolutely objective.
It was impossible for the works of this author to not have his personal opinions because that would mean the author had no thinking and his works had no soul.
Struggle was not a work without any soul!
On the surface, this emphasis from the Weibo post was obviously contradictory to the actual contents of the game Struggle.
Something must have gone wrong!
There must be something else hidden since it was not in line with common sense. Ordinary game lovers and UP Masters would not be able to analyze this hidden situation.
Only He An, who had been in the gaming field for many years and had reached the pinnacle of game creation, would analyze it!
As the saying went, 'the connoisseur recognizes the artistry while the layman simply enjoys the show'.
In He An's view, everyone's previous interpretation of Boss Pei's game was only at the level of 'enjoying the show' because the puzzles that Boss Pei set up before were actually in the game itself.
However, this time, the puzzle set up by Boss Pei was in the deep structure of the game, in the integration of the game and reality, and even in the basic theory of the game.
If ordinary game enthusiasts did not understand the basic theory of game production, how was he to analyze it?
That was why he felt at a loss.
Before, He An felt that this game gave him a special feeling. It was clear that none of the four basic theories had been met, and yet he still did not feel like it was a failed game.
Why was that?
He An suddenly recognized a problem after carefully studying the content of this game and compared it with four basic theories. Boss Pei actually strived to violate all four basic theories and rose from the dead! He used a type of great wisdom to give a complete twist!
It seemed to violate all four basic theories, but in fact, it had reached a higher level of all four theories. It directly transcended from 'viewing a mountain as a mountain' to 'viewing it not as a mountain but when one reached it, it was still a mountain'.
After analyzing, He An felt that these contents were really suitable to teach Boss Ma.
That was because the four basic theories were a summary of the experiences of general game makers. However, Boss Pei was the first who broke all four stereotypes in one go!
He An felt that such wonderful content would be too wasted if it was only used to give lectures to Boss Ma. It was worthy of becoming teaching material for all game makers so that all game makers in China could make progress together!
Thinking about it, Boss Pei should also have such deep meaning in making this game.
Therefore, He An decided to explain the content of this course in detail and put it on the internet to teach all game producers a lesson!
Of course, that might not be good for Boss Ma since Boss Ma paid tuition fees.
However, that was alright. At the very most, he would refund Boss Ma! Refund the money for one class and let Boss Ma learn some knowledge at the same time... that was totally okay with him.
He An's lecture was not just for that small tuition fee anyway.
He An began to prepare his analysis on Struggle. To be more precise, it was a subversive game design theory expressed by Boss Pei through the game Struggle.
Moreover, this game design theory could be said to be a spiral transcendence of all game theory designed that He An had spoken about previously. It seemed to have overthrown all the previous basic theories at a higher level, and yet they still coincided with these basic theories.
The title of the article was: "Struggle overturns and surpasses all traditional game design theories!"
At the beginning of the article, He An did not introduce himself because he had his own Weibo account and a large number of players and fans. In the domestic game circle, there were almost no producers who did not know him.
Therefore, he did not need to introduce himself. He only needed to write his content, and there would naturally be countless people to read it and spread it.
...
"I have had unexpected gains playing Struggle recently, which I would like to share with everyone.
"Struggle has completely subverted the traditional game design theory and pushed the theory to a whole new level. Strictly speaking, it is not exactly a game for players. It is more like a textbook, a textbook for all game makers.
"Only game producers, who understood the basic theory of game design, can understand this textbook. Therefore, it is normal for ordinary players to be incapable of seeing through or understanding it... because ordinary players lack sufficient theoretical reserves."
"Next, I will analyze why this game from the perspective of a game maker to why this game could be regarded as teaching material for all game makers.
"First, let's start with this official Weibo post.
"Officially, Struggle is a mirror without any clear thoughts. Many people think that Struggle really does not contain any personal opinions, and any analysis of its inner thoughts is an over-interpretation.
"That is obviously wrong!
"All literary and artistic works in this world are created by people, and they will always project their ideas—no matter whether it was little or a lot. Otherwise, these works could not have been formed.
"It is just like when you want to write a novel. You are writing as the protagonist to make certain choices. What is your basis? Simple emotional instinct? Readers' demands? Or overall intention?
"Undoubtedly, you cannot create a work aimlessly. You will always subconsciously project your own thoughts onto it when you write a plot down.
"Therefore, the official sources might say that Struggle is a mirror, reflecting the state of life. Everyone can see different contents from it, and the official sources did not want to force you to accept a certain value.
"However, since it is a literary and artistic work, Struggle must contain some subconscious of the creator. The only question is... what is it?
"Moreover, this is the key to the game of Struggle, overturning traditional game design theory.
"This game overturned at least four basic theories of game design. Its publicity method is misaligned with the game content. They chose an unfamiliar, unpopular, and thankless game type. Its game content was beyond the ability of most players, making people feel uncomfortable instinctively.
"Its existence did not meet the needs of most players; neither did it serve the purpose of entertainment and relaxation.
"These contents involved some basic theories. Producers are welcome to explain them in detail. I won't repeat them here.
"If a general game violated these four basic principles, then there would be a piece of trash which no one would like. However, many people, including me, would not think that Struggle is a failed game.
"Considering that these are all very basic theories, it is impossible for Boss Pei—as a successful game designer—not to know."
"Therefore, I have reason to think that Boss Pei did this deliberately. He uses this dazzling method to subvert all basic theories and then realize that the integration and unity of all theories at a higher level!
"That is why I say that Struggle can be regarded as a textbook for all game designers because all game designers can learn from it.
"So how does Boss Pei realize the integration and unification of all theories at a higher level?
"This technique has already been used in Repent and be Saved. It is called a game that broke the fourth wall!
"It was just that, in Repent and be Saved, this technique was very obvious. The players with strong perception can experience it after careful considerations. This time, this technique is completely integrated into the game, into the underlying concept of game design, so only those who understand the basic design theory of games can understand it.
"This method of breaking the fourth wall is very progressive.
"First of all, the game's publicity method is to break the fourth wall. Do you remember that the publicity of Struggle is obviously misleading?
"Actually, it is Boss Pei hinting at the truth through this propaganda case: sometimes, deceiving people does not necessarily need lies. Only telling a part of the truth can also deceive people with even better results!
"When Boss Pei was promoting Struggle, he told part truths. On the surface, every one of them seemed to be true, but when combined, they completely change.
"In the game, the protagonist of the rich version emphasized struggles but actually only told past truths. He himself did not clearly recognize this. His success is indeed related to his struggle. However, if he did not have his father's education and abundant resources, could he have achieved such success? Obviously not.
"Therefore, players think that Boss Pei is a scammer; the poor person in the game who killed the rich also thinks that the rich man is a liar.
"If you understand this, then it is not difficult to understand why the poor man would mention 'liar' at the end. On the surface, it seemed that the rich man spoke about struggles and all he said were true because they were all his personal experience.
"However, it was only partially true so the misleading power it had on people was so terrifying. That was why the poor man who killed him was so angry.
"Secondly, the expression of the game also broke through the dimensional wall.
"The game is entirely based on the social reality of the United States. The details of the lives of rich and poor were shown exactly as they are in reality. The process of playing the game will naturally have a very close connection with reality.
"We would think that the protagonist of either the rich or the poor is like a living person who exists in reality. It is completely reasonable for such a story to happen.
"The large amount of details added to the game allows everyone to see the shadow of reality from the game and see what has happened to them so the content of the game is highly integrated with reality.
"A thousand Hamlets had been shaped in the hearts of a thousand readers.
"Finally, the content that the game market really wanted to express is also hidden in the game. If you can find it, you will understand. That also breaks the dimension wall!
"How many people have noticed that luxurious logo that appeared throughout?
"How many people have noticed the opportunity for the poor to change their destiny actually exists in reality, but in the game, they are completely derived from it?"
Chapter 643: The Highest Peak of the Art of Domestically-Produced Standalone Game
"So, what does the game maker really want to express?
"It is actually very easy to distinguish.
"The reality problem reflected in the game, which is the content in the official Weibo post, is that it has the role of the mirror. It reproduced the elements of reality so that everyone could see reality with it.
"However, if it were to fully mirror reality, then obviously, documentaries would be a better choice of medium to show the contents to everyone more objectively.
"Yet, 'Struggle' is a game. The reason why such a format is chosen... is because the producer could combine the content that he wanted to express with the game mechanism!
"Therefore, those parts integrated with the game machine implied through this 'mirror' are the true intention of the game producer!
"Next, there are a series of questions and answers. These questions are the irrationality that the producer left in the game. It is precisely because of that irrationality that they are puzzles.
"Everyone can think about the meaning behind them.
"[1] Why is the game divided into the poor and the rich versions, priced separately, and stipulated that the purchases could not be discounted together?
"On the one hand, pricing itself is a kind of art—to emphasize that there was no second chance in life for example. We can choose in games, but we cannot choose our old lives. On the other hand, the poor are encouraged to buy the rich version. The producers encouraged the poor to buy the rich version so that they could truly substitute for each other's living environment.
"In the game, the living environment of the poor and the rich are so different that they can no longer understand each other.
"The protagonist of the rich asked: 'Why can't the poor spend time with their children? Could they be busier than the President of a large company?'
"This is because the protagonist of the rich had never brought himself into the situation of the poor so it is impossible to understand why the poor at the bottom cannot control their own time...
"The protagonist of the poor believed that as long as you struggled, you will get a better life, learn from good people, and change the thinking of the poor. By then, you will be able to change your life.
"That was because the poor could only see the efforts advocated by the rich. However, they often overlooked the blessings provided by the massive resources behind the rich. Many rich people preach that 'wealth beyond hard work is zero' and that they started from scratch. The poor believed it, why? It is because the poor cannot have the rich people's thinking, educational background, etc.—which benefited the rich.
"The murderer thought that the rich man was a liar... because he originally believed in the rich and later realized that the rich only told part truth.
"Therefore, this pricing strategy itself encouraged the poor and the rich to experience each other's lives in the games, step out of their cognitive blind spots, and look at this issue from a more comprehensive perspective.
"This approach is to break the dimensional wall and use real-life decisions to determine your experience in the game. This approach can only be achieved by expressing this art in the game.
"[2] Why use the English name Struggle?
"This is precisely the brilliance of language. If it is just to simply express the meaning, then 'fight' or 'strive' would obviously be better. These two words are more positive and in time with the original meaning.
"But the word 'struggle' not only means to fight or strive. Combined with the background story in English, it is easy to find the pun: the rich are striving while the poor are struggling.
"Looking back at the Chinese translation of the word 'fighting' after understanding it will add a layer of irony. You know that, even though it is all a struggle, the struggles of the rich and poor are hardly the same thing.
"The struggles of the rich are in the ethereal cloud. You can only fight if you fly up. If you don't want to fight, you can lie down and roll. However, no matter how you struggle, you will still be in amongst the clouds...
"However, the struggle of the poor is always sinking into the quagmire, and hard work is just to prevent oneself from falling any deeper. Once they stop struggling, they will be swallowed by the quagmire.
"[3] Why are the characters in the game so lacking in individuality?
"When playing games, everyone would find that the rich are handsome and glamorous while different poor people are in line without stereotypes of such people.
"The style of the game exaggerated the appearance, demeanor, and expression of each character so that they no longer look like the faces of real people.
"This obviously was not in line with the theme of the game because the realism theme wanted to highlight the sense of reality. It must be as real as possible, and the facial features and exaggerated art would weaken this sense of reality.
"On the one hand, it weakened the player's discomfort; on the other hand, it always allowed players not to indulge in the perspective of the character itself. To look at these issues with a higher dimension and a more detached mentality.
"The facial makeup was the highly condensed image of each character. At the same time, it also symbolizes that the story of Struggle is the highly condensed story of many stories.
"In the game, each face is used to represent a certain type of person, and the game also uses the lives of a rich and a poor person to reflect the lives of the poor and the rich.
"It was the same with publicity. It was obviously an implicit expression full of symbolism.
"[4] Why does the game only have one ending and cannot be changed?
"The rich will be killed no matter how they choose. The poor will fall into a poverty cycle no matter how they choose.
"At the beginning, I thought this is fatalistic thinking, implying that you cannot change your own destiny no matter how hard you worked.
"But I quickly realized that this is clearly wrong.
"The reason is very simple... because the producer of this game, Boss Pei, is not a person who believes in fatalism!
"I have never met Boss Pei myself, but anyone who knows the inside story knows that Boss Pei is different from the protagonist of the rich man in the game. He really started from scratch!
"From 'The Lonely Desert Road' to successful games and then industries, we have witnessed the rise of Tengda in the past two years. No matter how hard we worked, we have not been able to find any signs of capital intervention. All signs indicate that Boss Pei is someone who was born in an ordinary working-class who took things one step at a time.
"Boss Pei is someone who changed his life entirely on his own. How is it possible for him to preach about fate?
"It is like a student who studies diligently and took 100 points in every test but tells you that studying every day is useless; would you believe it?
"If you use your brain a little, then you will know that this view is totally unfounded!
"Then why does the game only have one ending and cannot be changed?
"As I said before, the lives of a poor man and a rich man are used to reflect such lives.
"Everyone's life is different. The difference between people of the similar class is also huge. Once there are multiple endings, it will dilute the thoughts that the game wants to express.
"The game imposed a unique outcome for the poor and the rich. There are two considerations.
"First, like most stories and movies, a single ending can ensure the integrity of the entire story and allow the creator's ideas to be expressed.
"If you don't limit the ending, you will not be able to make the beginning and the end echo with each other.
"The kind rich people ended in tragedy and the kind poor people also ended in tragedy. The story will be tenser. If a happy ending is used, the tension of the entire story will be diluted, and the ideas that the creator wanted to express will be going off-track.
"Second, this is a more advanced form of 'fatalism'. It does not emphasize that people cannot change their own destiny but emphasize that, in this social environment, a certain individual's choice cannot change the entire class.
"It is possible for the rich to die or enjoy their twilight years, and many of them would enjoy their twilight years. However, the hatred between the classes has been established and the hatred of the poor for the rich is irreversible so 'kill the rich' will become an inevitable event—the difference is 'who killed the rich' and 'which rich was killed'.
"The poor may counterattack and become rich, or they may go bankrupt and become beggars. However, the relationship between the rich and poor remains unchanged. Like in a game, if the poor are always exploited by the rich in various ways, then the poor will always be poor. Even with individual exceptions, the perspective of the entire group... will become increasingly unsolvable.
"Therefore, the game deliberately locked the ending, letting us open up various branches in the game over and over again, make different choices, look for two versions of the hidden plot... but in the end, nothing was changed.
"Why can't we change the ending? The game machine is restricting us.
"And by extension, the poor in the game cannot change his life through struggles because the game mechanics of the entire society restricts him.
"Here, the dimensional wall of the game is broken again. In a certain game rule—no matter how hard you work, you will not become a real winner.
"[5] There is only one clothing brand that repeatedly appeared in the game. What does this mean?
"Many people should have seen the luxury brand, which is that golden 'LL' logo. This is the only brand that appeared throughout the game, which was controlled by the protagonist's father and inherited by the protagonist. It has also appeared on many characters.
"From the perspective of the game, a player's memory is very limited. You might be confused if there are two brands so the best way is to make only one brand representing luxury goods. The ones without the label are ordinary products. This is the basic idea of game design: Occam's Razor Law[1] which expresses something in the most concise way.
"But this expression is very magically integrated into all aspects of the game. It is just not a decoration.
"Have you noticed the biggest difference between the rich and the poor version? In the rich version—no matter what you choose, you will only change from one kind of success to another. In the poor version, you have limited choices. You will immediately fall and be ushered faster into the poverty cycle if you made any mistake.
"What is the difference between them? In fact, the hint was given in the game, and it lied in the numbers.
"For the poor, it is a lifetime of long series of numbers because you have to calculate carefully. Once one number is wrong, it will trigger a chain reaction which will cause the entire chain to collapse instantly. All previous efforts would be grounded to zero then.
"Now, look towards the rich. No matter what he chooses—no matter how much money he spent, there will always be more money and resources.
"Therefore, the game mechanism had been controlling the money in the game, constantly 'setting the struggling poor man back to the right track', trying to clear his money back to zero, and finally ushering in the only ending.
"Why do poor people continue to spend more money as their income grows? Some people think that it is because many poor people lack financial awareness and are brainwashed by consumerism. However, we must pay attention to the fact that there are many expenditures in the game that we have no right to choose.
"For example, why did the poor man need to spend one month's pay to purchase a luxury suit, a belt, and a briefcase? Does he really need these things? Can he really not use the cheaper items?
"Yes, he really needs them.
"Because in the game environment, if he were to wear cheap clothes, he would be outcast by his colleagues and others around him. He will never be able to integrate into that circle.
"That is why so many people want to maintain their 'face'... because it is just not a matter of face, but a real issue of self-interest.
"That's right, this is what we know as consumerism.
"And this brand, luxury, is the condensation of consumerism; it is a concrete symbol.
"In the game, both the poor and the rich wear this brand. The only ones who did not wear it were the homeless.
"Once the poor protagonist finds a better job, he must use luxury items, live in better houses, and drive better cars. Because if you don't do that, the people around you would use malicious or well-intended means to remind you.
"Malicious people will stay away from you, repel you, and prevent you from entering certain circles. Well-meaning people will remind you and tell you why you need these things.
"Therefore, no matter whether you are the protagonist or a player, you have no choice. This is another design that broke walls.
"You are very angry because you obviously made the right choice but are still unable to save money. Mes, the poor protagonist in the game feels the same in the game.
"What's even more ironic is that the protagonist of the rich never wears luxury. Is that because he is more disciplined? No.
"That is because he is the son of the President of Luxury. He has a private racecourse. So what if he did not wear it? No one will have any doubt if he can afford it or not. It is normal for him to wear it to support his own family brand. Not wearing it would afford him the virtue of simplicity.
"The rules and regulations that bind the poor do not exist for the rich because no matter what the rich choose, it will become a virtue under the blessing of a certain halo effect.
"If you think a little deeper, the rich might not be wearing luxury, but they are using the brand to harvest high profits from the poor indefinitely. The rich desperately advocate consumerism and the quality of luxury goods. It makes you feel like you can have the same life as the rich if you use it. The entire group had formed a consensus that will spontaneously reject the poor who cannot afford it. That in itself creates a cage for the poor where the rules cannot be broken. The rich wishes no matter how they choose.
"It is like playing dice. The poor are fighting with luck while the rich profit no matter how they rolled.
"[6] Does the game really only have two classes?"
"Obviously not.
"I believe many people are trying their best to find the connection between the rich and the poor protagonists. They may even feel that the rich protagonist was killed by the poor protagonist or his son.
"But the game denies this point with all their might. You cannot find any connection between the rich and the poor.
"Why? Because this is not a complete closed loop.
"There is actually a third class in the game which is the 'homeless'. You will find that it is the link that connects the entire closed loop, and it actually runs through the game and is everywhere.
"In the beginning and the ending of the rich version, those who held the protagonist's mother hostage and killed the protagonist were the homeless.
"In the beginning and ending of the poor version, the protagonist's father worked hard to keep the protagonist from becoming a homeless person so the protagonist is grateful to his father; the protagonist struggles for the rest of his life and deceives his son to continue his fight, all so that both him and his children would not become homeless.
"Like my previous analogy, in this game, not only the poor would struggle in the quagmire. The homeless are completely swallowed up at the bottom of the quagmire.
"The poor had been telling us from the beginning that these people at the bottom of the quagmire are dropouts from sh*thole high schools, prisoners in the prison, beggars, and mentally ill people in the subways. A tramp who can only live on the streets for a lifetime.
"Once the poor give up, they will become homeless so they have to struggle in the quagmire. You might not be able to climb up if you struggle, but you will definitely sink if you don't.
"The faster you give up, the faster you sink.
"Therefore, why did the protagonist say that to his child? Didn't he know that he was deceived by his father's lie all his life?
"Perhaps, he has this mentality of chance that his child will be different; maybe he just had to tell this lie.
"Because if he were to tell the child that there was no use in struggling, then his child would also sink deeper down and become a member of the homeless. The protagonist knew exactly how tragic that life would be.
"Therefore, the poor protagonist had no choice but to tell his child to struggle. If you look at the results, such a fight was meaningless because you will not be able to better yourself; but you know that it is meaningful if you were to look at the bottom of the quagmire as it would keep you from sinking at the very least.
"As for the rich?
"The rich protagonist almost died when he was born, but he still did not believe what his father said. He knew poor friends. He worked hard to write a book to help the poor change their destiny.
"But he did not realize that it was not the poor who kidnapped his mother but the homeless. It was not the poor that killed him, it was the homeless. He could make friends with the poor in college, but he would not take another look at the beggars in the subway.
"Therefore, he thinks that the rich and poor can become friends; that is correct. However, he did not realize or understand that the two different classes were actually the rich and the homeless. The poor only managed to pop out of the quagmire; they were the ones that he could see. However, he could not see more people rotting under the quagmire—being so high above."
"The most ironic thing is that what made the poor homeless is exactly because of the rules of the game set by the rich.
"Therefore, the homeless person said that the rich protagonist is a liar because, in the eyes of the homeless person, this person took everything away from him while advocating for them to struggle.
"And this is something the rich protagonist will never understand.
"[7] In the game, there is only one relationship between the rich and the poor. How many relationships did Boss Pei want to express between the rich and the poor then?
"This is the last question, which is the final content that game makers want to express after combining all the above details.
"In fact, Boss Pei has already stated his stand on this.
"Does everyone remember the movie 'Tomorrow is Beautiful'? It has a more tragic setting than Struggle.
"It is conceivable that the society in Struggle will become the society in Tomorrow is Beautiful within a few decades.
"In 'Tomorrow is Beautiful', there was an Easter egg at the end. Someone threw a gun into the protagonist's room. The implication is obvious: when social conflicts reach the level as in Tomorrow is Beautiful, the poor would have only one choice.
"And in Struggle, there were no similar choices because the environment they described is different, and the focus to be expressed will be different.
"Violent resistance does not cure all diseases. It is not the best choice in any situation. In the environment of 'Tomorrow is Beautiful', this may be an option; but there was no such option in 'Struggle'.
"Then, is there a third situation?
"There is, in fact, it is in our reality.
"The poor did not have a channel to rise to better lives, but in reality, we do.
"In the game, the poor cannot fight consumerism, but we can actually fight it in reality.
"In reality, most people do not actually define a person by their clothing and luxury goods—other than those deeply influenced by consumerism.
"Therefore, solutions that did not exist in games do exist in reality.
"In the game, the poor have no choice but to continuously improve their consumption level. Eventually, an unexpected factor causes a number of errors in a certain link, and everything collapses and returns to zero.
"But in reality, we have a choice. We can reject consumerism, continue to save money, and complete the initial wealth accumulation—change our own destinies through struggle.
"Those with hands and feet... work hard and get rich. You will then get rid of the quagmire.
"No one tells the rich and poor what they should do in the game.
"But in reality, someone is telling us what we should do. The game 'Struggle' is a way to break the dimensional wall and tell us what we should do.
"It actually tells us that we should work hard in the real world because our current struggle is meaningful.
"A lot of people complain that we are living in hell because we have not seen the real hell.
"And now, seeing the world in Struggle, we will realize that, in fact, we are already living in heaven.
"This heaven might not be so perfect, but at least we are still filled with hope.
"Many players did not have a good understanding of the plots in the game because the plots do not fit our real life. There would be a distant feeling and feel that the choices of the characters are very weird.
"And this proves that what we think are common things are actually a type of happiness.
"Playing the game 'Struggle' makes us realize the happiness of real life and encourages us to cherish the present and work hard. This is the profound meaning of game producers in making this game.
"For all game producers, 'Struggle' is a textbook level work because it repeatedly breaks the dimension wall in various ways. It truly expresses the biggest advantage of the game as the ninth art. You are just a bystander in the game while you are a participant.
"And many things can only be seen clearly from the perspective of the participants.
Such a method of repeatedly breaking the dimensional wall represented the producer's ability to control the art of the game had reached the peak and perfection. Every detail had its own meaning.
"So, going back to the original question...
"How does 'Struggle' transcend these four basic theories on the premise that they seem to violate them?
"Choosing a misplaced publicity method is to break the dimensional wall and make the publicity method a part of the game content...
"Choosing a realism theme for an interactive movie game may seem to be unpopular, but it actually provides convenience for breaking the dimension wall and builds a bridge between the game and reality...
"The private goods contained in the game can make people feel uncomfortable at first glance, but the deeper you dig, the more you can be inspired. Suffering in the game will be able to give you a sense of happiness in reality...
"Its existence is not to dig for needs, but to create needs. In fact, most people do not realize that we need to understand these principles to live our lives. We will suddenly realize that we need this game after understanding all these...
"Therefore, I feel that Struggle is the highest level of art for domestically-produced standalone games. It is a precious spiritual wealth."
...
He An felt like he still had much to say after the last full stop.
He seemed to have so much more to say.
In fact, there were many details in the game Struggle that could be expanded to another hundreds or thousands of words.
However, He An decided to stop there because the attitude on Tengda's official Weibo account had been very clear.
The reason why the game was all-encompassing had had countless details because it had the function of a 'mirror'. Analyzing these details was actually analyzing reality which, in reality, was endless.
These should be completed by all the players on Weibo.
Moreover, He An felt that his mission was to stand in the perspective of a game designer, analyze the top design concepts in the games, and drive the progress of the entire domestic game industry. At the same time, analyze the deep layers that game markers wanted to express in the game.
It was just nice for him to end here.
Therefore, He An checked the content of the entire Weibo post before pressing the send button.
The content was long and a little boring.
Those who had never played games might think that it was meaningless preaching, but those who have played games should be able to resonate.
He An felt that that was precisely where the charm of the game lied.
The sugar coating on the outside of the medical pill might not look much. It could not really cure the disease, but it could make it less painful for the patient to take the pill.
Sugar would not be able to cure.
The medical pill alone would not be able to be swallowed by many.
The sugar-coated pills really helped some people, which was exactly what He An had pursued after in his life as a game designer.
Just like how The Landlord Game he once produced also achieved this goal.
He might have experienced the catastrophe of domestic standalone games during this period and had to switch to online games for the company's survival, but in his heart, he had always regarded this as his mission and pursuit.
He An had never given up on this pursuit even if his ideas were outdated, even if he could no longer make titles like The Landlord Game. He would try to pass on this spirit of pursuit even when he was teaching.
Right now, 'Struggle' has now completely surpassed The Landlord Game in all aspects.
That went to show that the domestically-produced standalone game really had a leader now. He An felt very heartened to know that.
He might not have met Boss Pei, but he knew that Boss Pei was his soulmate through the interactions in the game.
"My contents for teaching would be completed once I tell Boss Ma...
"The previous four basic theories have been overthrown and completely reshaped. They now fit perfectly on a higher level.
"'Struggle' is a comprehensive transcendence and in-depth interpretation of The Landlord Game, which explains what a truly responsible and ambitious game producer should do.
"Boss Ma will definitely be inspired after listening to these contents, right?"
[1] This law means 'nothing should be multiplied unnecessarily'.
Chapter 644: Teacher Qiao Refuses to Withdraw from the Battlefield!
At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe...
"Teacher Qiao, are you sure you won't appear in the video or have your name in the credits?" Zhu Xiaoce asked.
Qiao Liang nodded. "Yes, there is no need. Your studio is very professional. I just gave a few suggestions; I have no credits in it at all."
Zhu Xiaoce shook his head. "Teacher Qiao, you are too humble. As a senior UP Master, your ability to control the audience's psychology is indeed a strong point. The version we considered previously is not something they would want to see. It is indeed much better when we change your suggestion.
"However, if you insist on not being on the credits, we must respect your decision."
Qiao Liang's attitude was very firm. "Yes, thank you."
Zhu Xiaoce stood up and said. "Okay, then I will go back to the studio to edit the film. You've worked hard during this period, thank you very much!"
"It is all part of my responsibility. It is everyone's responsibility to expose such garbage companies!" Qiao Liang replied with a smile.
Qiao Liang returned to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe again and sat back in his seat after he sent Zhu Xiaoce out.
During this period, Qiao Liang had been helping Zhu Xiaoce to produce a video to expose the formaldehyde-filled rooms in Home Corporation. However, he had neither appeared in the video nor participated in the shooting and its post-production.
That was because Qiao Liang discovered that Fei Huang Workspace was professional after all. Whether it was equipment or shooting techniques, it was far better than him being his own UP Master, which was really nothing that he could intervene.
However, Fei Huang Workspace's original plan also had some problems.
Fei Huang Workspace used to shoot short videos, documentaries, and movies so it is more inclined to produce content efficiently and concisely. The method of storytelling would undoubtedly be the pinnacle.
However, the subject of this video this time was actually more like an evaluation, showcasing their opinion. At this time, the audience's acceptance level had to be considered. The original plan of Fei Huang Workspace did not consider it.
When Qiao Liang made videos, he would take care of the audience's feelings, expressed his attitude to the most acceptable level, and resonated with everyone.
Therefore, Qiao Liang simply corrected some details so that this video could be more grounded on the basis of objectively revealing the facts.
Volunteers had been found across the country. The staff of Fei Huang Workspace had contacted professional testing agencies and flew over to shoot the videos. The materials would be edited and released three or four days after they have been shot.
On the other hand, Qiao Liang suddenly felt lost after he was done helping out with the video.
Originally, he stayed in Jingzhou, intending to think carefully about what was missing in the Thriller Hostel.
However, he did not have a clue even after thinking for so long.
He heard that 'Struggle' was on sale so he went to play it but had yet to figure out what to do with a new video yet. The official Weibo post blocked Qiao Liang's road.
This was disastrous!
Qiao Liang had given up on using 'Products of the Gods' to explain 'Struggle', but he still did not know what the Thriller Hostel lacked! Qiao Liang really wanted to ask Boss Pei about it.
For some unknown reason, that was a feeling of being deceived inexplicably.
If it was not because Qiao Liang trusted Boss Pei wholeheartedly, he would have thought that Boss Pei was a liar.
He opened his fan page, wanting to see what people were discussing.
"Old Qiao, come out quickly! Something big happened; someone is snatching your rice bowl!"
"Look at this Weibo post; it is now going viral online!"
"Is this He An famous?"
"He is not only well-known, but he is also a mountain in the domestically-produced standalone game circle. The Landlord Game was made by him! Such a boss actually came out to interpret Tengda's game. I think Teacher Qiao is about to lose his job."
"Tengda is really famous now!"
"I think this is a basic operation. The official website has been crazy blowing about 'The National Hero of Games'. What is so weird about having veteran game designers praising it a little?"
"A little? Look at the wall of text—is that a little?!"
Qiao Liang was stunned looking at his fans' heated discussion.
What did this mean?
What do you mean by I am about to lose my rice bowl?
Scrolling the chat history, Qiao Liang found a Weibo link. He saw that long post from He An after clicking it.
Qiao Liang's first reaction was shock while his second reaction was dissatisfaction.
Someone was actually taking my business!
After the previous Tengda Games was released, Qiao Liang's Products of the Gods was always the first to interpret its meaning and was also the best.
He could not give a 100% answer to Boss Pei's true intentions, but he had at least given up to 80%. No one could surpass it.
As a standalone game UP Master, Qiao Liang had certainly heard of He An's name. It was no exaggeration to say that he grew up playing He An's games.
However, He An had retired from this world for many years. In the early days of the emergence of national games. Several of his standalone games were indeed a sensation by then, but he had gradually faded out of players' sight after he switched to online games.
Qiao Liang was not convinced. The veteran was indeed a veteran, but you have not touched standalone games for more than 10 years, right?
Moreover, this Weibo post by Boss Pei had completely blocked many interpretations. You would undoubtedly fall behind if you were to just repeat the analysis from that of the other players.
You could steal my rice bowl even in this case?
I, Teacher Qiao, would rather die than to believe it.
However, that was just his opinion. He proceeded to click open the long Weibo post and read it carefully from start to end.
Qiao Liang was completely convinced after reading it.
There were only three words left in his mind: Dimensionality Reduction Attack!
Especially what He An said at the beginning of his long Weibo post: "This game is a textbook for game makers. If you don't have professional knowledge of game production, you may not understand it."
It was referring to Qiao Liang himself in his point of view!
As expected, a veteran would always be a veteran.
As a veteran game enthusiast, Qiao Liang had always despised these game makers previously and felt that these mediocre game makers were nothing more than that. Their understanding of games might not be deeper than his own.
However, he was totally wrong, seeing what he saw today.
He really could not use his own hobbies to challenge others' jobs. There was still a huge gap between amateurs and professionals after all.
Of course, humans were always prone to making mistakes. When professionals make mistakes, people would look at them as though they were not as good as amateurs. However, professionals have proven that they could definitely do much better than amateurs since they could make it their jobs.
He An's analysis made Qiao Liang understand the truth. The official Weibo post by Boss Pei did not block all his roads. It blocked all other roads, leaving only one.
This was the true way of interpretation for the true meaning of the game 'Struggle'!
It was just that Qiao Liang did not realize it since he lacked professional knowledge in the game.
Let's look at how He An analyzed it?
He directly used a basic theory of literary and artistic creation. He solved the labyrinth that Qiao Liang could not get out of thinking hard.
"No one will create a literary work aimlessly; any literary work will more or less project some of the author's inner thoughts."
Therefore, he found a thread end in the messy web and managed to have everything proceed smoothly!
Qiao Liang felt it was a pity while worshiping the big boss.
It would be great he could make a video for this issue!
Big Boss He An wrote the truth, but there was limited influence since it was a long Weibo post.
Society is relatively more impulsive nowadays. All sorts of things on the internet were frantically competing for people's attention. A wall of text was less popular as compared to those with videos that had pictures, sounds, and special effects.
It would surely be able to spread on a large scale if made into a video.
Of course, if Qiao Liang had contacted He An on Weibo and asked him to authorize himself to make a video with a detailed explanation of the game Struggle, it should be feasible.
However, Qiao Liang was too embarrassed to do so.
Where would he find his pride if Products of the Gods used others' manuscripts?
Qiao Liang was usually jolly and looked like a heartless fat ass, but he had extremely high requirements for himself in terms of game-related content. That was his pride.
There would always be a sense of picking others' wisdom using others' manuscripts to make videos even with others' consent.
Therefore, Qiao Liang considered it for a short while but dismissed it.
This time, he really failed. It was completely crushed by the dimensionality reduction attack by Big Boss He An.
It became clear to him after he read the answer. He had no clue about it at all. He had to admit that he was just not good enough.
This was because only by objectively admitting that one's strengths were lacking that one could make improvements.
If someone was always jealous seeing that others were better than them. They would never be able to improve if they always feel that they were alright.
Therefore, Qiao Liang closed the long Weibo post with a complicated mood and calmly accepted the fact that he had failed again.
Eh, why the word 'again'?
Hmm... obviously, the video for Thriller Hostel had already failed once. It was not a very big failure, but it did not manage to get it very popular. It was a definite failure for the demanding Teacher Qiao.
This gave Qiao Liang, who had always been very confident, a blow.
"Eh, wait a moment...
"Speaking of the video, Boss Pei personally told me that I will be able to find what is missing in the video if I were to give up interpreting Struggle with the Products of the Gods.
"I have given up—given up completely, but I still have no idea what is missing!
"Could Boss Pei be lying to me?
"Impossible!
"There must be something missing since Boss Pei himself said that!"
Qiao Liang opened He An's long Weibo post again and read it carefully.
He felt that he could use this long Weibo post as the key to the interpretation of 'Struggle' or even as a textbook to get new inspirations!
The battle was not over yet; Teacher Qiao refused to withdraw from it!