Chapter 182: I Am Unworthy of This Award
Next came the second award, Best Art Direction. This time, it wasn’t given to an indie game but to a VR game from Zen Interactive called *Ascending the Immortal Path*.
The designer of *Ascending the Immortal Path* was also very excited, following the usual routine of thanking the leadership, the company, and the players.
Soon, one award after another was presented: Best Visual Art, Best Debut Work, Best Level Design, Best Character Portrayal…
These awards each had different focuses. For example, Best Art Direction primarily emphasized artistic quality, while Best Visual Art judged the game’s visuals from an artistic perspective, requiring a relatively impressionistic art style to win.
The early awards were mostly divided among PC games and VR games, with a few indie games winning, but basically no mobile games.
Games made by Chen Mo, like *Onmyoji*, while considered top-tier in art quality within the mobile game space, still struggled to compete with those big titles on VR and PC platforms.
Soon, it was time for the genre-specific game awards: Best Shooting Game, Best Fighting Game, Best Adventure Game, Best Sports Game…
Finally, they arrived at Best Strategy Game.
The leaders on stage had already changed several times, and this time, the presenter was Qiao Hua.
In fact, many people already had a good idea of who would win this award. This year, there was only one person in the country daring enough to make an RTS game, and only one person who actually turned it into a blockbuster hit!
Qiao Hua said solemnly, “I announce that the winner of this year’s Best Strategy Game is—*Warcraft*, designed by Chen Mo!”
The venue instantly erupted in thunderous applause!
Honestly, many had already anticipated this award. This year, *Warcraft* had been so outstanding in the RTS genre that it even crushed foreign titles like *Legion Conquest*. Moreover, it sold well both domestically and internationally. This award was well-deserved.
Chen Mo went up to accept the award.
Qiao Hua handed the trophy to Chen Mo and said with a smile, “Congratulations.”
Chen Mo nodded in thanks, took the microphone, and delivered his acceptance speech.
“*Warcraft* is a great RTS game, as everyone knows. So, I fully affirm the judges’ recognition of this game. Thank you all.”
The audience was stunned for a second, then burst into enthusiastic applause!
“Haha, Chen Mo is such a joker! Even his acceptance speech is this cheeky!”
“Damn, does his family even know he’s this cocky?”
“Well, *Warcraft*’s achievements are definitely worth being proud of.”
“But isn’t he being too arrogant? This is an awards ceremony, and the leaders are all watching from the front row!”
The reactions among the leaders in the front row varied.
“This Chen Mo, he’s really full of himself,” said Director Zhang, who was in charge of the application market, frowning.
“Young people being spirited is a good thing. Besides, this industry is one that needs individuality,” Committee Chairman Zhang Zhongxiang waved his hand. “As long as he can develop good games, a little arrogance is fine.”
Soon, the genre-specific awards were all handed out. Next came three relatively major awards: Best VR Game, Best PC Game, and Best Mobile Game.
Best VR Game was won by Qiu Jiang’s *Oracle of the Moon*. The VR version of this game launched at the end of the year and was already showing signs of surpassing *Legend of the Sword*, making it a strong contender for Game of the Year.
Best PC Game went to Zen Interactive’s role-playing game *Song of the Wilds*. This was Zen Interactive’s flagship MMORPG for the year, seen as another key product following *Sword of Love*.
Next up was the award for Best Mobile Game.
In previous years, this award wasn’t taken very seriously. Mobile games were mostly casual titles, and even if a decent product appeared, its monthly revenue hovered around 30 to 40 million yuan, rarely going higher.
But this year was different. *Onmyoji* had pushed mobile game monthly revenue to over 300 million yuan, far surpassing many PC games.
“Best Mobile Game? It’s definitely *Onmyoji*.”
“But *Onmyoji* is a Japanese-themed game. Will the leaders like it? Most award-winning games are Chinese-style.”
“Hard to say. But *Onmyoji*’s performance is undeniable—its monthly revenue is just too high.”
“The leaders don’t judge solely by how much money a game makes. They also consider artistry and originality. It’s not certain.”
Everyone was waiting in anticipation.
The leader on stage said solemnly, “I announce that the winner of this year’s Best Mobile Game is—”
“*Onmyoji*, designed by Chen Mo!”
Applause rang out again. Chen Mo was a bit surprised but calmly stood up and walked to the stage.
Murmurs spread through the audience.
“It really is *Onmyoji*!”
“So the leaders don’t mind its theme?”
“Do you think the leaders are that petty? They can accept Western fantasy, so why not Japanese themes? Besides, if the players love it, doesn’t that prove it’s a good game?”
“That’s true.”
Chen Mo took the trophy and the microphone.
“To be honest, I’m a bit surprised to win this award. Strictly speaking, I don’t even consider *Onmyoji* a perfect game.”
“I believe Mr. Zhang Yuanchao’s indie mobile game *The Returner* and Mr. Lin Yuan’s mobile game *Mountain Evening Rain* are both outstanding examples of Chinese-style mobile game classics, surpassing *Onmyoji* in artistry. So, I am unworthy of this award.”
“I will continue to work hard, developing more games that promote Chinese style and are rich in artistry, so that I can live up to this award. Thank you all!”
Applause erupted once more. Many had expected Chen Mo to deliver another cocky speech like the previous award, but he didn’t. He honestly acknowledged *Onmyoji*’s shortcomings. This showed that Chen Mo wasn’t an arrogant fool, and this gesture earned him even more applause.
…
Next, the most prestigious award, “Game of the Year,” was won by Di Chao Interactive’s VR game *Wolf Soul*. Developed by Qin Xiao, this was an action-shooter game set in a modern warfare theme, with excellent story and design. The award was well-deserved.
With that, all the awards had been presented, and the annual game awards ceremony came to an end.
However, the most talked-about figure at this ceremony wasn’t Qin Xiao, who won Game of the Year, nor Qiu Jiang, who won Best VR Game—it was Chen Mo.
As a newcomer who had only been in the industry for just over two years, winning two awards at the ceremony was an incredible feat in many people’s eyes.
After the ceremony, many gaming media outlets quickly released news articles.
*Annual Game Awards Conclude, Chen Mo Takes Home Two Major Prizes!*
*Best Strategy Game: Warcraft*
*Best Mobile Game: Onmyoji*
*Chen Mo: I Am Unworthy of This Award*
*Chen Mo: Arrogant or Humble?*
As these topics sparked heated discussions, many were also wondering: after the massive successes of *Warcraft* and *Onmyoji*, what would Chen Mo’s goal be next year?