Chapter 488: Welcome to Audit
Several other game modes for Overwatch had already been opened one after another, greatly extending the game's vitality.
Chen Mo considered updating Overwatch with a new version every two months, appropriately adding some holiday skins, new maps, new modes, new heroes, and so on, to prolong the game's popularity as much as possible.
"Seventy new heroes a year" was something he used to fool others; there was no way to actually make that many. But new heroes still needed to be added appropriately; otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain players' enthusiasm for the game.
With numerous tasks and threads to manage, and Chen Mo not yet having a clear idea of what his first game of the year would be, he decided not to consider developing a new game for the first month after the Spring Festival. Instead, he would first have everyone handle the various tasks for Overwatch and League of Legends.
Chen Mo also informed the team that he would be teaching at World University. Everyone was very surprised.
Qian Kun asked, "Boss, are you really going to be a lecturer at World University? Can I come and sit in on your class?"
Chen Mo chuckled, "What are you butting in for? Focus on your work; you're not a college student anymore."
Qian Kun grinned, "As the saying goes, live and learn. I really want to hear what you have to say, Boss."
Chen Mo patted him on the shoulder, "You're already capable of handling things on your own now. In another two or three years, maybe you can go teach others about making competitive games."
Su Jinyu asked, "Boss, how long will you be gone? Will it affect our subsequent game development plans?"
Chen Mo shook his head, "No, it won't. It's only one class every two weeks, and each class is two hours. That means I'll only be absent one day every two weeks, which basically won't impact the game development progress."
"As for what game we'll develop next, I haven't figured that out yet. In a month, I'll present the new design concept draft."
Su Jinyu nodded, "Okay, Boss, good luck!"
...
After settling the experience store's affairs and preparing the content for his elective course, Chen Mo took a high-speed train to Qilu.
World University was considered a key university in the country, with a down-to-earth and simple academic atmosphere, which also matched the cultural characteristics of the Qilu region.
It was often said that students in Qilu had it tough because the admission score line in Qilu was arguably the highest in the country. As a result, World University's score line also rose accordingly, and the campus was filled with many academic overachievers.
As for the drawbacks, World University itself was quite similar to the characteristics of the Qilu region, relatively traditional and conservative.
Although it had certain advantages in some traditional disciplines, it lagged behind other top-tier universities in the development of new fields.
Of course, the reasons for this were complex, involving management issues, cultural issues, and many other factors. Overall, it was an objective fact: World University's game design program was still in a backward position compared to other universities.
In this parallel world, the status of the game industry had risen significantly, attracting attention from higher-ups, as evidenced by the emergence of the Game Committee.
In this context, it was no surprise that many universities had started offering game design majors.
Graduates from these game design programs at key universities were often eagerly sought after by major companies like Dizhao Interactive or Chanyi Interactive, and they could secure high annual salaries right after graduation.
It could be said that in this parallel world, while the game industry wasn't a super hot major like finance or management, it was still a very respectable field.
As for Chen Mo, he wasn't a trained professional at all; he had studied literature, which was why his entry into the industry had been so difficult.
If he had graduated from a game design program at a key university, he could have become an apprentice to a more senior designer right after graduation or joined a big company to independently handle smaller projects, getting a much faster start.
...
Chen Mo arrived at World University, where a faculty member from the game design department was responsible for welcoming him.
"Hello, are you Mr. Chen Mo? I'm the counselor for the Game Design College. My name is Liu Hai."
He was a tall, thin young man, likely someone who stayed on after graduation. He looked about the same age as Chen Mo, maybe a year or two older.
Chen Mo shook his hand, "Hello, Liu Hai. I'm Hair Curtain."
Liu Hai was instantly dumbfounded. Damn, this guy is a joker!
This lighthearted joke didn't affect Liu Hai's respectful attitude toward Chen Mo. He remained very deferential because the Game Committee leaders had specifically instructed the Game Design College's leadership that the person coming to save the day was a big deal.
At first, everyone was puzzled about what kind of big shot it was. But when they heard Chen Mo was coming, the entire college's leadership, lecturers, and professors were shocked.
Who in the domestic game design industry didn't know Chen Mo by now?
Chen Mo had just won Game of the Year, and he had been a hot topic in recent years, with a very high profile in the domestic gaming circle.
When these game college faculty members had free time, they also enjoyed studying Chen Mo's game works. After hearing he was coming, many faculty members wanted to take the opportunity to exchange ideas with him and learn about the latest design concepts.
After all, Chen Mo was currently a top-tier domestic designer with many representative works, especially in the competitive gaming field, where he also had a high international reputation. Having someone like him come was a very important matter for World University.
Liu Hai led the way as Chen Mo arrived at the Game Design College and met the college's dean.
The dean of the Game Design College was a middle-aged man in his forties named Fang Yubin. He was a bit on the heavier side, with a friendly face and no airs at all.
Fang Yubin smiled and said to Chen Mo, "Mr. Chen Mo, welcome, welcome. It's been a long trip from the capital to Qilu. You've worked hard. Having you come to teach is an honor for our college."
Chen Mo quickly replied, "Not at all. I'm a self-taught amateur. When it comes to some professional issues, I still need to learn a lot from you academic folks."
After some mutual flattery, everyone got along quite pleasantly.
Fang Yubin gave Chen Mo a general overview of the elective course's situation, then had Liu Hai take Chen Mo to see the classroom and give him a tour of the campus to familiarize himself with the routes.
Liu Hai led Chen Mo to a lecture hall in the main building.
"This is where you'll be teaching. Every other Thursday at 10 a.m., class will be held here."
Liu Hai had already contacted the equipment management teacher in advance to turn on the projector and other devices.
"If you think it's necessary to use a PowerPoint, you can use the projector. Of course, it's fine if you don't. The teaching content is entirely up to you, as long as you cover the required class hours. During class, you can also arrange for students to watch videos, have free discussions, and so on—complete freedom in that regard."
"However, the college's leadership and some lecturers and professors may audit your elective course. Please don't be too surprised by that. After all, you're an S-class designer who's always on the front lines of development. Your understanding of many game concepts is far ahead of our college's faculty. These teachers have long admired your reputation and want to learn some new game design knowledge from you."
Chen Mo smiled, "Alright, no problem. Everyone is welcome to audit my class."