Chapter 781: The First Game of the Year
December 2nd, 6:00 AM.
Although according to normal daily routines, most players were still in bed at this hour, many had already turned on their computers, paying close attention to a live stream from across the ocean.
"Hurry up, hurry up, time's almost here!"
"Is it this morning? I'm booting up my computer right now! Can someone send me the live stream link?"
"I've got it here!"
"It's not time for the Game of the Year awards yet, right? I haven't missed anything, have I?"
"They're announcing the nominees right now. *The Last of Us*, *Uncharted*, and *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds* all made it in!"
"Wow, I'm so nervous, just announce it already! Why does this media outlet's live stream have to drag things out so much!"
Starting in December, a wave of Game of the Year awards from various gaming review media outlets was hitting.
Different gaming review media had different rules for evaluating Game of the Year, and their award ceremony times also varied. Some were earlier, wrapping up in December, while others were later, dragging on into January or February of the following year.
The specific award presentation methods also differed. For example, TGN had a massive award ceremony venue, even more extravagant than the Oscars, with live orchestras performing during the event.
However, some smaller gaming review media outlets were more frugal with their venues, and some even skipped the ceremony entirely, simply posting their selected Game of the Year online.
Today's gaming review media outlet was called GameHighlight, which translates to "Highlight Games." This was a media outlet that favored niche games, though it still held considerable influence worldwide.
This was the earliest influential gaming media outlet to hold a Game of the Year award ceremony this year.
Many domestic players had already learned about this news in advance, so they specifically got up early in the morning to wait for the live stream of the Game of the Year award ceremony.
This feeling was a bit like watching international esports tournaments, with two similarities: you either had to stay up late or get up early, and you hoped to see your country win glory.
Obviously, the only motivation for players to get up early was the hope of seeing Chen Mo's game take home the Game of the Year honor.
"They're out, they're out! The Game of the Year nominees!"
"The first one is *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds*, but this game is probably just a filler."
"Yeah, *Uncharted*! Actually, for GameHighlight, they might prefer *Uncharted* too, right? After all, it's an adventure game, which counts as a niche genre."
"But *Uncharted* is anything but niche... it caters way too much to mainstream tastes."
"They're about to announce it, I'm so nervous!"
"*The Last of Us*! Holy crap, it really is *The Last of Us*! I told you, this year *The Last of Us* crushes everything, no explanation needed!"
"Damn, Chen Mo is turning these Western game reviews into a home-field advantage with *The Last of Us*... This is so unscientific."
"Right, *The Last of Us* is practically a masterpiece for Western players and reviewers. I bet a lot of Western designers are scratching their heads, wondering who the real native Western designer is."
"Tsk, Chen Mo didn't even go to the ceremony! He sent someone else to accept the award. This guy is getting cocky!!"
"Who's that guy? He looks like a typical STEM nerd."
"Heh, that guy's name is Qian Kun. He's one of the core assistants who followed Chen Mo from the very beginning. He's been in charge of the numerical design for various monetization games for years. Oh, and by the way, *League of Legends*, *Honor of Kings*, and *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds* are currently under his management. The subsequent updates for *League of Legends* that we play are all led by this guy."
"Damn! This guy isn't even thirty yet!"
"As if Chen Mo is thirty... The whole company, the core creators, none of them are thirty yet..."
"So jealous! Wait, I just realized, this guy made the monetization systems??? I'm grabbing my knife and waiting for him outside the airport!!"
The news that *The Last of Us* had won the Game of the Year award at GameHighlight quickly spread throughout the domestic and international gaming circles. Many domestic gaming media outlets treated this as the day's headline news, sparking a heated response among players.
This was a very significant positive signal. Even GameHighlight, a media outlet that favored niche genres, gave *The Last of Us* a perfect score and selected it as Game of the Year. For larger outlets like TGN, which catered to more mainstream tastes, *The Last of Us* was definitely a strong contender for Game of the Year.
However, many players also commented, "Sit down, this is all basic stuff!"
"Just winning Game of the Year from a niche media outlet, and you're all so excited. Sit tight, my Serent is going to keep winning!"
"Exactly, before TGN comes out, these small outlets are just little brothers. Move aside."
"Save your energy. Wait until the authoritative media reviews come out before you start bragging. Keep a low profile for now."
"Look, Serent didn't even show up... I think with how cocky he is, he's not planning to attend any ceremonies except for a few authoritative ones like TGN..."
This player was actually right.
In fact, there were too many gaming review media outlets in the West. Even after removing those that didn't hold ceremonies and just released their Game of the Year lists online, there were still plenty left.
But since the games were nominated, Chen Mo's side couldn't just ignore the invitations. Otherwise, if not a single Thunder Game employee showed up at the ceremony, the award acceptance scene would be incredibly awkward.
As a game development and publishing company with extensive international influence, Thunder Interactive had to start dealing with these gaming media outlets. Players worldwide were watching these award ceremonies, hoping to see the game's creators on stage. If Thunder Interactive completely ignored them, that would be unacceptable.
Chen Mo himself couldn't possibly attend all these media events. Otherwise, from December to February, he wouldn't be able to do anything else except travel around Europe and America.
So, Chen Mo slapped his forehead and gave some veteran employees a perk: you guys can take turns covering these!
Not just anyone could accept awards on Chen Mo's behalf. At the very least, they needed a title when going abroad. They couldn't just send the janitor to accept the awards.
So, Qian Kun, Su Jinyu, Zheng Hongxi, and a few other core members each went abroad separately to handle these low-tier tasks for Chen Mo—oh, I mean, to accept these low-tier awards.
As for Chen Mo himself, he still had some things to plan back home during this period. When it came time for the more authoritative gaming media award ceremonies, he would just show up and make an appearance.
After all, winning Game of the Year was practically becoming routine. Barring any surprises, he would probably sweep the awards every year from now on, so there was no need to make a big deal out of it every time.