Why does the boss have to actually exist?

Zhi Xing Games.

Everyone gathered around Yu Yue's computer desk, watching him run the demo.

That's right, Zhixing Games' first game demo is out.

A game demo is a playable preview released by the developer before the game is fully completed. The demo only showcases a portion of the game's content, primarily allowing players to experience the game's basic controls and graphics.

The demo ran without triggering any bugs and was very stable.

There's really nothing to watch.

The reason everyone was so nervously gathered around Yu Yue was simply to see what kind of ending the lead planner, who was also the person who knew the game best, would achieve.

This is the first ending of this game.

It is very memorable.

Some members of the copywriting team were even happily betting that Yu Yue, as the lead planner, could create the only happy ending.

There were no exceptions.

Yu Yue successfully achieved one of many dehydration outcomes.

He scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "I mainly wanted to show you guys. My actual skill level is definitely not at this level."

The main programmer chuckled and replied, "Is this game difficult?"

"Brother Yu designed it himself, how could he not understand it?"

Yu Yue's face flushed slightly, and his eyes widened: "How could you slander me like this out of thin air? What do you mean by difficult or not difficult..."

"So tell me, is it difficult or not? What happened to the promised happy ending?"

Yu Yue tried to argue, but couldn't come up with a coherent argument. He started muttering incomprehensible phrases like, "What's so important about Branch Story?" and "The important thing is UE," using technical terms.

This drew good-natured laughter from everyone, filling the office area with a cheerful atmosphere.

The game demo has been successfully completed, but it's not the complete version yet. Due to time constraints, some key elements, such as voice acting, have not yet been added.

This minor flaw slightly affects the gaming experience, but it's not important; it's just a matter of submitting the demo for review.

The annual selection of outstanding new works by GDR is about to begin.

Therefore, before the official start of the competition, every studio that registered to participate had to send their demo to the official email address for shortlisting.

This step isn't too difficult; most people can pass it.

However, it's rare to see a studio like Zhixing Games submitting just a demo; most participating studios submit complete projects.

"Honestly, I think this game is really fun, but isn't the difficulty a bit too high?"

This is a persistent problem in the game development process, and such doubts come from the development team, people who are well-versed in the selling points of games on the market today.

Yu Yue was actually skeptical, but President Jiang overcame all difficulties and made the final decision on the difficulty level.

That was a rare act of arbitrary decision-making.

Therefore, there must be something that Yu Yue himself hasn't thought of yet, and this level of difficulty is necessary.

"It's normal for it to be a bit more difficult. Did anyone find it easy when they were working?" The copywriting team didn't seem to feel much about it. In their view, creating a happy ending was inherently difficult.

"Alright, everyone, please stop questioning the level of difficulty set by President Jiang."

Yu Yue pressed his hand down, interrupting everyone.

"Speaking of President Jiang, I'd love to see how he reacts when he plays this demo," someone changed the subject.

A dozen or so people were caught up in a collective fantasy.

As the true architect, what kind of ending will President Jiang deliver? Will he skillfully navigate the game mechanics and smoothly achieve a happy ending? Or will he, like them, perish prematurely?

Hmm... I can't imagine it.

From President Jiang's perspective, they were simply completing the design work step by step, so the final product already had a shape in President Jiang's mind.

So the correct reaction... should be no reaction at all.

To be honest, since the game project was launched, none of us here have had any contact with Mr. Jiang for a very long time.

The contact here is certainly not about hoping to see what President Jiang actually looks like; it's simply that we've never even heard President Jiang's voice.

Even Yu Yue, who had the most interaction with President Jiang, had never heard of it.

They communicate entirely in writing.

No matter what it is, President Jiang can explain it clearly and logically in writing, without requiring him to waste his breath.

It felt like an official exiled in ancient times, who had to write memorials to the emperor after finishing his daily work. President Jiang's job was to review these memorials every day, saying, "I have read them."

However, it must be said that without a boss constantly monitoring you, you will definitely have more freedom in terms of work and mindset.

Although we can't see President Jiang, his motivational influence on the employees is everywhere.

For example, the snacks and drinks in the self-service area are always available, and the transportation allowance can be obtained without having to work overtime until 8 or 9 pm. These are physical incentives.

The morale boost comes from the fact that I often see the comments and annotations from General Manager Jiang on the content I completed the previous day when I come to work the next day.

Moreover, it's not the kind of perfunctory "that's a good point," but rather "this idea has a certain degree of innovation. You can think about it more in private, and maybe you can come up with a good prototype for the project."

—I'm not worried at all about employees defecting to the company with their own ideas.

A boss who knows how to praise his employees creates a corporate culture that positively affirms and encourages them.

Tang Yue only realized that everyone was the same after she officially joined the team. She was only fortunate enough to hear President Jiang's sacred voice once during the interview, and rarely heard it afterward.

"Brother Yu, do you think we have a chance to win this Newcomer of the Year award?"

"Your question is quite difficult for me to answer. Of course, I am very confident in our own game, but this year's opponents are not to be underestimated." Yu Yue also said with some helplessness.

He closed the demo and then searched for something on the webpage: "Look at this game development studio called Leap Forward. They are one of the more formidable opponents in this year's competition, and they've been making games that become hits in recent years."

"This shows that they are very accurate in their judgment, and that the game genre they create sells well."

"Even though this year's theme is artistry, I feel they are still a contender."

Looking at the dazzling array of games on each other's official websites, a slight competitive spirit unconsciously arose among everyone.

Hmph, this official website isn't as nice as ours; it doesn't look high-end enough.

We won!

What game is this?

It's probably a pay-to-win game; it doesn't care about artistry at all.

In short, you must put your own company first; that's how you build a sense of collective honor.

"There's also this game studio called Nanfang, which is a small studio with even fewer people than us. Their themes are relatively niche, and they are quite artistic."

"I feel like I'm one of the favorites to win this year."

"Some of the games produced by their studio, although they are niche rhythm games, have always had a fixed player base and fans, perform consistently, and generate stable profits for a long time."

Yu Yue introduced everyone to the information he had collected about competitors since Zhixing Games registered for the annual Best New Work.

While Zhixing Games was analyzing its potential competitors, GDR's official staff were also discussing the matter.

"This year seems to be full of talented people; the judges must be overwhelmed with choices." The short-haired girl rested her chin on her hand, scrolling the mouse wheel with an endless amount of data.

“Ever since the policy was introduced the year before last, the number of studios registering for this competition has broken records every year.” Her colleague looked at the data from the previous two years and shook her head helplessly.

"Most of these people have some spare cash and plan to use it for speculation, following the policies, hoping to make a quick buck in the red ocean of gaming."

"It's like seeing successful games making a lot of money and not making any yourself, and you're itching to do the same. There are quite a few new game companies established this year, but most of them were outsiders before. The game industry has never been easy."

The young man with glasses was a senior to the short-haired girl, so he felt this more deeply.

"There are plenty of people who die by crashing their heads into something."

"If one game in a genre becomes popular, it will only squeeze out the survival space of other games in the same genre."

"The more successful a game company copies another game, the faster it will die. They just don't understand this and only want to make a quick buck."

"I reckon that after a while, the authorities will get fed up and come up with policies to suppress it. Isn't this disrupting the market?"

"That's true." The short-haired girl wholeheartedly agreed.

Staff members working on official game platforms like them have a clearer perspective and are exposed to a wider range of things, so their views on matters are naturally deeper and more thorough.

"By the way, I feel like this year's number one might have already been decided. Look at this."

She pointed to her screen.

The young man with glasses leaned over for a look, and sure enough, it was from Southern Games Studio.

Like Yu Yue's prediction of exam questions, this studio chose to develop games that inherit traditional culture.

In terms of game genre, perhaps due to the small size of the studio, they can only work on small-scale, high-quality game projects. Therefore, they still chose rhythm games, which can achieve good results with low costs.

In terms of innovation, some racing elements were appropriately added.

He seems to have the air of a reclusive hero living in the mountains in ancient China, and should be a combination of fantasy and martial arts.

Who hasn't dreamed of flying on a sword and taking in the magnificent landscapes of their motherland?

The artwork is also highly artistic, employing the freehand style of ink painting, and it changes according to different music.

It doesn't look complete yet, and there's a hint of deliberate concealment, but the finished product is already undeniably stunning.

"It's really good, but it's also a bit uncertain, because there are still quite a few things we haven't seen yet."

The two chatted as they continued working.

Their task is to review the demos, making them the first to receive information about the games being submitted for competition.

The short-haired girl received a newly sent demo and casually clicked to install it.

It's a classic text-based adventure game.

The annual New Masterpiece Award has been held twice, and this year is the third time. Due to its requirement of small size, the first two editions featured a large number of text adventure games.

The quality varies greatly, with few truly outstanding examples.

While the judges were overwhelmed by the choices, they also experienced aesthetic fatigue. Naturally, in the third edition, many game studios cleverly avoided this game type.

Who's so stubborn?

The short-haired girl was curious, and as soon as the installation was complete, she opened it to take a look.

Then, after a flurry of actions, the score turned out to be 0-5.

With the professionalism expected of a game reviewer, the short-haired girl didn't lose her temper. Instead, she was quite intrigued and called her colleagues over to admire her work.

"Brother Li, this game looks pretty good."

So Old Li, who wears glasses, also tried it out.

Then the two of them fell silent at the same time, and finally Old Li was the first to give his comments.

"Well, this game is pretty good, but..."

The short-haired girl chimed in, "Yes, I think so too, but there's a but..."

They exchanged a glance, confirming that they were in agreement.

—But it's a bit dangerous.

The initial review will definitely pass, but getting shortlisted is another matter. Even if you do get shortlisted, winning the award is still a bit of a mystery.

The synopsis for "A Post-00s Parent's Guide to Raising a Child [Quick Transmigration]" has been updated! Don't you want to check it out?

In addition, I counted on my fingers the amount of debt I'm about to accumulate.

The nutrient solution is almost at its third 500.

The pre-orders have reached 35, and it's getting closer to 50.

I'll be getting another 2k soon.

I've almost reached 20 free tickets.

4 updates, that's 14,000 words (wiping sweat) Nervously typing out the draft