Chapter 23: A Day Without Any Customers
Chen Mo sat at the bar on the first floor, giving him a clear view of any customers outside the shop.
He had also moved his laptop to the bar counter. Since no customers were coming, he continued playing *Plants vs. Zombies*, checking to see if there was anything that needed modification.
Chen Mo had been developing this game for over three months, from the end of August all the way to December, and it was almost winter now.
The weather outside had turned cold; pedestrians were all wearing long pants and jackets. Today, however, the weather was pretty good, with no wind, making it perfect for going out.
Chen Mo played *Plants vs. Zombies* for an hour without finding any issues. He stood up and took a walk around the first floor of the experience center.
No customers were coming. It was a bit frustrating.
Chen Mo opened a can of cola and sat back down at the bar.
Just then, he remembered that *Flappy Bird* had already passed its free trial period. From now on, he could officially put the game up on the app market.
Chen Mo planned to launch *Flappy Bird* and *Plants vs. Zombies* together, and use the ad space in *Flappy Bird* to promote *Plants vs. Zombies*.
In reality, the peak popularity of *Flappy Bird* was in the first few months after its release. Now, three months had passed. Many players who were interested in the game had already played it, the hype was gradually fading, and they wouldn't keep playing it forever. So, launching it now, *Flappy Bird* probably wouldn't make much money.
As for how much money Chen Mo had missed out on, it was hard to estimate. During the free trial phase, all the game data was with the competition organizers. Chen Mo himself didn't know how many times *Flappy Bird* had generated ads.
"Forget it, let's just consider it building up some good karma," he thought.
Although he felt like he had missed out on several hundred million, Chen Mo quickly let it go. There would be plenty of other opportunities to make money in the future; there was no need to rush.
Just then, a young woman arrived at the entrance of the experience center, looking around.
She was dressed quite casually—a thin jacket and denim jeans. She looked a bit older than Chen Mo, probably around 26 years old. She was quite pretty, with her hair tied back in a long ponytail, giving off a somewhat androgynous, very capable vibe.
Chen Mo greeted her, "Hello."
The woman stood at the door, looking at the shop's sign, then at the setup inside. "Are you a game designer? Is this a game experience center?"
Chen Mo nodded. "Yes."
The woman patted her chest. "Oh, good. For a second, I thought it was a newly opened internet café. Had me worried for nothing."
Chen Mo: "?"
The woman walked into the shop and explained, "Oh, I'm the owner of the 'Fingertip Web' internet café around the corner. I came to scope out the competition."
Seriously, so she wasn't a player, but a fellow business owner!
Chen Mo was a bit speechless. This woman ran an internet café herself, so she definitely wasn't here to try out games. She was just checking to see if his shop was a café or an experience center, and whether it would steal her business.
The woman smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. But since this isn't a café, it's an experience center, then it's no problem. We're neighbors now, so we can visit each other from time to time."
Internet cafés and experience centers had similar functions, but they weren't in direct competition. In an experience center, players could only play the works of that specific designer, essentially offering early access.
Designers generally wouldn't put other games in their centers, nor would they allow players to play other games there.
Chen Mo nodded. "It's fine. Feel free to drop by anytime. I probably won't have too many customers."
"Alright." This woman really wasn't shy. She plopped down on the sofa and reached for a can of cola.
Chen Mo said, "Uh... the drinks aren't free."
The woman put the cola back. "Sorry, I'm used to just grabbing them at my own place, hehe."
She looked around the layout of the hall. "Your experience center is pretty spacious. You only have this many machines? Seems a bit wasteful."
Chen Mo said, "Yeah, the experience center is mainly for players to try things out, not for profit, so the layout is a bit more relaxed."
The woman said, "Pretty nice. I envy you high-and-mighty designers. Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zhuo Yao."
Chen Mo said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Chen Mo. I have some new games here that haven't been released yet. Want to give them a try?"
Zhuo Yao waved her hand. "Not right now. I still have things to do at my café. I snuck out for a bit. I'll come by another day to play."
Chen Mo nodded. "Alright, you're always welcome."
Zhuo Yao stood up to leave, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "How much per hour is it here?"
Chen Mo said, "Five yuan."
Zhuo Yao said, a bit surprised, "Isn't that a bit expensive? My general area at the café is only four yuan. You're a new experience center, you probably only have two or three games, right?"
Chen Mo said, "For now, just one game."
Zhuo Yao advised, "I think you should set the price a bit lower, or even make it free. This is an experience center, you don't need to worry about profit. Your price is a bit... not very friendly."
Chen Mo smiled. "I understand. I'll think about it."
Zhuo Yao nodded. "Alright, I'll be going then. I'll come visit another day. Keep it up, and make a huge hit game soon. My café can bask in your reflected glory too."
Chen Mo smiled. "We'll see."
After seeing Zhuo Yao off, Chen Mo's experience center returned to its quiet state.
Chen Mo wasn't worried. Experience centers like this needed time to build up a reputation. Chen Mo hadn't done any advertising, so it was perfectly normal for no one to show up.
As for the location, the experience center was in a spot that was neither good nor bad. It was a bit out of the way, but there was a residential area nearby, and a university a bit further away, so there was plenty of foot traffic.
After waiting another half an hour, a second customer arrived.
This guy had slightly greasy hair and a somewhat dazed look in his eyes, like he hadn't quite woken up. He looked like a typical gaming addict.
He came to the entrance of the experience center, looked at the sign reading "Thunder Game Experience Center," and muttered to himself, "Thunder Game? Never heard of it."
He peered into the shop and asked Chen Mo, "Hey, is this an experience center? Not an internet café?"
Chen Mo nodded. "Yeah, not a café."
"Oh." The gaming addict looked a bit disappointed. Clearly, he was looking for an internet café. Although an experience center also let you play games, you could only play games from this one company, and there were too few games.
Not to mention, he had never even heard of this company.
The gaming addict hesitated for a moment, then muttered to himself, "Forget it, the nearby cafés are all full. Maybe I'll just check this place out to kill some time."
He walked into the shop, pulled out his ID card and phone, and asked, "Boss, how much per hour is it here?"
Chen Mo said, "Five yuan."
The gaming addict was stunned. "What? Five yuan? Uh... forget it."
The gaming addict turned around and left.
"..."
Chen Mo was a bit speechless. This guy was really decisive! What's the big deal about spending five yuan for an hour? Did he have to just turn around and leave?
Five yuan!
What could five yuan even buy these days? Just enough for two popsicles!
It wasn't even enough for a first-time top-up in a game; those usually cost six yuan!
...
No choice. Chen Mo had to keep waiting.