Chapter 1018: Making a Movie
After the "GTA Special Episode" of *Today's Current Affairs Debate* aired, it immediately created a massive impact online, especially throughout the entire gaming industry.
As a hot topic of the moment, the development trend of virtual reality games represented by GTA drew the attention of many, involving over two billion gamers nationwide and worldwide.
In the parallel world, last year's statistics showed 2.8 billion active global gamers. Although only a portion of these were VR players, and even fewer were next-gen VR gamers who had purchased Matrix Game Pods, it was undeniable that the gaming industry in the parallel world represented an incredibly vast market.
After years of development, mobile games and VR platforms had advanced side-by-side, jointly squeezing the PC gaming market. The overall gaming industry maintained a diversified character, but it was undeniable that VR games remained the benchmark for the industry's future direction.
Mobile and PC games wouldn't disappear; they would simply follow behind VR games, meeting players' needs under different conditions.
Thus, Chen Mo's public statement essentially laid out his vision for the future development of VR games. Given Chen Mo's current standing in the global gaming industry, his views carried considerable weight.
The attitudes of players, the media, the Game Committee, and opinion leaders from other fields...
These different perspectives intertwined, to some extent determining the future direction of VR games domestically and worldwide.
Remember, the parallel world was one where game-related tech industries developed rapidly, especially with Chen Mo's black tech system pushing things along behind the scenes. The rapid growth of these tech industries would bring earth-shattering changes to people's lives, altering their habits in a short time.
This was different from Chen Mo's previous life. There, the tech development related to the gaming industry was slow, even stagnant for several years. Although several good games came out each year, the main platforms were still limited to mobile phones, PCs, and consoles. This slow tech tree made "discussing the future of the gaming industry" seem insignificant, confined to the industry itself without attracting widespread social attention.
But in the parallel world, VR technology in the gaming industry represented a change in people's lifestyles. Restrictions on virtual games would affect the development of VR technology, which in turn would shape the entire future landscape... A seemingly insignificant debate could potentially influence how people lived in the virtual world going forward.
Therefore, Chen Mo's statement was far more important than most people imagined.
Consider this: if the conservative faction represented by Professor Xu had gained the upper hand this time, if GTA had been banned, if any violent elements were prohibited in future next-gen VR games—what would the virtual world look like then?
Everyone entering the virtual world every day to work diligently and save up to buy a house?
Kids addicted to games being sent to treatment centers in the virtual world to cure their internet addiction?
Most people toiling for half their lives, emptying six wallets to buy a cramped apartment in a big city?
A virtual world like that would be better off not existing.
Chen Mo's statement sparked a strong public reaction online. Players began to respond actively, essentially fighting for their future prospects, voting to decide what kind of virtual world they would get.
After this incident, the Game Committee's control over the entire gaming industry, especially regarding content restrictions, further relaxed. This didn't mean unrestricted display of pornographic or violent content, but rather a greater focus on overall control, paying more attention to the spiritual connotation of works and player feedback.
It wasn't that the Game Committee was particularly enlightened; it was just that in the race for the next-gen VR market, the country had already gained a head start. If they were to cripple themselves and give away that advantage, it would be truly foolish.
...
While GTA caused a sensation worldwide, Thunderbolt Entertainment's R&D department wasn't idle.
The large-scale remastering plan for original VR games was ongoing, with updates rolling out gradually. However, most of these games were essentially reheated leftovers relying on nostalgia, though they became more appealing with the added "next-gen VR" seasoning.
GTA's online mode was also in development. This could make extensive use of GTA's existing art resources, so it wasn't difficult to create and could go live soon. GTA Online primarily provided a platform for GTA players to cooperate or compete, encouraging social interaction within the game or extending real-life social connections.
GTA Online wasn't the ultimate form of the virtual world; it was merely GTA's multiplayer mode.
Additionally, in *Oasis*, the seaside mansions would feature dedicated private car garages. Players could purchase their own cars in these garages. A small portion of these cars used models from GTA, while a large portion would acquire real-world copyrights. As for the price, it was even more aggressive than the food discounts—a thousand times cheaper.
For example, a real-world Maserati LE350 had a sticker price starting at 932,400, which could drop to 883,750 for bulk buyers. In the game, that price would be around 880.
Yes, that's right. What you spent on gacha in the 2D waifu mobile game could buy you a Maserati of your own in *Oasis*.
Of course, many original vehicles in *Oasis* could be wildly imaginative, not even constrained by specific structures. As long as they looked cool and stylish, that was enough.
Some might ask, if luxury cars are sold so cheaply, won't they become as common as dirt?
Heh, who told you that real-world luxury cars are the most expensive vehicles in the virtual world?
With cars naturally came various derivative services, like parking lots and wider roads. These services wouldn't be as expensive as the cars themselves, but players would still need to pay a bit—still far cheaper than in reality. The most important thing was that if your car got wrecked, it didn't matter; it would be quickly repaired and returned to your seaside mansion, with no need for players to buy insurance or pay high repair fees.
See? Isn't Sarent losing money again?
...
Looking at this week's development progress report, Chen Mo was lost in thought.
He suddenly remembered something and asked Qian Kun, "The movie theater in the Matrix Shopping Center—is it still not open yet?"
Qian Kun nodded. "Yeah. Last time we talked about it, boss, you said you hadn't figured out what to show yet. Zheng Hongxi and I considered putting in CG clips from the games, but you vetoed that."
Chen Mo spread his hands. "What's the point of showing game CG? Players have seen them so many times. Besides, in a virtual world, presenting movies in a 2D real-world format is way too lowbrow. We'll make one ourselves."
Qian Kun was dumbfounded. "Make one ourselves? How? Buy a movie studio?"
Chen Mo rolled his eyes. "Why look for a movie studio? It's just making an extra-long CG, okay? Besides, with the current level of art resource precision, real-time rendering would work fine."
Qian Kun thought for a moment. "So, something like the director's cut of *Detroit: Become Human*? The kind where players can't interact?"
Chen Mo nodded. "Exactly, except the script will be way more awesome than that."