"Mr. Chen, Mr. Shen, it's been a long time!" Chen Yidan warmly embraced Shen Fang and Shen Kun.
"Brother Chen, your looks have improved so much! You're having a great time in Korea."
Chen Yidan chuckled, "The environment shapes the people, and the girls in a particular region also influence their lives. The girls in Korea are really great, they're incredibly attractive."
Shen Fang burst into laughter. Back when Chen Yidan was at Tencent, he was a shy programmer, but now he's becoming more and more impressive, already exuding the aura of a big shot.
"Mr. Shen, let me show you our Korean branch."
"Let's go."
Chen Yidan led Shen Fang to visit the Korean branch of Tencent, located in the center of Seoul. The 10th to 12th floors of the Top Peak Commercial Building were Tencent's office area. After having money, Shen Fang gave Xiao Ma and others an instruction: take big steps, don't be afraid to spend money, and if they need money, issue new shares. First, occupy the market.
It seems that Brother Ma and his group are indeed strictly following Shen Fang's teachings. Putting aside everything else, the two receptionist girls were so good-looking that they could easily become entertainers.
Chen Yidan's female secretary is also voluptuous with a large waist and shapely hips, exuding a mature and sophisticated aura. Having money doesn't mean he can skimp on himself; his secretary does all the work, and when there's nothing to do, he uses his secretary for personal matters. Chen Yidan is corrupt!
After getting a brief understanding of the branch's situation.
Inside the office.
"Brother Chen, I've recently spotted two games that I think have great potential. One is MapleStory Online, and the other is Audition Online. Both games have already started looking for distributors and are about to launch their open beta. MapleStory goes without saying; many users in China who used the Subor learning machine have played this kind of game. It's an adaptation of a big IP, and although the game content is different, this IP is definitely going to be a hit. Then there's Audition Online. I've already seen their game. Although I don't particularly like it, female players should really enjoy it. Moreover, they've signed music licensing agreements with many music companies, including SONY/BMG, Warner Music, Rock Records, Emperor Entertainment Group, EMI, Huayi Brothers, Avex China, Universal Music, and T3 Entertainment. This game has a very high chance of becoming a huge hit."
After hearing this, Shen Fang couldn't help but give Chen Yidan a thumbs up. Sending Chen Yidan over was definitely the right decision. These two games can be said to be the youthful memories of Chinese players.
Especially Audition Online, how many nights in internet cafes were filled with the sound of women frantically typing on their keyboards.
It can be called the most influential online game in the history of Chinese online games. Not only was it incredibly popular, but it also generated a massive amount of cultural output, reflecting the background of an era. Furthermore, due to the special identity of its players, it sparked heated discussions in public opinion and even drew criticism from People's Daily. This game is "Audition Online".
The developer of Audition Online is T3, a South Korean company. In 2002, T3 referenced Bust a Groove, a dance game released on the PS platform in 1998. The iconic directional pad + spacebar control scheme and the evaluation feedback system such as Perfect and Great were all derived from that game.
However, T3 put a lot of effort into the game's visual presentation, editing thousands of realistic dance moves and transforming the game's art style into a Q-version cartoon style that is more popular with young people.
In 2004, 9You acquired the rights to distribute "Audition Online." At that time, the online game market was no longer dominated by MMOs; casual online games like "MapleStory" and "Bubble Fighter" were also very popular, but music-based online games were still largely untapped. Many players began paying attention to "Audition Online" after the distribution announcement. In 2005, the game officially launched its open beta, and on the first day, the number of registered users exceeded 1 million, with over 80,000 concurrent online users.
Although it's a casual game, Audition Online has a strong competitive element, especially the satisfying moment of hitting the spacebar to achieve a perfect combo. Coupled with cute chubby-cheeked characters and glamorous outfits, Audition Online appeals to both men and women. With enough practice and muscle memory, female players can also become pro players, and this female player base is the game's biggest selling point, contributing to its ever-growing popularity.
If Audition Online were merely a simple dance online game, it wouldn't have achieved such widespread popularity. The game's most crucial element is its strong social features. From the "channel megaphone" introduced in version 1.6 in December 2005 to the couple system and marriage system introduced in version 1.7 in 2006, these features significantly enhanced the game's social aspects.
Asian dance king Rain endorses game↑↑↑
For some players of Audition Online, the daily routine involves spamming the world chat with declarations of love and insults; creating rooms to hire 7s and 8s, and couples showing off their affection. Meanwhile, another group of players lines up in internet cafes, frantically typing on the spacebar to practice popular fast-paced songs like "Spark" and "Love-ing."
As the game gained popularity and attracted a growing young population, the unique "alternative culture" and "emo" subculture of yesteryear gradually became associated with Audition Online. Although these cultural groups actually had no connection to Audition Online, the game's trendy music, dazzling costumes, and strong social features provided them with a platform to showcase themselves. Furthermore, 9Game (the game's developer) actively encouraged this alternative culture within the game, even hosting a "Martian language" (a derogatory term for online communication) competition.
Soon, the game was filled with a lot of internet slang, leading some uninformed people to believe that Audition Online players were all "emo" or "non-mainstream" individuals. The negative impact of certain non-mainstream cultural elements in society also unfairly burdened the game with negative connotations. Terms like "early romantic relationships among minors," "one-night stands," and "abortion" frequently appeared alongside Audition Online in media articles. As a result, Audition Online became considered by many parents to be an unsuitable game for children.
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