PixelPioneers: The Birth of a Gaming Empire

Chapter : 1 : Surreal Dream

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"It's interesting initially, but the follow-up game content is bland, and I don't quite understand what kind of story the developer wants to tell."

"Retro pixel graphics are very positive, and the first half of the game is quite fun, but the boring combat system, with the chaotic numerical design and endless bugs, makes me have no patience to play."

[ Monster Dungeon ]

[ Player reviews: 41 ]

[ Game Star Rating: 3.0 ]

"Boring plot, boring combat design, but in this age, there are people who create retro pixel style, and I don't know what they think."

"Pixel-style graphic, it feels a bit interesting, but the game is boring, and wasted 45 seconds."

"I want to make a great game." Aldo Johns, who had just entered the industry, once had a great ambition. However, when the truth is placed in front of him, it is too cruel.

"Ugh..." Last night at noon in a rental house, Johns looked at the things on the computer screen. He scored 3.0 and sighed.

This is not the first time he has seen this review. With a score of 3.0, he is afraid that there will be a disgrace to the company's public relations. The game was priced at 45 Dollars but- only sold less than 5,000 copies. After deducting the channel revenue and the share of subsequent player refunds, the real profit to him was only about 50,000. While the cost of the entire game, he invested 300,000.

Yes, he is the creator of this game.

John graduated from the Sunset Institute. He majored in Foreign Language and Literature, a major he didn't know why he chose. After he successfully graduated, like most people, ventured on a path that had nothing to do with his major, a path he liked.

He chose the path of game creation, from the initial plot planning to the self-study of related programs and arts, and then to the learning of the business, he spent almost 3 years, not a long, but also not a short time.

Take out his savings from the past three years, recruit people, and buy equipment. To save costs, there is no chance to rent a business office building. Only the rugged house in the community can be selected as the office area.

In the market research, in the face of various popular genres at the moment, he chose the retro pixel graphic. After all, as an independent gamer, there is something that can attract people's attention. Retro is the gimmick that John wants to create.

After confirming all his work, one year later he took an adventure pixel game "Monster Dungeon" that he developed into the market. Originally, he thought it could be a blockbuster like the movie, and then became the leader of the domestic game industry. An underdog, and finally created a gaming entertainment empire. But reality slapped him.

Game development is not as easy as he thinks, the team's running, project development, including the difficulties encountered in the development process, and the dilemma of funding. Even at the end of the game development, only he was left in the whole team. The rest of the employees chose to resign because they felt that the project had no potential. The last month included game optimization, bug testing, and patching, all of which he was responsible for.

And now, obviously, those employees who choose to resign, their choice is right, this is a flopped game. More than a year of game development is normal for independent gamers, but under the operation of today's trend, the genre that was popular a year ago is no longer attractive.

Because of personnel and funding issues, all the work was done himself in the later period, which led to a lot of problems including numerical values ​​and even optimization. If these small problems are mixed, it is a bad game experience for players.

"Ah..." Closed the page, John sighed softly. Just as the sigh fell, a coat draped behind him.

"Still thinking about failure?" A playful voice rang beside his ears, with a benevolent and pretty face next to him, Vera Luna embraced John's arms with both hands.

"Hmm... Did you wake you up?" John froze for a moment, looking at Luna who was next to him, and said with some apologies.

This is his girlfriend and she is two years younger than himself. Since high school, the two of them have been together. At that time, he was in the third year of high school while Luna was in the first year of high school. Then, because he was a few points away from the university he wanted to take the exam, he chose to repeat it.

After that, he came to the city. Only on the weekend, he had the opportunity to chat with his mobile phone, talking about the interesting things he encountered in the city, and the troubles she encountered in the third year of high school, but it seemed more vulnerable. The love experience has not faded as most people think, because in the second year, Luna also came to the city and came to the same school.

"The bed is very cold if I can't hold you, so I can't sleep." Luna smiled at John.

"Yes, yes, someone last night, grabbed the bedcover and almost kicked me off." John rolled his eyes and then reached out to hug Luna in his arms.

"My mother called me at night and she knew what happened to you." Putting her head in John's arms, Luna mimicked the tone: "My mother said: Honey, if you can't do it, don't stay there, it's good to go back to the country. You can tell little John that your dad has a little bit of say in the government. Let him study and wait for the time to come. When there is an opening for recruitment next year, he will set up an interview. He will be able to make a decision, and the director is not too strict. It is also the new year"

"My mother is also suggesting marriage." Luna looked up with a smile in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" John hugged the girl in his arms.

"I don't care, anyway, don't even think about running away in your life," Luna said with a smile, reaching out to pinch John's face.

"Of course, I won't run as I finally find a stupid girl. If I run away, won't I have to be a bachelor for a lifetime?" John smiled and freed his right hand to hold the mouse and shut down the computer.

"So what do you say? Will we go home at the end of the year?" Luna laid her head against John's chest and said softly.

Hearing Luna's words, John froze for a moment, looked at the computer next to it, and thought of his experience over the past few years. Perhaps, I am not suitable for creating games.

After two seconds, John nodded: "Okay, let's go back home at the end of the year."

Hearing John's words, a smile appeared on Luna's face, and raised her hand to pinch John's face.

The two made a fuss in bed for a while, then turned off the lights, pulled the bedcover, and laid down. John, with his eyes closed, heard a slight snoring sound from the side, and then a few minutes, or more than ten minutes, with a trace of sleepiness, he slowly fell asleep.

But the difference with the past is that this time John had a dream, a very surreal dream.