Chapter 661: Teamed Up with Haimi
In a certain FPS gaming group chat.
"Lately it feels like 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' is super popular. Seems like all the big streamers on the platforms are playing it?"
"You're a bit late to the party, aren't you? This game was trending right from launch! After all, it's a game by Chen Mo."
"But don't you think it's gotten even hotter recently? At first, the buzz was just normal, but lately it's been dominating a lot of streaming platforms."
"Yeah, true. I've noticed those big streamers who slack off, including some 'League of Legends' and 'Overwatch' streamers, are all playing chicken dinner now."
"Mainly because this game has great entertainment value. Go check it out—it's way more fun to watch than 'Overwatch.' 'League of Legends' is still interesting, but viewers are getting a bit bored with it; it's not fresh anymore."
"Right, even those big 'League of Legends' streamers are playing chicken dinner in their spare time. What's that about, diversified development?"
These players had also noticed that 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' was even hotter on streaming platforms than what players themselves were feeling!
The reason was still that the game had excellent entertainment value. During the process of looting supplies and shrinking the circle, players were constantly outsmarting and outplaying enemies.
Those big streamers had clearly seen the streaming advantages of chicken dinner earlier, so they were all jumping on this trend.
Zou Zhuo's viewer count had been climbing further in recent days.
Once the audience reached a certain number, Moyu Streaming Platform would allocate more recommended slots. Then, by duo-queuing with other big streamers, his popularity would accelerate.
Zou Zhuo's experience also made many small and medium streamers green with envy. How was it that he started as a nobody with just a few hundred viewers, and in just two or three weeks, he'd become one of the top ten streamers in the 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' section?
Moreover, the entire 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' section on Moyu Streaming Platform was gaining more and more popularity.
Streamers like Old P and Haimi, who streamed both 'Overwatch' and 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds', were a different story, since their popularity was still counted under 'Overwatch.'
But even those streamers who exclusively streamed 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' had reached audiences of five to six hundred thousand, wielding significant influence.
This also got more and more streamers thinking. Clearly, before any game explodes in popularity, it creates a trend in the streaming industry. If you could catch that wave, many streamers could skyrocket overnight.
Zou Zhuo's rise from a few hundred viewers to over two hundred thousand was entirely thanks to the opportunity brought by 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.'
More and more streamers were switching to 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,' and the competition among streamers in this game was getting fiercer!
...
Moyu Streaming Platform, Zou Zhuo's stream.
Another round of 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' started. Zou Zhuo was running and jumping around on the spawn island, waiting for the game to begin.
Streaming was now Zou Zhuo's main job, but he didn't find it boring; in fact, he quite enjoyed it.
'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' shared something in common with 'League of Legends'—no matter how many times you played, every match felt completely different.
This addictive quality, like a poison, meant that chicken dinner had the potential to become a blockbuster hit just like 'League of Legends'!
Just then, Zou Zhuo noticed many viewers spamming the chat.
"Wow, it looks like Fatty got matched with Haimi this round?"
"Haimi, the big 'Overwatch' streamer? The one known as the world's best Tracer?"
"Yeah, that's the one! His stream is still on; you can go check it out. It's really the same match."
"They actually got matched together?! But come to think of it, Fatty's skills are pretty good if he's in the same rank as Haimi!"
"Forget it. Haimi just started playing 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' recently, and he's already gotten several chicken dinners in just a few days. I feel like Fatty will probably only run into Haimi this once; after this, he'll never see him again."
"That's not necessarily true. Sure, Haimi's aim is several levels above Fatty's. But chicken dinner isn't just about aim; it's also about game sense!"
Zou Zhuo couldn't help but perk up. Haimi?
Of course, he knew who Haimi was. On Moyu Streaming Platform, Haimi and Old P were basically on the same level as big streamers, and Haimi's rank was even slightly higher.
Haimi was exceptionally good at heroes like Soldier: 76 and Tracer. In many players' minds, his aim was top-tier across the entire Chinese server.
If a player like that switched to chicken dinner, even if nothing else, just that aim alone would be enough to crush a huge number of players.
But Zou Zhuo didn't think too much about it. After all, there were a hundred players in the game, and the odds of him running into Haimi weren't that high.
And even if they did meet, it would probably be in the late game.
...
In the first few circles of the match, Zou Zhuo stuck to his usual playstyle of playing it safe. Last time, he'd been brutally schooled by the AI at Chen Mo's place, but at the same time, he'd awakened many special techniques...
And in terms of streaming style, Zou Zhuo had essentially pioneered a new genre: teaching players how to survive and win chicken dinner.
Although the vast majority of viewers preferred watching streamers go all-out, taking on one-vs-five or one-vs-six fights, and finally winning with over ten kills, there was also a portion of players who liked learning practical game sense and techniques they could use themselves.
It was like some 'League of Legends' streamers who deliberately played in lower ranks, holding back their mechanical skill—not to stomp noobs, but to teach viewers step-by-step how to climb the ranks. Those streamers were also very popular.
Zou Zhuo was following that same approach now.
His aim was actually decent, but he didn't fully show it off. What Zou Zhuo demonstrated more was a strategy for how to survive: for example, analyzing other players' positions at the start, then parachuting to distant, loot-rich areas; or studying special spots on the map to safely get through the early game.
In other words, Zou Zhuo mainly conveyed a concept to players: how to secure a chicken dinner more safely.
The idea was to fatten yourself up as much as possible, avoid fights, and make it to the final circle. That way, your chances of winning would skyrocket. Jumping straight into the airport might look impressive, but even skilled players could end up as a box on the ground if they couldn't find a gun. That wasn't the playstyle Zou Zhuo recommended.
Now, the mainstream audience in his stream preferred this style. Many viewers affectionately called Zou Zhuo the "King of Camping" or "Moyu's Number One Camper."
For short, "Moyu's Camper King."