Chapter 7: Can This Even Be Called a Game?
The one-hour game experience time was up.
The host walked to the front of the stage.
"Alright, the game experience time is over! I wonder if all the audience members have found a game they like?"
"Now, the competition moves to the next phase. First, let's take a look at the results achieved by these twenty games. Please direct your attention to the big screen."
The audience looked up at the big screen, which displayed the total playtime and recommendation count for each of the twenty games.
The crowd erupted in uproar!
"No way, this is fake, right?"
"This... this game is so ridiculous? Are they crazy?"
"How can the data be this far apart?"
"Are you blind! Host, is there some kind of rigging going on?!"
On the big screen, everyone's eyes were drawn to the data for "Flappy Bird." It clearly showed: total playtime 349 hours, recommendation count 544!
Meanwhile, the second-place game, "Hunter Island," only had a total playtime of 92 hours and a recommendation count of 330!
The host was stunned too. He had just learned these numbers himself, and like the audience, his first reaction was that the data must be wrong!
The three judges exchanged glances, also finding it hard to believe the data.
What did this data mean? The total number of audience members present was 700, and these people had spent an average of half an hour on this game!
Out of 700 people, 544 were willing to share this game with others to play.
This data was simply outrageous!
Chen Mo wasn't too surprised, though. This result was basically within his expectations.
In reality, "Flappy Bird" wasn't a game that was particularly addictive; on the contrary, it was quite self-torturing. If this game were listed on an app store for players to try, most people would probably close it after five minutes.
But here, the audience was at the design competition site. "Flappy Bird's" competitors weren't mature game works but rather poorly made entry-level games.
The other works basically couldn't hold the audience's attention for long. So, most of the audience ended up coming back to try and beat their scores, and some particularly persistent players spent all their time on "Flappy Bird" trying to get high scores.
As a result, it was perfectly normal for "Flappy Bird" to rack up so much playtime.
The host pressed his earpiece and whispered a few words. After a moment, he looked up and said to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, I've just confirmed with the technical staff backstage. The data is correct. These are the final results for the twenty games."
The crowd still buzzed with commotion.
Many audience members still didn't believe "Flappy Bird" could achieve such results, especially those who felt nothing for the game and closed it immediately after trying it.
However, most of the audience accepted the fact.
"Is this game really that impressive? With such simple pixel art and such basic gameplay, it actually came in first? And by that much over second place!"
"What's so strange about that? Think about how much time you spent on this game yourself."
"...About forty minutes."
"I spent nearly an hour! I was so focused on beating my score that I'm still a bit dizzy."
"Yeah, every time I close my eyes, I see that stupid bird hopping around, and I can't help wanting to tap it..."
"Look, there are nearly six hundred people on this leaderboard. The top two hundred all have scores over 20, and there are plenty with scores of forty or fifty. Think about how long you'd have to play to get a score of 20?"
"Well... at least twenty minutes... If your touch isn't good, you might not even succeed in an hour."
"So there you go. That's the real data."
"True... This game is insane..." Even the skeptics in the audience began to waver.
The host cleared his throat twice. "Alright, since the technical staff have confirmed the results are valid, our current first place is Designer No. 7's work, 'Flappy Bird'!"
"Next up is the judges' commentary segment. After the commentary, the audience will have another round of recommendations."
The host paused and continued, "One thing I need to remind everyone: currently, 'Flappy Bird' leads in both playtime and recommendation count. According to the rules, each recommendation from a player is equivalent to 30 minutes of playtime. This means that only if 'Hunter Island' surpasses 'Flappy Bird' by 438 recommendations can it contend for first place."
"Now, let's invite the three judges to share their thoughts."
The host raised his hand, signaling the judges to begin.
The three judges exchanged glances. Qiu Hengyang said to Shi Huazhe, "Senior, please go first."
All three were B-level designers from different companies, so there was no hierarchy. Since Shi Huazhe was the oldest, Lin Hai and Qiu Hengyang showed him respect by letting him speak first.
Shi Huazhe's face was ashen. He pulled the microphone on the table closer to his mouth and cleared his throat in a low, gruff voice.
"Can this even be called a game?! I absolutely do not agree! If this counts as a game, then doesn't that mean anyone and everyone can develop games?!"
"Does a street performer count as a singer?!"
"Does a graffiti artist on a wall count as a painter?!"
"If you add a few extra line breaks to an essay, does that make you a modern poet?!"
"This is nonsense!"
Shi Huazhe was clearly furious, even slamming his knuckles hard on the table.
"First of all, this game has no story, its gameplay is monotonous, its graphics are crude, and its controls are terrible! So I say, as a game, its production quality is a failure!"
"Secondly, this game completely exploits a loophole. It forces players to compare scores and triggers their gambling mentality, artificially stretching the playtime!"
"So, all these numbers you see—playtime, recommendations—they're all fake! Why? Because it's taking a crooked path!"
"Given this, my stance is clear. I firmly oppose this game becoming the first-place winner!"
After speaking, Shi Huazhe pushed the microphone aside, breathing heavily.
"Good! Well said, Teacher Shi!"
Someone shouted, and the audience burst into laughter.
The shout came from among the contestants, most likely the creator of "Hunter Island."
Chen Mo calmly unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a sip. Shi Huazhe's reaction was within his expectations.
Clearly, Shi Huazhe strongly disliked this kind of game because he was bad at it and couldn't appreciate the fun of chasing high scores.
And Chen Mo's super focus device had forced Shi Huazhe to suffer through ten minutes of torture in this game. It was only natural that he was holding a grudge.
The host clearly hadn't expected Shi Huazhe to be so angry. He quickly shifted the topic: "Alright, Teacher Shi Huazhe has shared his views. Next, Teacher Lin Hai."
Lin Hai looked conflicted, glancing at Shi Huazhe and then at "Flappy Bird." He hesitated for a moment before turning on his microphone.
"As for this game... I agree with Teacher Shi Huazhe on one point: its gameplay isn't very rich, and its quality isn't particularly high. From a quality standpoint, it doesn't really deserve first place in this competition."
Lin Hai paused and then changed his tone: "But... since it has achieved these results, with decent playtime and recommendation numbers, it shows that the players approve of it. So, I'll reserve my judgment and leave the final decision to the audience."