Chapter 27: Let’s Play Together
“Plants vs. Zombies.” Wen Lingwei didn’t even turn her head, her attention still fixed on the computer screen.
“Plants vs… Zombies?” Jia Peng felt the name was pretty straightforward. On the left side of the screen were plants, on the right were zombies—wasn’t that exactly Plants vs. Zombies?
The cute girl, Chang Xiuya, stared at the plants on the screen: “Hey? That mushroom is so adorable, and that walnut too, it looks really fun!”
“Watch out, senior, that zombie is chewing on your walnut!” a girl warned.
Wen Lingwei wasn’t flustered at all. She was already battle-hardened; this kind of small scene was easy for her to handle. She saved up enough sun, placed a Cherry Bomb among a horde of zombies, and with a “boom,” all those zombies turned into black charcoal.
Chang Xiuya let out a “wow”: “Senior, you’re amazing!”
Wen Lingwei’s face showed no hint of pride: “Basic moves, keep it low-key, low-key.”
Still, even though her expression didn’t show it, she felt pretty smug inside.
Although the game looked simple, it got quite challenging in the mid-to-late stages, often leaving her a bit flustered.
But Wen Lingwei was getting more and more skilled now, and ordinary emergencies couldn’t trip her up anymore.
Chang Xiuya said, “Senior, it really looks fun. I want to play too.”
Wen Lingwei replied, “You can play. Just go open a computer; it’s already on there.”
Chang Xiuya glanced at the group behind her: “I want to play. Do you guys want to?”
Jia Peng said, “I want to give it a try too. It looks pretty interesting.”
The others chimed in: “Let’s play together. Since we’re here.”
The ten of them swiped their ID cards at the front desk and each found a computer to sit at. There were 18 computers on the first floor of Chen Mo’s experience store, and these people immediately took up 11 of them, making the whole floor lively.
Jia Peng, Chang Xiuya, and the others all entered the game and started registering accounts.
“Hey, it looks like you can add friends. Isn’t this a single-player game?”
“Yeah, what’s the point of adding friends?”
“Probably there’ll be online features later or something. For now, there’s just a simple ranking function. Come on, let’s add each other as friends and see who clears levels the fastest.”
“Wow, Senior Wen has already reached the third world! No wonder she’s the department head!”
*Plants vs. Zombies* was a game suitable for all ages and genders. Although its art style leaned toward the cartoonish, it appealed to people across all age groups.
The reason everyone present was playing was twofold: first, *Plants vs. Zombies* was genuinely fun and offered a sense of novelty; second, Wen Lingwei had set a leading example.
When most people in a small group are playing something, some individuals will join in, or else they might feel left out.
This was also a form of herd mentality, so even if a few people in the group had a poor first impression of *Plants vs. Zombies*, they still chose to give it a try.
Soon, everyone was hooked.
Jia Peng had the most gaming talent and the fastest progress. He basically didn’t get stuck on any early levels, plowing through them all. Chang Xiuya was a bit clumsier, but she played very seriously. Whenever she encountered a zombie she couldn’t beat, she’d ask Jia Peng for advice, and she had a lot of fun too.
The others were the same—all captivated by the novel gameplay of *Plants vs. Zombies*, clearing level after level without being able to stop!
Seeing this, Chen Mo had a pretty good idea of the situation.
Although a sample of ten people wasn’t large, this group included both men and women with different personalities, and they were all quite engrossed. This showed that at least *Plants vs. Zombies* had a market among young people.
For Chen Mo, this was the best news possible.
For any game, the most important player base to capture was young people, because they were always the core of the gaming user base. These people had the most time, were the most active, and had relatively forward-thinking consumption habits. If a game could become popular among young people, it would inevitably spread to all age groups.
Conversely, if a game failed to capture the attention of young people and only became popular in a specific age group, it would still struggle to succeed.
Moreover, after playing for an hour or two, these people were still focused, without raising any questions or objections. This showed that Chen Mo’s level and difficulty settings were very reasonable, essentially recreating the original feel of *Plants vs. Zombies* from his past life.
Level design and difficulty balance had always been Chen Mo’s main concerns. Now, it seemed he could rest easy—the difficulty was just right, and the balance between various plants and zombies was well done.
Before they knew it, it was 5:30 PM.
Jia Peng cleared another level and checked his watch, only to realize it was already 5:30 in the evening. He looked at the others, including Wen Lingwei, who were all still fighting on, showing no signs of wanting to leave.
“Senior, uh, it’s 5:30. How are we handling dinner?” Jia Peng asked.
The others also looked up and glanced at Wen Lingwei.
Wen Lingwei blinked and said, “How about… ordering… takeout?”
Jia Peng was caught between laughter and tears: “Senior, weren’t we supposed to have a group dinner tonight?”
Wen Lingwei looked at the screen with some hesitation. This level was tough; she had already tried three times without clearing it. She was also a bit tired from playing all day and wanted a break.
Besides, their entire publicity department had come out together—they couldn’t just order takeout, could they? They had to go to a restaurant to eat.
“Alright, those who haven’t finished their level, I’ll give you ten minutes to clear it. Those who are done, don’t start a new one. We’ll head out for a group dinner soon,” Wen Lingwei said.
“Okay!” everyone responded.
Most of them were a bit worried that Wen Lingwei might actually say, “Let’s order takeout,” which would have been a pain. The entire publicity department eating takeout in a game experience store? Word would probably get out, and they’d be mocked by other student council members until graduation.
Those who had already finished their current level logged out and started chatting about their gameplay experiences.
“I think the Torchwood is really useful. The boost effect is very obvious. Plant one Torchwood, then put a few Peashooters behind it, and the damage is insane.”
“But the Torchwood only boosts Peashooters, and Peashooters aren’t the best choice later on. Their output method is too limited.”
“I think the night mode is really hard… especially those tombstones. They’re so annoying and take up space.”
“That’s what makes it fun. If the difficulty didn’t increase at all, where’s the challenge?”
“Honestly, this game is pretty addictive. I just can’t stop.”
As they flipped through the rankings and exchanged tips, a few students who ranked high on the leaderboard became the center of attention, sharing their experiences.
Chen Mo helpfully reminded them, “For those who haven’t had enough, there’s a mobile installation package on the computers. You can install it on your phones and keep playing.”