Chapter 963: Time Magazine Cover Figure
With the conclusion of the TGN Annual Game Awards ceremony, this year's Game of the Year had been announced.
Without a doubt, it was Chen Mo's *The Legend of Zelda*.
In truth, this outcome had long been a foregone conclusion. When *The Legend of Zelda* swept across game media worldwide, earning over a dozen perfect scores, this year's Game of the Year was practically predetermined.
In this year's Game of the Year selection, *Monster Hunter* and *Assassin's Creed* were also nominated for the title, meaning Chen Mo had once again nearly swept all the nominated games. This also made the title of "Best Designer of the Year" lose all suspense early on.
Of course, the title of "Best Designer of the Year" wasn't awarded by major game media outlets. For game media, selecting games was far more important than selecting designers.
This title existed in the hearts of every player.
Just like that highly upvoted answer on a domestic Q&A website: Chen Mo no longer needed a Game of the Year award to prove himself; rather, the Game of the Year award needed him to prove its worth.
If Chen Mo's game hadn't won Game of the Year, people wouldn't think his game was bad—they'd think the Game of the Year selection process was flawed.
The news about Game of the Year didn't cause a huge stir, but the next two pieces of news instantly captured the attention of players worldwide.
Chen Mo was inducted into the World Game Hall of Fame.
Chen Mo graced the cover of *Time* magazine.
The World Game Hall of Fame was established to record and help more people remember and understand individuals or groups who had made outstanding contributions to gaming or had a significant impact on its development. It could be seen as a lifetime achievement award within the global gaming industry. Every inductee was among the world's best game designers, each having created one or several ultra-classic games with major influence.
Chen Mo's induction into the World Game Hall of Fame wasn't too surprising. After all, winning Game of the Year for three consecutive years—this achievement might not be unprecedented for the future, but it was certainly unmatched in the past.
In terms of pure influence, perhaps some legendary designers from the past could stand shoulder to shoulder with Chen Mo, but finding another designer as prolific as him was truly impossible.
Moreover, in the current era, Chen Mo had become the most dazzling figure of all.
For players, Chen Mo's entry into the World Game Hall of Fame was only a matter of time. Some even felt he should have been inducted last year.
But the matter of the *Time* magazine cover still shocked many players.
Every year, *Time* magazine selected a "Person of the Year" for its cover, with the motto: "To select the person who has had the greatest impact on news and people's lives." Initially, "Person of the Year" wasn't a honor but was judged solely from the perspective of "greatest impact." However, over time, the selection became increasingly political, with a large portion of cover figures being politicians.
Nevertheless, individuals who achieved outstanding success in other fields were also considered, such as IT industry leaders, scientists who made breakthrough discoveries, influential celebrities, exceptional athletes, and so on.
In the post-war era, the appearance of political figures on *Time*'s Person of the Year cover gradually decreased. And because the gaming industry received significant attention in this parallel world, the gaming field was regarded as being on the same level as traditional fields like entertainment and sports, having a profound impact on the development of the entire world.
What drew everyone's attention even more was *Time*'s commentary on Chen Mo being named Person of the Year.
On the *Time* cover, Chen Mo tilted his head slightly, his deep gaze fixed on the left front of the camera, with a faint, elusive smile on his lips. This photo came from a widely circulated internet meme, "Serent's Smile," but after special processing, the irrelevant background was removed and replaced with a dark backdrop.
A small part of his cheek was hidden in shadow, making his features appear more three-dimensional and somewhat mysterious.
Above the image were the four bright red English letters "TIME," and above that, the title "Person of the Year." On the right side of the image was a brief commentary.
"Serent Chen is changing the world through games."
The word "games" here didn't just represent video games; it could also be interpreted broadly as "all games." This statement implied that Chen Mo wasn't just changing the gaming industry but also every aspect of the world, including people's lifestyles.
Receiving this commentary on the cover of *Time* was already an extremely high form of praise.
In the more detailed reasoning for the selection, *Time* wrote:
"In the known history of humanity, games have never penetrated every person's life as deeply as they do today. Mobile phones, personal computers, VR gaming pods, smart glasses... While smart devices continuously change people's lifestyles, the games running on them have also become increasingly diverse, becoming an indispensable part of people's daily lives and entertainment."
"For many players, numerous games have become independent virtual worlds separate from reality, making our world more diverse."
"To date, the gaming industry has developed to a high degree. Only the most exceptional designers can satisfy increasingly discerning players. What the perfect virtual world experience brings to people is a dreamlike realm that all imagination cannot touch, yet this illusory, foam-like reality that seems almost tangible stems from a genius mind and an inexhaustible well of inspiration."
"To commemorate the great achievements made in the gaming industry's development to this day, *Time* magazine's Person of the Year is awarded to Serent Chen."
"He is like his name: silent most of the time, as if immersed in the ocean of his own thoughts. He is so focused that no one can guess the meaning hidden behind his silence and smile. He always makes surprising decisions or choices, which, in hindsight, are filled with foresight."
"The global gaming industry has universally recognized him as the greatest game designer of this era. He is a genius who has always been down-to-earth, creating one game after another."
"Moreover, unlike other designers, Serent himself is a top-tier gamer. In his battle against artificial intelligence, he captured the world's attention and was revered as a deity by many players."
"He and this era achieve each other. We are experiencing a major transformation, much like the Industrial Revolution or the Information Revolution, but this time, the change is happening in a more subtle, enjoyable way. Games are changing our world."