Chapter 181: Becoming an Honorary Committee Member
A little while later, Qiu Hengyang also arrived and sat down right next to Chen Mo.
The specific seating arrangements were all handled by the organizers. Aside from the leaders sitting in the very front row, the other seats were basically arranged from front to back according to the designers' ranks, with priority given to the relationships between designers when assigning seats.
Both Chen Mo and Qiu Hengyang were A-rank designers and knew each other well, so they were directly placed in the same row.
Qiu Hengyang started introducing people to Chen Mo.
"Those few up front are all leaders from the Game Committee. You'll inevitably have to deal with them in the future, so get to know them now. When it comes time for your games to pass review and such, you'll need them to be lenient."
"That Minister Zhang is in charge of the official app marketplace."
"That Minister Liu is in charge of the Fantasy World Editor."
Chen Mo tried to memorize each one, but his head was starting to spin.
After finishing with the leaders, Qiu Hengyang continued introducing the designers behind them.
"Over there are the three S-rank designers from Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment. You already know Qiu Jiang. The other two are Yan Zhenyuan and Qin Xiao. Each of them is responsible for their own VR games. And over here at Zen Intent Interactive Entertainment..."
"That's Ran He, the designer of *Blazing Assault*. You saw him at the lecture yesterday..."
As Qiu Hengyang introduced them, Chen Mo took mental notes. He wasn't particularly concerned about these people, but knowing more of them always had its benefits. It would be awkward if he ran into them later and didn't even know their names.
There weren't many S-rank designers. After Qiu Hengyang finished introducing all the S-rank designers and a few of the more notable A-rank ones, the time was almost up.
Chen Mo sighed with emotion. "So many talented people. Before this, I was just focused on developing games in my own little world. Coming to this awards ceremony, I realize just how many impressive figures there are."
Qiu Hengyang nodded. "Of course. Everyone who's anyone in the domestic gaming circle is here. How could it not be lively?"
The host took the stage, and the designers who had been whispering to each other immediately fell silent. The room erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The leaders had already taken their seats. These leaders were mostly ministers from various departments under the Game Committee, seated according to a pre-arranged plan.
Chen Mo also noticed Qiao Hua, the person who had contacted him earlier. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, very thin, with refined manners and well-maintained appearance, completely unlike those potbellied middle-aged men.
Game Committee Chairman Zhang Zhongxiang delivered a speech.
The speech lasted ten minutes. Its content was no different from any other leader's speech—summarizing last year's achievements, pointing out some shortcomings, and then outlining plans for the coming year's development.
Soon, the speech ended, and the awards ceremony officially began.
Chen Mo could sense that this ceremony wasn't as serious as something like a science and technology awards ceremony. The overall atmosphere was relatively relaxed.
According to the ceremony's agenda, the first order of business was to announce the list of designers who would be inducted into the Game Committee as honorary members this year.
The host's speaking pace was neither fast nor slow. "I hereby announce this year's list of Game Committee honorary members: *Wings of the Star Spirit* designer Li Feng, *Divine Nightmare: Three Kingdoms* designer Zhang Xiaokong, *Wulin Heroes* and *Onmyoji* designer Chen Mo, *Earth Fiend March* designer Zhu Fanglin, *Dream Sword* designer... Please have the above designers come on stage to receive the award!"
Soon, staff members found the seats of these individuals and guided them to the stage.
Every year, the Game Committee inducted ten designers as honorary members. These designers were generally younger and had to have developed representative games within that year.
Clearly, aside from Chen Mo, everyone else was extremely excited, to the point where some of them even started walking awkwardly.
The other designers below were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
"An honorary member? That's huge. It's basically getting face time in front of the Game Committee leaders and gaining an official status."
"How long has Li Feng been hoping for this honorary membership? He's been in the industry for seven or eight years, right? He's had plenty of hit games, but he only got selected this year thanks to *Wings of the Star Spirit*."
"Yeah, the main thing is that the officials consider many factors. It's not just about your game making money. You also need a certain level of influence and professionalism. For example, *Earth Fiend March* was selected because it used traditional cultural elements."
"But Chen Mo is an outlier! He only got promoted to B-rank designer this year, right? Then he jumped straight to A-rank and even got the honorary membership?"
"Damn, are you comparing yourself to Chen Mo? That guy's a monster!"
"Yeah, actually, he already made a huge impression on the Game Committee leaders when he made *Warcraft* and *Wulin Heroes*. Then when the monthly revenue for *Onmyoji* came out, this honorary membership was basically a done deal."
"He can do both Western fantasy and wuxia. He really is a monster. There's no point in being jealous."
Chen Mo followed the group onto the stage. A leader responsible for presenting the awards handed them their certificates of honor.
Honorary members didn't give acceptance speeches, so after receiving their certificates and taking a group photo, they all stepped down.
Qiu Hengyang asked, "How did it feel being on stage?"
Chen Mo replied, "No feeling."
Qiu Hengyang chuckled. "Don't worry, this is just the beginning. The main event is still to come."
After the honorary certificates were handed out, the various awards followed.
Especially the A-rank and S-rank designers, who were all watching the stage nervously. These awards were extremely important to them, serving as official recognition and affirmation after a year of hard work.
Soon, the first award was announced: Best Sound Effects.
The leader on stage cleared his throat solemnly. "I announce that the game winning this year's Best Sound Effects award is—*Dream Journey*, designer Zhou Haibin!"
The room instantly erupted in thunderous applause!
Zhou Haibin stood up excitedly, his face filled with ecstasy and disbelief.
Qiu Hengyang was also clapping. He turned to Chen Mo and said, "This is an indie game. Zhou Haibin himself has a very high level of musical skill. Winning this award was expected. But for him to achieve this as an indie game designer is no small feat."
Chen Mo also applauded. Indeed, designers like this, who truly treat games as art, deserved respect.
Zhou Haibin went on stage to receive the award and then gave his acceptance speech.
"Thank you, thank you. Honestly, winning this award was unexpected for me. I make indie games, which are very niche. The gameplay might not be outstanding, and my only selling point is the music and sound effects. This award means a lot to me today because it's an affirmation of *Dream Journey* and also a personal affirmation. I'm very grateful to the leaders of the Game Committee and to the players who have always supported me. Thank you!"
Another round of applause.
Although colleagues in the same industry could be rivals, and game designers inevitably engaged in some scheming, someone like Zhou Haibin, an indie game designer dedicated to his craft, was essentially above all that. Winning this award was well-deserved, and the vast majority of people were genuinely happy for him.