Kapitel 8: Chapter 8 Set Up a Studio_1
"'Towards Death and Life,' a letter from the deceased to the living."
"Highly recommended, a thousand years of solitude, just for your arrival."
"Fun, no explanation needed."
"The only downside of the game is that it's actually a horror game, well, it's a bit short, which is indeed quite terrifying."
"Alpha, my daughter!"
"Upstairs, you're my father-in-law!"
"Get lost! You cyber copper-refining addict!"
"Get lost! Alpha is over a thousand years older than us!"
"The game creator Fang Cheng is undoubtedly a genius, but he also displays a unique and unmatched bad taste. 'The Forest's Second Son' already showed his talent in scene construction, and 'Towards Death and Life' showcases his excellence in storytelling. However, the former's name is tragic, and the latter's genre is a disaster. But if you ask me, the more of such wickedly talented geniuses, the better."
Fang Cheng lay in bed, looking at the reviews on the Steam platform, feeling a bit incredulous.
Tens of thousands of recommendations pushed the game into the "overwhelmingly positive" category, indicating that most players found the game to be very enjoyable.
The Steam platform even gave it a special small section, which was like free promotion.
But...
What he intended to make was clearly a horror game!
The massive creatures should have brought an indescribable sense of oppression, the helpless climbing process should have been filled with danger and suffocation, and frequent failure should have made the players frustrated.
So why...
What made you think the game is therapeutic and the characters are cute?
Is it really that hard to have a unified understanding of what's fun?
Just as Fang Cheng was pondering with a frown, a phone call came in.
Seeing that it was from Mr. Shen, Fang Cheng answered the call and then heard Mr. Shen's excited voice.
"Fang Cheng, you really did it!"
"Mr. Shen, I..."
"I thought you wanted to make a horror game, but it turned out to be a platform-jumping game. You do have a sense of humor, but don't do it like this next time."
"I really..."
"You can't waste your talent; let that idiot KongKong who lacks vision go to hell. A guy who's only thinking about money has no right to manage a genius like you. I'm planning to persuade Tianyi to set up a new studio, and you'll be the producer."
"But..."
"Don't want to go? Oh, I get it, working for someone else really isn't cool. How about this, I'll help you apply for an office, and you can start your own studio. I still have some influence and can help you get an interest-free loan, as support for newcomers. It doesn't matter if you can't pay it back; I'll cover for you."
"..."
"Hire a few more people, go for a big one. And don't make free games anymore; you need to charge for games."
Fang Cheng finally got a chance to speak and quickly asked, "Why should I charge money?"
Even through the phone, Fang Cheng could sense the other person's confusion.
Half a minute later, Mr. Shen finally said, "You can't dig someone else's road."
After Mr. Shen's explanation, Fang Cheng finally understood.
Games, actually, are quite a money burner.
Even if AI technology has advanced a great deal, art requires money to burn, programming requires money to burn, planning and the trial-and-error costs of developing a gameplay also mean burning cash.
Some people can run on passion, but most game developers see games as a job, and normal instances of "free" don't threaten their livelihood.
But Fang Cheng was an exception.
The super high quality of his games would impact the gaming market and form an unhealthy effect.
When a new game appeared, others would point to Fang Cheng's game and say, "It's not as fun as the free game, and you have the nerve to charge money?"
While some trashy games might thus leave the market, over ninety percent of game developers would be ruined by this, ultimately a catastrophic blow to the gaming industry.
"Too clear a water holds no fish, and too keen an observation has no followers. The same applies to making games, a bit of bubble is healthy, do you understand?"
"I understand," Fang Cheng agreed wholeheartedly.
No wonder the older generation of game developers were so impressive, they saw the principles of economics so clearly.
And Mr. Shen was all about efficiency in handling affairs. It wasn't long before he had arranged a meeting at the bank for Fang Cheng, and within half an hour, a no-interest loan of five hundred thousand had been deposited into his account.
Not wanting to put too much pressure on Fang Cheng, Mr. Shen did not give money directly but applied for a loan instead.
This was not only a reflection of the mentor-disciple relationship but also the expectation of the older generation of game developers for the new generation.
Furthermore, Mr. Shen also got Fang Cheng an office space rent-free for two years. Coincidentally, the location of the office was just opposite Kongkong Studio of Tianyi, close enough that one could simply look up to see the other.
Embarrassed about this arrangement, Mr. Shen called Fang Cheng and said that if he disliked it, they could change it, no need to be polite.
But Fang Cheng didn't mind and declined the offer.
The office space was ready to use; although Fang Cheng mentioned he didn't need an entire floor, Mr. Shen insisted it was free and to just use it first.
The computers were also from Mr. Shen's previous studio. The batch was eighty percent new, and while it was said to be a loan, it was essentially a gift—and even included a bunch of gaming desks and chairs. In essence, Fang Cheng got a studio without spending a dime.
Even though he was an Immortal, Fang Cheng still felt the gift from Mr. Shen was too generous.
Unable to think of a way to repay him, Fang Cheng simply cultivated a batch of Spirit Grass, packaged it into tea leaves, and sent them to Mr. Shen, then sincerely asked, "Mr. Shen, is there anyone you dislike and want to get back at? If they're truly vile, it's not like I can't just take them out for you, and it'll be as if nothing happened."
Mr. Shen burst into laughter immediately and patted Fang Cheng's shoulder, saying, "I didn't expect you to have such a sense of humor, kid. Don't overthink it, I have my own selfish reasons."
"How about two, then?"
"Alright, enough joking. Game development is on the wane domestically; many games can only cater to niche markets or sell nostalgia, it's frustrating to watch. Though we're only in our forties, our way of thinking has solidified, and we have grown too cautious to make moves. Now seeing such a promising young talent as you, it's only right that I nurture you a bit."
"Mr. Shen, to be honest, I still don't really understand why games are fun."
"I don't get it either; who can claim to have completely grasped the essence of games? Games are truly an art form—you never know when or how your game will touch someone's heart and make them feel that it's fun. Anyway, don't put too much pressure on yourself, just stick to your own path and find your own way."
"...Thank you."
After expressing his heartfelt gratitude, Fang Cheng brought out his tea leaves and said to Mr. Shen, "I didn't bring any other gifts for the visit, but these tea leaves are cultivated by me; I hope you will accept them. Drinking a little every day will strengthen the body and even help with hair loss."
"You grew these yourself... Well, then I won't hold back. Hair loss and such don't matter."
After seeing Fang Cheng out, Mr. Shen took out the tea leaves from the jar and took a sniff beneath his nose, immediately feeling the fragrance wafting through the air.
He brewed a little with hot water and saw the cup fill with vibrant green tea, as if the entirety of springtime had been captured in it.
After taking a sip, the lingering taste left Mr. Shen sighing with satisfaction, "This is really good stuff."
Not sure if it was just his imagination, but after finishing a cup of tea, Mr. Shen felt refreshed and clear-headed, even his remaining hair seemed to have gained a shine.
Kapitel 9: Chapter 9 The First Employee_1
Just like that, a freeloading studio came into existence.
Right outside the door was the subway station, downstairs was a small commercial district, not far from a gym, and you didn't even need to take the elevator to get to the second floor.
Now that the studio was established, the next step was to make games.
But before Fang Cheng could start, Mr. Shen's call came in again.
"Fang Cheng, have you started recruiting for your studio yet? Have you got your eyes on any candidates?"
"Recruit for the studio? Aren't I enough on my own?"
"Are you even speaking human language? Can you handle everything by yourself?"
"Sure, I can."
Mr. Shen was so choked up he couldn't speak for a moment before he finally said, "You do need to recruit, and the person needs to complement you, like if you're good at programming, then find someone who's good at innovative gameplay. You'll be the producer and lead programmer, he'll be the lead designer, and then gradually add more people."
Hearing this, Fang Cheng thought Mr. Shen was right.
He had already made two games, and while they couldn't be called critically acclaimed, they at least stood out.
But the problem was, he didn't know why the first game was popular even though he didn't find it fun, and the second game, which he intended to be a horror game that scared people, turned into a healing game.
Yeah, it was pretty disappointing.
If there was someone who could help with the postmortem to study where it failed, that would be great.
So, he immediately began writing a recruitment advertisement, posted the job requirements on BOSS Recruitment, and left his contact information and location.
He didn't know how much to offer for a salary, so he left it negotiable.
He didn't know what to require for education, so he didn't choose any.
There was one test question though, which was to analyze why "The Forest's Second Son" and "Towards Death and Life" failed? You could pick either one.
After listing the job advertisement, Fang Cheng, full of anticipation, began playing games, searching for the secret to what made games fun through experiencing different ones.
And while he played games expressionlessly, as if he were in a classroom, his job advertisement caused a small stir.
Some onlookers found the job posting and couldn't help but laugh after reading it.
Taking a jab at "The Forest's Second Son" and "Towards Death and Life," how dare you!
Job-seekers filled with a sense of justice were about to lash out in criticism, but then they noticed something odd about the name of the studio.
Fang Cheng Studio...
Hmm...
This name couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?
Upon seeing the studio's brief and realizing it really was Fang Cheng, they fell silent.
You're calling works that have made a small name for themselves in the gaming circles recently, failures?
You're lucky it's not against the law to boast in this day and age, otherwise, we would definitely have to arrest you and sentence you to a few decades in jail.
"The Forest's Second Son" and "Towards Death and Life" were not perfect games, with detailed scrutiny revealing many flaws, such as the overly simplistic tutorials, or even lack of them; the game mechanics were hidden too deeply, like a game of hide and seek.
But the former's world was vast enough, and the latter's humanistic care deep enough, that these two aspects alone were sufficient to compensate for all the deficiencies, making them the most popular games recently.
A game doesn't need to be perfect, but it must have fun elements.
So, should one give it a try and apply for the job?
Thanks to this little wave, Fang Cheng freeloaded another advertisement worth over a hundred thousand, bringing some attention to Fang Cheng Studio before it even started working officially.
As Fang Cheng completed another game and began pondering why it was fun, Mr. Shen called again.
Mr. Shen was unusually diligent today, even more than when he was dating his wife or when he went to the hospital to check on his hair loss.
On the other end of the phone, Mr. Shen asked helplessly, "Fang Cheng, was this job ad on purpose or an accident?"
"Um... it was on purpose."
"Not bad, you know about negative marketing. And then there's the twist of using your real identity as the trump card. But don't do this too often; it can have negative effects."
"Okay, it was an accident, I don't even know what went wrong."
"You..."
Mr. Shen sighed deeply, feeling that the worry he had for Fang Cheng was tenfold compared to that for others.
"Alright, I get that you're not good at writing these recruitment ads. I'll introduce you to a front desk cum HR person to help you. They can also handle finances, an all-around talent, so you can offer a higher salary. Later on, when you have more people, it will be up to them to decide whether to stay or leave."
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Fang Cheng made a quick calculation and found that today was indeed a good day to recruit for the front desk, HR, and finance positions.
The Way of Divination was not something he was very skilled at. The previous prediction that his Taoist Heart was unstable and needed video games to replenish it was also impulsive.
However, now, making a quick divination of good and bad fortune was still achievable.
Having made this realization, he put down his mouse, sat at the front of the studio, and began to wait for talents to arrive.
Soon, the sound of high heels clacking against the floor echoed from outside.
The irregular sound allowed Fang Cheng to sense a woman clumsily walking in high heels through the corridor, just by listening.
After stumbling once again, she angrily tossed her high heels aside and then walked in carrying her shoes.
She was a very pretty girl, seemingly a recent college graduate with somewhat immature features that gave her a fresh and delicate appearance.
At this moment, there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, and a few strands of hair lazily stuck to it, adding a hint of charm to her looks.
Although she was in a black business dress, the act of carrying her high heels revealed an uninhibited side, which made Fang Cheng think she might be quite interesting.
Upon seeing Fang Cheng, the woman's previous anger subsided, her furrowed brows involuntarily relaxed, and even the pain in her feet seemed to lessen significantly.
After pushing a chair towards her and serving her a cup of Spiritual Tea, the woman thanked him and was just about to identify herself when Fang Cheng asked, "Are you here for the job Mr. Shen referred you to?"
She took a look at the logo "Fang Cheng Studio" highlighted by the spotlight behind Fang Cheng and immediately nodded, saying, "No, but I could be."
"Then maybe you could introduce yourself?"
"My name is Xu Qingling. I graduated from Yale Law School, and I'm good at sending the defendant, their lawyer, and even the judge to prison."
After making another quick calculation, Fang Cheng found her to be incredibly suitable and nodded, "You don't need to send that many people; just stay. When can you start?"
"Right now. You're the boss, right? How should I address you?" Xu Qingling asked excitedly.
"Fang Cheng."
As he extended his hand, Fang Cheng felt Xu Qingling shake his hand vigorously for quite a while before reluctantly letting go.
Afterwards, Xu Qingling continued to inquire, "So, what does our studio do?"
"You decided to join without knowing anything about it?"
"I'm just a bit impulsive."
"I see," Fang Cheng said, nodding thoughtfully, remembering that Cultivators who were a bit impulsive tended to be like this.
He assigned Xu Qingling a workstation and then prepared to figure out what a boss should do.
Meanwhile, Xu Qingling went to the restroom, took out her phone, and said, "Grandpa, I found a job."
"Yeah, in the game industry."
"In our family's office building. He took a fancy to me at first glance, and I did to him; it's that simple."
"Don't worry, I'm sure to make something of it. If I don't, I'll come back and take over the family business. Alright, hanging up now."
Geschenke
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