Chapter 177: The Lecture
As soon as Chen Mo entered the venue, he heard someone calling his name. He looked over—it was Qiu Hengyang.
"You're here too." Chen Mo walked over to greet him.
Qiu Hengyang nodded. "Yeah, I was actually going to let you know, but I happened to run into you. I saw the news from a couple days ago. You're really something—making a small game and stirring up a big story."
Chen Mo chuckled. "That's hardly a big story. I was just bored at the exhibition and made a little game to lighten the mood. By the way, this is my first time at this awards ceremony. How about giving me a rundown?"
Qiu Hengyang nodded. "Sure, follow me."
The two walked along, chatting casually.
Chen Mo asked, "I heard your new game is selling well. Are you A-rank now?"
Qiu Hengyang nodded. "Yeah, but it took me four or five years to go from B-rank to A-rank. Not like you, jumping straight up in just one year. Look at you this past year—like you've been injected with adrenaline. How many games have you made? Warcraft, Wulin Heroes, Onmyoji, Happy Match—four games in one year. In the entire domestic gaming scene, there's no one else like you."
Chen Mo quickly said, "Warcraft started development back in October of last year and took almost half a year. Don't just lump it into this year's games. And honestly, only Warcraft is really impressive; the rest are small productions."
Qiu Hengyang laughed. "Even so, that's still fast. And the main thing is, all your games have been well-received."
The two continued chatting as they walked deeper into the venue.
Qiu Hengyang explained as they went, "Today and tomorrow during the day, it's mostly exchange meetings and lectures. Most of the lectures are pre-arranged by the Game Committee."
Chen Mo asked, "Do you have a lecture?"
Qiu Hengyang shook his head. "Me? I'm still far from qualified. The people giving lectures here are basically all S-rank designers. They need to have at least one or two standout VR games."
"Of course, some typical games can also warrant a lecture. Actually, given your achievements in mobile games this year, you'd be fully qualified to give a small lecture. But I'm guessing, since you haven't officially been appointed as an honorary committee member yet, and the Game Committee doesn't know you well, they didn't arrange one."
Chen Mo said, "Honestly, I'm not too keen on giving one anyway."
Qiu Hengyang smiled. "Actually, giving lectures has its benefits. As designers, our creativity is limited. Regular exchanges with others help spark new ideas."
"Which lecture do you want to hear?"
Chen Mo looked around. There were quite a few lectures here. Over a dozen were scheduled for today alone, each lasting about two hours. At any given time, two or three lectures were running simultaneously, so he had to pick which ones interested him.
If he didn't want to attend lectures, he could also go to exchange meetings. These were self-organized and voluntary, typically attended by designers working on similar game genres.
Chen Mo thought for a moment. "Let's go to a lecture."
He had no desire to go to an exchange meeting and argue with other designers until they were red in the face. Listening to a lecture was much easier.
Three lectures were about to start: "The Use of Lighting and Scenery in Game Levels," "Design Philosophy and Experience Sharing for Casual Games," and "How to Create a High-Quality VR Shooter."
Qiu Hengyang suggested, "How about the casual games one?"
Chen Mo was speechless. "What's there to hear about casual games? If you want, I can give you a lecture on that."
Qiu Hengyang chuckled. "True. Asking you to listen to someone else talk about casual games is a bit unfair, considering your Plants vs. Zombies and Happy Match are both dominating the casual game charts."
Chen Mo thought for a moment. "Let's go to the VR shooter one."
Qiu Hengyang nodded. "Alright. Even though we can't make VR games yet, we'll have to eventually. It's good to listen in advance."
There were quite a few people attending the lectures, all B-rank designers or above. Everyone was dressed formally, sitting upright with serious expressions.
The front rows were mostly taken, so Chen Mo and Qiu Hengyang had to find seats in the back.
The speaker was an S-rank designer from Zen Interactive Entertainment, Ran He. His game, Blitz Assault, was one of the best VR shooters in the country, and he held a high status in the domestic gaming scene.
"It's a great honor to share with you some of my insights and experiences from designing Blitz Assault in this special setting."
"Regarding FPS games on the VR platform, our design philosophy still lags slightly behind the West. So this lecture is just a sharing of experience, hoping to offer some inspiration."
"First, I must emphasize that FPS games have always been a relatively high-barrier genre, and VR FPS games even more so. In a virtual reality world, we must simulate a realistic gunfight environment. If this atmosphere isn't well-crafted, players will find it unrealistic and unexciting, and our games will lack competitiveness compared to foreign FPS titles."
"For this lecture, I want to discuss developing a high-quality VR game from three aspects: 'Environment,' 'Weaponry,' and 'Gameplay.'"
"First, regarding the environment, we must choose a suitable location and story background, as this affects the overall tone of the game and the players' intuitive experience..."
Ran He spoke plainly and fluently, making it very easy to understand. However, Chen Mo could tell he wasn't revealing the most essential or core parts of his design. The content was slightly deeper than surface-level but not truly central.
This way, the attending designers could learn something without stealing the most critical secrets, which might threaten Ran He himself.
The lecture lasted nearly two hours. Ran He spoke at length and finally answered a few questions. When it ended, the audience gave a warm round of applause.
As he clapped, Qiu Hengyang asked Chen Mo, "So, did you get anything out of it?"
Chen Mo said, "It was okay. Better than listening to a casual games lecture, at least."
Qiu Hengyang smiled. "It's almost lunchtime. Let's go eat."
The venue had a buffet set up, and all designers could eat freely. Chen Mo and Qiu Hengyang each grabbed some food and found a seat by the window.
Just as they sat down, Chen Mo heard someone calling him.
"Chen Mo?"
Chen Mo looked up and was stunned. Wasn't that Qiudao Yu?
He'd last seen her at the game exhibition in Magic City. How did they run into each other again at this awards ceremony?
Qiudao Yu didn't stand on ceremony. She walked over and sat down next to them with her plate.
Chen Mo was a bit puzzled. "Isn't this event only for designers?"
Qiudao Yu nodded. "Yeah."
Chen Mo: "Then how did you get in? This awards ceremony doesn't have any song-and-dance performances, does it?"
Qiudao Yu laughed. "No, it doesn't."
Qiu Hengyang looked from Chen Mo to Qiudao Yu. "Chen Mo, I think you might be mistaken about something. She's a designer, and a more accomplished one than both of us."