Game Making: Start By Healing the Player
Chapter 64

“Qin Yi! The rice is turning black! Why are you still on vegetables?!”

“Shut up! The dishes are on your side but I don’t see a single clean plate! I can’t put anything on anything, so I just keep prepping!”

“Argggg! I’m so pissed!”

“YOU’RE PISSED?!!”

Within the Nebula Games office, tensions were running high between Zhao Zhuo (level design) and Qin Yi (game balance). They were at each other’s throats while testing the game again.

This was the fourth outburst to be noted down during the playtesting phase of the game.

“Boss… Is this game really supposed to help couples build stronger relationships?” Yang Xin whispered her question to Chen Xu as she hid behind an office chair, observing the unfolding chaos.

Beside her, Ruan Ningxue was lovingly capturing the scene in her sketchbook. She was immensely enjoying her time in the company, and had plans to make a framed portrait capturing an iconic moment for every game they made from now on.

“Ahem, well, it’s technically not just for couples. Friends, siblings—anyone can enjoy this game together.” Chen Xu answered seriously.

“It’s just that those two have always been insanely competitive, and you know how they stare at each other sometimes.” he added with a chuckle.

“If you say so. But still, I feel like something’s off…” Yang Xin muttered as she turned to boot up ‘Overcooked-Chaos’ on her own computer.

She went through the scenes and moved her character around a bit, interacting with the mechanics.

When the project first began, she expected the game to hold universal appeal.

But after trying it herself? She wasn’t too sure anymore.

Beating the stages was simple enough.

But trying to get all 3 stars in a level? Trying to get all 3 stars in a world?

It felt like she was playing a competitive PVP ranked game. She could physically feel her face heating up from blood pressure, this shit is not healthy.

“Alright you two, you’re in charge of the promotional videos, I trust your judgement. I’ll be attending a few interviews now.”

“Oh? Which outlet?” Ying Xin and Ruan Ningxue were surprised by the news.

“It’s the GameTimes magazine and website. They agreed to cover us.” Chen Xu said, waving as he walked away.

The two waved back and turned to begin their discussion.

In his office, Chen Xu went over the process of checking his webcam and microphone.

In truth, he had been receiving a steady flow of interview requests for some time now, but this was the first one he chose to accept in a long while.

Chen Xu might not currently be at a level where he can compete with industry giants, but in the indie scene, his name carried some serious weight.

“Teacher Chen! What an absolute pleasure to finally meet you!”

Wu Tian, an editor from GameTimes, greeted him with enthusiasm.

After he got the chance to review ‘Undertale’, Wu Tian felt like his perspective on gaming as a whole was broadened. He was deeply moved by the experience and had been following Chen Xu’s work closely ever since.

Fortunately, Chen Xu never failed to impress.

‘To the Moon’ had him weeping like a baby. And ‘Outlast’— while not Wu Tian’s cup of tea, was still admittedly a masterfully crafted horror experience, one that would truly test the courage of the player.

Simply put: Wu Tian admired Chen Xu deeply as a game designer.

So when GameTimes reached out for an interview, and Nebula Games responded positively, Wu Tian fought with his editor-in-chief for the opportunity.

“No need to be so formal, just Chen Xu is fine,” came his reply, a slightly awkward smile creeping up his face.

The title brought back memories of his old life. “Teacher Chen” was something that once held a level of prestige, but had faded away as numerous up-and-comers began popping up.

He had tried his best to hold on to his former glory, but fighting against orders from above his station proved futile. The corporate suits always had the final say, and if the product bombed as a result, he would get the blame.

Now in this new world, hearing this someone call him that again felt odd.

Wu Tian froze and took a moment to process this. “Teacher” was a respectful form of address used across multiple fields, including the games industry.

Did I do something wrong?

“Ah… then, Mr Chen—thank you for sparing time out of your busy schedule to meet with us.”

Wu Tian adapted quickly and settled back with “Mr Chen”. He couldn’t bear to be too casual on their first meeting.

“No need to be nervous or formal, let’s just chat and I’ll answer whatever questions I can.” Chen Xu smiled, pouring two cups of fragrant tea and handing over a cup.

“O-of course, of course.” Wu Tian accepted the cup and had a small sip before setting it aside.

“Well then, let’s start with ‘Undertale’…”

The interview took off nicely, with Chen Xu elaborating on how he decided to go for such differing genres.

“…as for ‘Undertale’, it was mainly because of the gap in the market. Meta concepts have been used in both novels and movies, so why not apply it to games? It worked wonderfully because games have an advantage when it comes to immersion.”

“…I think a lot of people have already voiced their feelings about ‘To the Moon’. It was a very simple game made for storytelling purposes…”

“I poured my heart and soul into ‘Outlast’, and spent a lot of my team’s sanity points. Rest assured, we won’t be tackling a horror project like that for a while…”

“When we see a need in the market, we fill that need. That’s why I’m a warrior of love, see, I am filled with such fiery passion…”

“The new game is no exception, It’ll be filled with my love too…”

Wait, did he just say new game!?

Wu Tian’s eyes lit up.

This was juicy news, the correspondence with Nebula only hinted that there might be an announcement of some sort, but gave no guarantees.

If so, this would be exclusive early news on an upcoming hit. How exciting!

With great anticipation, Wu Tian broached the subject. “Mr Chen, could you share a little more about this new game of yours?”

“Let’s see… It’s a family-friendly co-op experience, launching on 14th February—Valentine’s Day.”

“We hope couples will deepen their relationships by playing the game. But even if you’re single, you can still enjoy it with friends, siblings, or anyone—through online matchmaking, and have a great time.”

Chen Xu spoke with the warmest, most genuine smile he could muster, and pulled out a few pieces of concept art he had prepared.

An adorable crocodile chef, an Onion king, a dog with a hat, the concept art conveyed a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Simply looking at the art invoked a strange, fuzzy feeling. Making one want to hop in and see these characters in action.

——————————————————

The interview wasn’t very long, only around 20 minutes in the end.

With a friendly smile, Chen Xu walked Wu Tian to the entrance of the building and saw him off.

“Ah… the joys of youth…” Chen Xu sighed to himself.

As he blankly walked to his car, Wu Tian stared at the video equipment bag in his hands, slowly coming to his senses as if a spell had been broken.

Wait a minute—wasn’t he supposed to be the interviewer? How did he end up more like a stenographer instead?

He had somehow lost control of the interview and got caught up in Teacher Chen’s flow.

Tsk. Looks like there was still a lot for him to learn.

“But at least the trip was worth it, I got solid material. Chen Xu’s new game announcement will carry some trending power. I have to start writing fast!”

Headline: Spreading the love

“This would fit nicely with what I’ve seen of ‘Overcooked-Chaos’. Looks like a lot of players with relationships will have a sweet holiday ahead of them.”

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