Capítulo 12: Chapter 12: The Most Important Quality of a Game Designer
The host noticed the sharpness in Steven Harris's words and quickly interjected, "Thank you, Mr. Harris, for your advice. I'm sure Alex Parker will remember his predecessor's guidance. Now, moving on..."
Before the host could finish, Alex's microphone was already at his mouth. "I disagree with you."
The host was stunned, and so was Steven!
Daniel Cooper and Simon Dominic were also surprised.
What's going on? Is the contestant going to confront the judge directly?
The host was a bit flustered but couldn't prevent Alex from speaking. He had no choice but to let him continue.
"Be mindful of your words; this is a live broadcast," the host whispered to Alex.
Alex ignored the host and said into the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, did you feel happy when you achieved your highest score in 'Flappy Bird'? If you did, please raise your hand."
The audience paused for a moment, and then more than half raised their hands.
"When your ranking improved, were you happy? If so, please raise your hand."
Again, over half of the audience raised their hands, slightly fewer than before but still a significant number.
"When you played with friends and scored higher than them, were you happy? If so, please raise your hand."
This time, even more hands went up, with a majority of the audience participating.
"When you failed, did you choose to give up or try again? If you chose to give up, please raise your hand."
Almost no one raised their hands.
"You tried many times and felt that these attempts were meaningless. If so, please raise your hand."
A few audience members raised their hands, but after looking around, they put them down.
Alex continued, "Clearly, the audience feels that my game brings them joy."
"The purpose of a game is to evoke emotions in players. Sometimes negative emotions can cloud our judgment, but think about it: if a game only brought you negative emotions, would you continue playing it?"
Many audience members shook their heads.
Alex went on to say, "Any game that keeps you playing brings you joy unless you're a masochist."
The audience burst into laughter.
Alex looked at Steven Harris. "Just because you can't find joy in this game doesn't mean it doesn't exist. On the contrary, my players find this game enjoyable. It's not just about triggering negative emotions to attract players."
Steven's face twitched slightly.
Alex continued, "I believe that the most important quality for a designer is objectivity—the ability to view any game objectively, even if they don't like it. That's what makes a qualified designer."
"A food critic who doesn't like spicy food and always rates Sichuan cuisine poorly—is he a qualified food critic?"
"Similarly, if you dismiss a game because you don't like it, how are you different from that biased food critic?"
"I'm done, thank you."
Alex handed the microphone back to the host and walked off the stage.
He had no interest in arguing with Steven.
"You..."
Steven was so furious that he almost stood up and slammed the table.
Simon Dominic quickly held him back. "He's just a kid; don't take it to heart."
Steven's face turned red, but he didn't explode. It wasn't because he didn't want to but because he couldn't think of anything to refute Alex!
Alex asked the audience to raise their hands and used an airtight food critic analogy. Steven had no other choice but to stubbornly argue, which wasn't helpful.
Daniel Cooper couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected Alex to confront Steven so decisively and effectively!
Alex's speech was smooth and coherent, unlike that of a rookie designer. He was also more fluent than some veterans who had hosted numerous press conferences!
Moreover, Alex's look towards Steven was almost like an adult watching a child throwing a tantrum.
This surprised Daniel. He realized Alex was more insightful than he had imagined.
Daniel stood up and followed Alex off the stage.
…
Alex didn't care how the host managed the situation. He had already won first place and got what he wanted.
As soon as he got off the stage, Daniel Cooper followed him.
"Mr. Parker," Daniel approached Alex.
Alex was surprised. "Hello, what's up?"
Daniel said, "I admire your work and wonder if you'd like to join Cooper Network as my assistant. Of course, the treatment will be exceptional."
Alex shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I have my own plans."
Daniel nodded. He understood Alex's implication. Clearly, someone like Alex wouldn't work under someone else; he was destined to start his own company and develop his own games.
"Alright, I wish you all the best and hope we have the chance to collaborate in the future," Daniel said.
Alex nodded. "I hope so, too."
They shook hands and exchanged contact information before parting ways.
For others, this might have been a tempting offer, but it didn't appeal to Alex at all.
Even if the CEO of Generation Entertainment invited him to be the chief designer, he wouldn't go. Working under someone else's thumb wasn't for him. Alex didn't like being restrained when designing games.
Soon, Alex found the event staff.
The staff member said, "We've noted your account details. The 300,000 dollars in development funds should be transferred to your account within 2-3 business days. Please check it."
"Also, here's the key to your experience store. Please note the address. Our staff will help you set it up. If you have any questions, call me. You can decide on the details, but the budget is limited. We can discuss this further later."
Alex nodded. "Got it, thank you."
After completing the formalities, Alex took a taxi and left the event venue.
It was too hot, and Alex was wearing formal attire. The thought of taking the bus or subway was unbearable, especially now that he had just won 300,000 dollars. It was time to indulge a bit.
The journey wasn't too long. About half an hour later, Alex arrived at the hotel where he had been staying.
Back in his room, Alex took off his formal wear and changed into a T-shirt and shorts before packing his luggage.
Alex's place was outside the Fifth Ring Road, far from here. The subway ride was nearly an hour. Rent in the city was too high, and he couldn't afford a place near the Third Ring Road.
But now, with the experience store, he could give up his rented place.
He didn't have much luggage. One suitcase was enough, including his laptop. He checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the experience store to check it out.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder