Chapter 489: The Most Popular Elective Course Instructor!
The news that Chen Mo was coming had already spread among the students long ago.
This was huge news. Although the college had tried to keep it confidential, too many people knew about it. Some student leaders had picked up fragments of information from teachers, and soon, the news had spread throughout the entire Game Design College.
"I heard that the new semester's elective course is being taught by Chen Mo?! Is that true or false?"
"Chen Mo is actually coming to World University?? Oh my god, when did our school get this much prestige! Isn't he one of the few S-Class designers in the country right now?"
"Yeah, he's the designer of *League of Legends* and *Overwatch*!"
"I wonder how much it cost the college to bring him here. They really spared no expense! But someone like Chen Mo probably doesn't care about money, and even if you had it, you might not be able to hire him."
"I heard this time it was personally arranged by the top brass at the Game Committee. Maybe they think our school's game design program is too weak, so they invited the big shot Chen Mo to give some guidance?"
"You know what, that's actually possible!"
"Then aren't we incredibly lucky?"
"Oh, I'm so excited! I heard Chen Mo is very young and really handsome. I wonder what he's like in person?"
"And he's super rich too!" someone added.
"Yeah, the key point is that he's rich..."
"He's basically a life idol. If only I could be like him after I graduate!"
The students were all buzzing with discussion. Many were surprised to find that this was the first time they were actually looking forward to a class...
...
At 10 a.m. on Thursday, the lecture hall in the comprehensive building was packed full of people.
There were even people lingering in the hallways and outside the doors. The seats had long been taken, and these people could only stand in the back rows to listen.
Many students who had actually signed up for this course were dumbfounded. What was going on? How could there be so many people taking this course?
"Last semester, this elective only had a few dozen people. The big lecture hall couldn't even fill up! How come this time there are so many people standing and listening? Where did all these students come from?"
"Oh my god, I need to come earlier next time. I almost couldn't get a seat this time, and I only managed to snag one in the very last row."
"So many unfamiliar faces. They all seem to be from other colleges. There are even a lot of people who aren't game design majors here to listen."
"Maybe everyone just wants to see what the designer of *League of Legends* and *Overwatch* looks like..."
"Look, there are even a lot of auditing teachers in the back. Those teachers are pretty smart, coming half an hour early to save seats..."
Official seat-saving is the most deadly...
Many teachers were also speechless. The attendance rate for this elective felt much higher than for their own specialized courses!
Not only had all the students from this college come, but many students from other colleges had also shown up.
Liu Hai was also present. Seeing this situation, he felt a bit exasperated.
Actually, this kind of elective course didn't restrict students from other majors from auditing, because normally, electives couldn't even fill up.
But this class was different. There were too many people, and there simply weren't enough seats. Many students from the Game Design College who had signed up for this elective couldn't even find a place to sit.
Liu Hai walked up to the podium and said to the students below, "Everyone, please pay attention. This class is an elective for the Game Design major. Students who haven't registered for this course, please try not to take up seats. Teacher Chen Mo's lecture will be recorded and uploaded to our school's internal website. You can watch the recording after the lecture."
The students were generally well-behaved. Some who hadn't signed up for the course voluntarily stood up and gave up their seats, then either left or moved to the back rows.
But even so, the entire classroom was still exceptionally lively.
Liu Hai was helpless; he couldn't just kick people out.
Clearly, Chen Mo's appeal among young people was extraordinary.
The main reason was that Chen Mo was very young and possessed a strong personal charisma.
Although there were other S-Class designers in the country, most of them were deeply engrossed in research and rarely showed their faces in front of players. It wasn't that they were necessarily inferior to Chen Mo in skill, but their lower exposure naturally led to lower popularity.
It was like some experts and scholars who had genuine talent and knowledge but had few opportunities to present themselves to the public, so their fame was naturally low.
But Chen Mo was different. He wasn't just a very young S-Class designer; he also enjoyed high popularity in the country.
Events like hosting the *League of Legends* World Championship and defeating artificial intelligence had greatly increased Chen Mo's fame.
For these students, Chen Mo was only a few years older than them, practically the same age, which meant they had more common topics to discuss.
As the bell rang, everyone stared at the classroom door.
Chen Mo walked in, paused for a moment, and said, "Whoa, why are there so many people?"
The entire lecture hall was completely packed, and many people were standing in the back rows. Even outside the door, many people were craning their necks to look inside.
Am I really this popular? Chen Mo was also puzzled.
...
In college, there weren't so many formalities. No need to stand up, no need to say "Hello, teacher." The professor just arrived, started lecturing, and then ended the class. Whether to ask questions or answer them during the lecture was entirely up to the professor's personal mood.
Some professors just talked from start to finish without interacting with the students at all, not caring whether the students slept or skipped class.
Of course, there were also instructors who loved to call the roll or ask students questions. It was just a matter of personal habit.
The dean of the Game Design College and a few professors and instructors were sitting in the back rows of the classroom. They had already told Chen Mo beforehand that they were just auditing and wouldn't interfere with the content of the lecture.
A few instructors had been gossiping privately.
"Chen Mo has never taught before. Can he teach well? Some designers know everything when it comes to making games, but teaching is a different story."
"It should be fine. This is an elective. As long as he can offer a bit of substance to spark the students' interest, that's enough. He's here to fill in for a crisis anyway."
"I heard he's a great speaker. Teaching should be a piece of cake for him. I'm just worried that without a textbook, he might go off-topic."
Of course, these were all private discussions. Now, in the classroom, with the dean present, they didn't dare say too much.
Most instructors didn't doubt Chen Mo's professionalism. After all, he was an S-Class designer who had built his career from scratch, with successful works on three platforms: mobile, PC, and VR. Someone who was just chasing fame couldn't have reached this level.
As long as Chen Mo offered a bit of substance, he could teach this course well.
Chen Mo walked up to the podium. He wasn't holding a laptop, a textbook, or anything else. His hands were empty. However, he looked very relaxed, without any nervousness or stage fright.