I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 529 - 172: The Game Design Conference with Generous Rewards!_2

Chapter 529: Chapter 172: The Game Design Conference with Generous Rewards!_2

For gamers visiting an offline game experience store, what they seek is an atmosphere.

Moreover, some players with social anxiety muster the courage to take that first step.

They’re not yet accustomed to it.

If you approach with too much eagerness, bombarding them with warm questions, you might scare them away instead.

Therefore, the service attitude should uphold the principle, "Provide good assistance when players have a need; at other times, disturb their gaming experience as little as possible".

Finally, the staff in the store were all required to switch into a series of revised cosplay costumes.

These include characters like Mario, Chino Biao, Princess Peach, Kirby, Squid girl, and Knight, etc.—an array that isn’t revealing but is soft, cute, and blends into the scene.

The clerks hired are mainly university girls working part-time.

This helps elevate the entire store’s atmosphere by another level.

And indeed, it was these factors that set Game Fun apart from other establishments that tried to emulate and were established later on.

As Game Fun’s reputation spread, there were certainly those who noticed the low startup costs and, instead of franchising, decided to go solo as small business owners.

But most of these owners were blindly investing, lured by trends.

The stores were opened, and the equipment was purchased.

Yet they quickly realized that the scenario of sitting back and watching the money come in wasn’t happening.

In the first few days, there might be a wave of gamers visiting, but afterwards, the numbers dwindled.

The underlying issue was that they failed to consider the experience from the gamers’ perspectives.

Some were internet café owners trying to transition by converting their struggling cafes into Switch Experience Stores.

However, the dim lighting and open internet café seating arrangement remained unchanged, and smoking was still allowed.

Many children and girls would frown as soon as they walked in, eager to leave within a second, unwilling to stay any longer.

Meanwhile, some adult men, noticing the trending topics about offline experience stores, rushed in with the idea of reliving their childhood.

What they found out was...

Good news: They indeed relived their childhood

Bad news: It was the childhood they spent in internet cafés

Others had no interest in gaming and only had a superficial understanding of the industry but still decided to open a store.

They would even make absurd claims like calling Odyssey a new work independently developed by Tengjing and mistaking Jet warrior for a game similar to match-three puzzles.

This led gamers to flee after their first visit, suppressing the urge to roll their eyes, never to return again.

Of course, there were also young people who had played Number One Player games and had some spare money.

They slowly built up their stores by imitating Game Fun.

However, they didn’t have the same good fortune as Ma Yang.

Without a benefactor to support them, they couldn’t wholeheartedly create a playground that truly belonged to the gamers.

In terms of atmosphere, Game Fun virtually steamrolled all of its competition.

This overwhelming momentum also caught the attention of official media.

They soon contacted Game Fun’s founder, Ma Yang.

"Interview me? Oh, there’s really no need, I’m just a man who lives off fate, nothing worth interviewing," Ma Yang said in surprise when he received the call.

You see, just a month before, he was still an ordinary Joe.

Who would have thought that in less than a month, his life would undergo such drastic changes that he could even receive an interview from a reporter from the China Broadcasting Bureau in the gaming field.

After repeatedly declining to no avail, Ma Yang had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Having scheduled the interview for the next day in his store, Ma Yang picked out a crisply formal suit from the closet, trying it on to see if it fit.

Looking at himself in the mirror, suited up, with short hair and eyes full of vigor, Ma Yang felt momentarily dazed.

This suit...

Was secretly tailored for his planned engagement to his girlfriend, with the intention of surprising her with a handsome suit on that day.

But...

"It’s all in the past," he said with a smile to his reflection.

Let bygones be bygones; from now on, he must learn to love himself.

It was just as Ma Yang was embracing this new philosophy that his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up to see that the caller was, coincidentally, Huihui.

Ma Yang frowned and chose to hang up.

He had begun a new life and didn’t want any further contact with the past.

However, she persisted, calling several times in a row.

With a sigh, he decided to answer.

After listening to her disjointed explanation, Ma Yang fell silent.

A moment later, he spoke softly.

"Then let’s meet at City North Street... Yes, see you then."

...

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Ma Yang put yesterday’s events behind him.

Early in the morning, he eagerly went to open Game Fun’s flagship store for business.

Game Fun had changed significantly—even after expanding to 30 gaming stations and purchasing the upper floor to create a duplex, players still waited outside every morning, all for the chance to snag an early spot for the gaming experience.

Many gamers even came from neighboring cities, drawn by Game Fun’s famed atmosphere, making a special trip to visit and check in.

Moreover, with Cai Xing’s networking behind him,

his snack and beverage business licenses were also approved. Now, the direct-operated store not only offers an array of gourmet snacks like fried chicken, burgers, pasta, and oden but also serves sodas, milk tea, and coffee made on the spot.