Am I really that poor?!
"I can't convince myself to accept this award with a clear conscience. The reason is simple: New Game of the Year, as the name suggests, is a game that is both innovative and excellent."
"Before seeing a work like 'The Way of the Corporate Slave', I was confident in myself and in our studio that we could win the Best New Work of the Year award today."
"After all, the quality and visuals of 'Swordsman' speak for themselves."
"But this year's dark horse is so strong that even his opponents can't help but admire him."
Nan Linqing paused slightly at this point: "Please allow me to give a self-criticism."
"Regarding this year's theme, as Professor Jing said, I did take a rather opportunistic shortcut."
"Traditional culture is naturally associated with art in the eyes of many people. And they always stay in their comfort zone. Our studio has made many rhythm games, and every year we compete in the same type of game."
"This has nothing to do with new in the first place."
"Furthermore, from an artist's perspective, I really admire Zhixing Games' attitude towards games. Whether it's the UI or the word choice and sentence structure of the text, they put a lot of effort into these aspects."
"It's true, just like us, they treat every game as an art form to be crafted."
"Especially the scale of this game."
"I myself started a startup and gradually built it up. It was very difficult to get started, and funding was always a constraint."
"Then when I see such a well-made game, I think, maybe the creators just took this gamble?"
"Startups already lack sufficient funds, and when they invest all their resources in a game like this, there is no chance of recouping their investment. If they lose money, they will go bankrupt."
There won't be any chance of a comeback.
"Even without bankruptcy, I find it hard to imagine whether the producers of 'The Way of the Corporate Slave' could still stay true to their original aspirations after experiencing such a huge blow."
“I don’t want to see such a good creator die out, and I also feel that Zhixing Games deserves what it deserves.”
"So today, on behalf of Southern Games Studio, I am making a decision that may seem a bit strange to outsiders."
"This is not out of sympathy, but because we are evenly matched and should be given the respect due to our opponent. 'The Way of the Corporate Slave' should be the winner today."
Nan Linqing bowed slightly to the judges and then placed the trophy, which she hadn't even warmed in her hands, into Yu Yue's hands.
He smiled warmly and said, "Congratulations."
Yu Yue, who was suddenly presented with another trophy: !
Before he could fully process the sudden turn of events, a thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Part of the applause is for Nanjing Forestry University, another part is for Zhixing Games that finally received its due recognition, and the remaining applause should be for the game industry to help each other move towards a better future.
Those who came to the event to support independent games and small game studios are definitely true game enthusiasts.
They don't stick to any particular game they like; they genuinely love this art form.
In short, this applause was definitely not for the organizers.
This kind of transfer of honors between contestants is unprecedented for the annual Best Work. It's impossible to stop it. "The Way of the Corporate Slave" is truly worth it.
Who knew this accident would happen?
While the host was improvising during the "Nanjing Forestry University" segment, he was already frantically racking his brains for lines.
The atmosphere has reached this point; the organizers should just see him off. There's no need to dwell on this anymore. To put it another way, please, let him go home peacefully.
As soon as the applause ended, his professionalism immediately returned.
"Ms. Nan Linqing is undoubtedly a pure game creator who has a deep understanding of the art of games."
"It is this passing on of the torch, mutual understanding and support that has enabled the Chinese game industry to recreate its former glory. Perhaps there was a small mistake in today's awards ceremony, and we were unable to select the best new game of the year in everyone's hearts."
"But it is precisely this discrepancy in consensus that allows us to see the camaraderie among game developers. Here, let's give a round of applause to congratulate Zhixing Games, the developer of 'The Way of the Corporate Slave'!"
The host is valuable at the meeting, as they immediately shifted the focus to a higher level.
Yu Yue was pushed in front of the microphone, and his thoughts were in turmoil.
They were initially full of confidence, but when they belatedly realized that their subject matter was too sensitive and connected to reality, they felt that they would probably end up empty-handed.
I was quite happy when I won the Best Creative Award, but then there was a big twist at the end and I won the Best New Work of the Year award.
It's like some kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy novel.
Reverse, reverse, and reverse again.
Yu Yue felt a heavy weight in his hands as he held two awards... and suddenly he was returning home with a full load of good fortune...
He looked down at the audience and could see his colleagues from Zhixing Games sitting in the last row, some of whom were even standing up excitedly to applaud.
Yu Yue has been the chief planner for two years, and this is the first time he has received such a grand honor. He is truly moved at this moment, and his eyes are moist.
Since you chose to enter the game industry, you must have been passionate about it at first. When did that passion gradually fade away?
It's when inexperienced bosses ask them to copy the monetization logic of other games, it's when there's no rest during the 996 work schedule, it's when everyone is buried in making products they don't even agree with...
When did it reignite?
On the day of the interview at Zhixing Games, General Manager Jiang recognized his talent rather than belittled him when he saw the embarrassment in his resume; it was also true that he could work regular hours during game development...
It's because of the Zhixing game.
The first time they came, they sat in the last row, but the next time they came, they definitely wouldn't be in the last row again.
Zhixing Games will continue to move step by step to the forefront, just like it is today.
This realization made it hard for Yu Yue not to be excited.
"Thank you... thank you so much everyone...!" I had prepared some acceptance speech, but I was too excited and forgot everything. In the end, all I could manage to say was: Thank you, thank you!
Their voices were trembling.
Nan Linqing smiled and stood next to him, managing to get a shot of the winners of the 3rd Annual Outstanding Works Awards.
This matter has finally come to a close.
It can be considered a win-win situation for all parties.
Although Southern Games Studio gave up its new masterpiece of the year, it gained a lot of goodwill from players, especially those who preferred "The Way of the Corporate Slave".
If it weren't for Nan Linqing's action today, even if they had won the award, they would have been questioned about whether it was legitimate.
It would be better to do something good for everyone.
Zhixing Games unexpectedly won both awards, marking the first time in the history of the Annual New Masterpiece Awards that a game has managed to win both awards simultaneously.
As for the judges...
Although Zhang Jiazhi initially disagreed with awarding the Best New Work of the Year to "The Way of the Corporate Slave," he had no choice now; there was nothing he could do about it, no matter how unhappy he was.
But that guy named Jing Hongxi kept showing off in front of him, as if he were some kind of moral guardian of the gaming community.
"What are you laughing about here for? It has nothing to do with you." The judges are even being implicated in this matter for no reason.
"I just thought of a sentence." Jing Hongxi was still very happy, completely unaware that his behavior might have a bit of a confrontational tone: "The people are happy to see this, who do you think you are—finally, this is the kind of era we can have."
Zhang Jiazhi's face instantly turned ugly.
Jing Hongxi still didn't realize there was anything wrong with what he said; he was simply talking about the relaxation of restrictions in the gaming industry.
Previously, due to various unforeseen circumstances, the domestic games he liked had to be cut.
Today, they've finally stood up.
Watching the two men, who were quite different in age, Zhao Qing could probably imagine what their future reunion would be like.
No, it's more likely that Zhang Jiazhi will unilaterally cut off all contact... In this teacher's mind, Zhixing Games' favorability will probably be greatly reduced because of Jing Hongxi.
The organizers and visiting journalists gained both media attention and popularity.
An otherwise unremarkable awards ceremony unexpectedly triggered several unexpected twists, which in itself was quite eye-catching.
...Apart from Flying Leap Studio, it ranked third, successfully finishing as a runner-up.
I didn't get anything.
They didn't even manage to ride the wave of popularity; all the attention was stolen by the story of Kong Rong sharing pears in the south and the well-deserved reputation of Zhixing.
After the awards ceremony, the entire competition was basically over.
Yu Yue still had to engage in traditional social activities with a group of game producers. He wasn't exactly stage-frightened, but he still hoped to return to his familiar social environment as soon as possible and celebrate with his colleagues.
These game developers were generally a bit older than him, and they didn't have much in common. Apart from talking about the production and design of "The Way of the Corporate Slave," they mostly praised him for being young and promising.
Some investors who only appeared at the end of the awards ceremony also came over to chat, asking about their intentions for the next project and their thoughts on the operation of "The Way of the Corporate Slave".
At first, Yu Yue didn't notice anything amiss until he was about to leave. Nan Linqing stopped him and said in a very friendly manner: "I hope we can have the opportunity to cooperate in the future."
Yu Yue was about to casually nod in agreement when he touched the handful of business cards in his hand, and only then did he finally belatedly realize:
So they mistook him for the producer of Zhixing Games?
It's no wonder people think that way...
Generally speaking, aren't the owners of small studios the ones who attend these kinds of events in person?
It's mainly for building connections.
Yu Yue was somewhat amused and exasperated, and quickly explained to everyone, "No, you've got it wrong. I'm not the boss of Zhixing Games. Our boss didn't come; he doesn't like participating in these kinds of events. He sent me and my colleagues. I'm just the lead planner."
Nan Linqing was somewhat suspicious: Did they really have no intention of building connections or making investments at all?
It has a somewhat otherworldly feel to it.
However, it's not surprising that the owner of the game studio doesn't understand games. The person Nan Linqing really wants to befriend is the one who knows how to make games.
"I wouldn't say I'm admitting any wrongdoing. I just wanted to get to know the people who made the game 'The Way of the Corporate Slave'."
Then... if possible, we can think about how to poach staff from the Southern Studio.
Talent is the most valuable asset of our time.
It is her bounden duty to provide opportunities for talented individuals to showcase their abilities on better platforms.
Yu Yue was taken aback and waved his hands repeatedly: "Miss Nan, you overestimate me. The main gameplay of this game was designed by our boss. I was just responsible for carrying it out step by step."
Nan Linqing was somewhat skeptical of Yue's excessive modesty, but... it seemed that there was indeed a certain credibility to what he said...
Otherwise, given the distance, Yu Yue wouldn't need to insist on being so humble and flattering his boss. It's not like flattery is ingrained in his DNA.
"Ms. Nan, my colleague has arrived, so I'll have to go now. If you really want to see our boss..."
Yu Yue thought for a moment, but couldn't think of a solution: "Well, I can't give you any solutions either, but I believe that if we're meant to be, we'll meet again!"
If we're meant to meet, we'll eventually.
"Fate"—what a bizarre statement! When did modern transportation allow the use of this word? Nanlinqing's assessment: utterly strange.
Goodbye, Miss Nan.
"Bye-Bye."
Nanlin waved and glanced at the Zhixing Games team a couple more times. They seemed a bit familiar. Had she seen them somewhere during the day?
Then she heard the group excitedly talking about their plans for later. Nan Linqing swore she hadn't intentionally eavesdropped.
The gust of wind just happened to blow into her ear.
What, "going back to the Lido Hotel for a late-night snack," etc.—Lido...the five-star one?
Is this money-burning?
She, as the owner, only runs a regular hotel.
After all, it's just a one-day business trip; there's no need to make it so extravagant. She had even thought that Zhixing Games was struggling to survive, considering... it was obvious how much investment was put into this game.
For a startup—no, are you the startup or am I?!
No wonder the boss didn't come to the event to network.
So the clown was actually herself?
She's the one who's poor.
Nan Linqing's eyes were filled with mixed emotions as she silently considered the feasibility of winning the prize back.
I recommend pre-ordering "A Guide to Reverse Parenting for Post-00s Generation Parents [Quick Transmigration]".
I accidentally changed the name again, but it's pretty much the same anyway, as long as you know who it is.
The game selection process is over; next up is the official release!
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