Chapter 751: Let's Call You Little Chen
After coming out of the Game Review Committee, the approval of *The Last of Us* was basically a done deal.
If the story's background were set domestically, there might have been some trouble, but since it takes place abroad, there's definitely no issue. Moreover, *The Last of Us* doesn't have much depiction of the government; the biggest antagonistic faction is just the Fireflies, which is entirely fictional. As for the zombie theme, it might be a bit sensitive, but considering games like *Outlast* and *Prototype*, the gore in *The Last of Us* is practically mild.
Of course, this game will still require players to be 18 or older to play.
As soon as Chen Mo entered the lobby of the experience store, many players greeted him.
"Yo, boss, you went out today."
"Boss, what's the next game? Give us a hint?"
"When will *Uncharted* be completed? I'm still waiting to see what the Shambhala Kingdom looks like!"
Chen Mo chuckled: "What's the rush? Save up your money first. The DLC for *Uncharted* and the new games won't be cheap."
The player grinned: "No worries, I'll finish it at the experience store."
Chen Mo said with some pain: "Such a good game, and you won't buy a copy to keep? My games can be heirlooms, you know. Just experiencing them once isn't enough!"
The player scratched his head: "I'm broke, boss. I can't afford a VR game pod."
Chen Mo replied: "Then why are you spending all day at the experience store? Go make some money!"
The player: "...That hurts, boss! Put down the endless game, and we can still be friends!"
Currently, the player base at the experience store is relatively stable, mostly local players from the capital, along with some out-of-town players who come regularly for a "pilgrimage." The daily foot traffic is considerable. However, these out-of-town players can't stay in the capital permanently. They come to the store to take a few photos, experience the latest games, and if they're lucky, catch Chen Mo for a photo or an autograph, making the trip worthwhile.
When Chen Mo has nothing to do, he sits on the first floor. Given his fame now, he has a lot of fans. But the players are considerate, knowing he's usually busy, so they just chat a bit and don't bother him too much.
Just as Chen Mo was about to head upstairs, an old man walked in through the door.
What caught everyone's attention was that the old man was quite old, around fifty years old, with half-gray hair, but he seemed in good spirits.
He was dressed simply: a white short-sleeved vest and casual pants. If he had a palm-leaf fan in his hand, he'd fit right in playing chess by the roadside.
The experience store usually had mostly young people, around twenty years old, with the oldest being middle-aged folks in their forties. An old man like this was a rare sight.
The old man looked a bit unkempt, not like a wealthy retiree with both money and leisure, but the players didn't give him too many strange looks. After all, at the experience store, everyone was a gamer.
In fact, many players felt envious, thinking it would be great if they could still enjoy games happily at that age.
The front desk girl was also a bit surprised but smiled and said to the old man, "Sir, are you here to see someone or to try out the games?"
"Huh, what did you say?" The old man was clearly a bit hard of hearing.
The front desk girl raised her voice slightly: "I mean, are you here to see someone or to play games?"
"Oh, let me ask, can you play a game here where you go into a house and a little girl talks to you?" the old man asked.
The front desk girl thought for a moment: "Sir, do you mean *Beachside Mansion*?"
The old man said, "Ah, I don't know what it's called. I just heard that you go into a house and a girl chats with you."
The front desk girl said, "That's *Beachside Mansion*. Just swipe your ID card here, pay, and take the elevator to the VR game experience area."
The old man took out his ID card and said, "Alright, how much does it cost here?"
Chen Mo walked over: "Just swipe your ID card, no charge."
The front desk girl nodded: "Got it, boss. It's done. Sir, please put your ID card away."
Chen Mo said to the old man, "Come on, I'll take you there."
The old man was quite happy: "Oh, good, that's great. Thank you, young man."
Chen Mo led the old man into the elevator and asked, "Sir, my name is Chen Mo. What should I call you?"
The old man asked, "Oh, my surname is Zhang. What's your name again?"
Chen Mo: "...Chen Mo, sir."
The old man asked, "Chen what?"
Chen Mo: "...Chen Mo."
The old man said, "Alright, I'll just call you Little Chen."
Chen Mo: "Sure, sir, call me whatever you like..."
It seemed the old man was not only a bit hard of hearing but also had a poor memory...
Chen Mo led Old Man Zhang to the VR game experience area. It was lunchtime, so two game pods were free.
Chen Mo asked, "Sir, do you have an account?"
The old man nodded: "Yes, yes, I had my daughter set one up for me."
Chen Mo said, "Alright, just get into the game pod and log in. The game is called *Beachside Mansion*. Make sure you don't pick the wrong one."
"Okay, okay, I understand. Thank you, Little Chen." Old Man Zhang said as he climbed into the game pod.
Watching Old Man Zhang get into the pod, Chen Mo was still a bit worried. He specifically went to the front desk girl on the third floor and asked her to keep an eye on the old man, helping with any issues.
The game pods had games like *Outlast*, and it would be a pain if the old man accidentally clicked on one. Although the game would check the player's health before starting, making problems almost impossible, it was still good to be cautious.
After settling the old man, Chen Mo returned to the fourth floor for a meeting.
Chen Mo's plan this time was to pull some staff from the team developing the *Uncharted* DLC to work on *The Last of Us* simultaneously. In fact, a lot of the follow-up content for *Uncharted* had already been developed, so he could free up some hands. Plus, many of *The Last of Us*'s gameplay mechanics could borrow from *Uncharted*, reducing the development pressure.
...
"This new game is called *The Last of Us*."
"It's a post-apocalyptic, zombie-themed game. But unlike typical zombie games, it focuses on the story and the players' emotional experience. Simply put, it highlights the warmth between people in the apocalypse."
Just as Chen Mo finished introducing the basics of the game, Qian Kun scratched his head: "Uh, boss, haven't I seen this description somewhere before?"