Chapter 23 Chat Group

Old Huang was a bit worried, "Will it work? Although Teacher Chen Qi is a big name in the industry, he might have forgotten about what happened a year ago. Who would remember who you are?"

"Besides, these industry veterans usually charge a fixed price for promotions, and none of them come cheap. We're hoping they'll help promote 'Ghost General', but we can't offer any benefits..."

Ruan Guangjian shook his head, "Not necessarily. From what I've observed, these veterans are generally easygoing. Although they do take on many commercial promotions, they also frequently promote each other on Weibo."

"The key is whether they like our work or not."

"If they like it, they will definitely be willing to share it; if they don't, there's nothing we can do."

Old Huang could only nod, "Well, we can only give it a try."

Ruan Guangjian opened the chat group, and Old Huang took a look. Indeed, the group was full of hidden talents.

The group owner, Chen Qi, was already well-known in the domestic game original painting circle years ago, and he was often invited to be a judge at various game concept art competitions.

The other admins in the group were also well-known figures.

Some were famous in the domestic animation circle.

Some specialized in concept design.

There were even some game designers, producers, authors, and so on.

These were all people that Chen Qi knew through his connections, most of whom were painters, with a few working in gaming, animation, and other industries.

Feeling the pressure of speaking in this circle of veterans, Ruan Guangjian carefully considered his approach. He couldn't just start by asking others to promote the game, as that would seem impolite and likely be ignored.

"Dear veterans, I am a senior art student. I recently created a set of original paintings, and I was wondering if you could help me identify any flaws or areas for improvement in them?"

Ruan Guangjian's tone was very polite.

Although he was confident in his own painting skills, he was still a junior and had to be humble.

The group wasn't particularly active, so Ruan Guangjian's message lingered in the chat for some time.

After about two minutes, a person named "Painter Old Liu" replied, "Sure, let's see them."

Ruan Guangjian sent a few of his favorite pieces to the group, "Thank you for your guidance!"

Painter Old Liu: "No need to be polite. We are all in the same field, learning and progressing together. I just entered the industry a few years earlier than you."

A few seconds passed.

Painter Old Liu: "Wow... I take back what I said earlier. You're the real master here! The lighting, the styling, the details! Are you really a senior student?"

Soon, the lurking members in the group were drawn out by the pictures.

"Another master pretending to be a newbie? With such proficient techniques, how can you call yourself a newbie? If you're a newbie, then what am I?!"

"Such a solid foundation!"

"This is a very unique approach to expression. Is this dragon supposed to be Guan Yu? The image is so subversive! But it doesn't feel abrupt, instead, it's very natural!"

"This feels so grand and majestic, whether it's the characters or the scenery, all full of tension."

"Are all newcomers monsters?!"

"At this level of original painting, it's impossible to evaluate based on 'skills' anymore. This is talent!"

"It even gives me the feeling of a foreign master's work. I bet the original paintings of 'Fantasy World' wouldn't be more outstanding than this!"

"You can't say that. There is still a little room for improvement in the details... Of course, there's no problem with crushing me..."

As soon as several pictures were sent out, the whole group exploded instantly!

These people are professionals, so they can clearly see many advantages that ordinary people cannot.

When ordinary people look at a painting, they simply judge it by its "likeness," "fineness," or at most, stick to some very subjective feeling.

But in the eyes of professionals, they can see the light and shadow, details, and modeling of the painting...

In other words, when two similar paintings are shown to ordinary people, they cannot tell which one is better; but if shown to professionals, they can tell at a glance which artist has a higher level.

And now, the original paintings sent by Ruan Guangjian belong to the type that is considered top-notch even in the eyes of industry insiders!

"Amazing, the key is imagination!"

"To break the traditional character framework and recreate it requires unfettered imagination; and to turn this imagination into a specific image requires a solid foundation and excellent talent!"

"If these original paintings could be made into a game, that would be incredible!"

The one speaking was Chen Qi, the group owner and a famous concept design master in the domestic gaming circle.

He paused and typed, "When did this friend join the group? I don't remember..."

Ruan Guangjian's mouth twitched slightly. Indeed, Chen Qi had already forgotten about him.

After all, he was added to the group by chance last year, and Ruan Guangjian hadn't spoken in a year. Many people joined later, so Chen Qi had long forgotten him.

But it doesn't matter, for an artist, the most important thing is to let the work speak!

As soon as these pictures were released, everyone in the group instantly knew about Ruan Guangjian, the talented newcomer artist.

"Bro, would you consider coming to our company after graduation? The salary and benefits are definitely higher than the industry standard!"

"Come to our side instead, we have better development prospects and more game project bonuses!"

People in the group had already started fighting for him.

Ruan Guangjian was naturally very happy. It was already a very exciting thing that his works could be highly recognized by these industry professionals!

In fact, before these original paintings were released, Ruan Guangjian had no idea whether his unique creative style would be successful.

It is the same in similar fields. No one knows if a book will become popular before it is written; no one knows if a movie will be a box office hit before it is made.

Let alone original paintings, which have a very strong subjective aesthetic preference.

But now, seeing the feedback from these professionals in the group, Ruan Guangjian was full of confidence!

However, he didn't forget what he was here for.

"Actually, these are original paintings commissioned for a game called 'Ghost General.'"

Ruan Guangjian typed, "It's just that the game has encountered some minor problems now, so I wanted to ask for help from you all."

Chen Qi: "What happened?"

Ruan Guangjian: "Well, the company developing this game is a very conscientious small company. They didn't have much money, and they spent it all on research and improving game quality, so they didn't leave any budget for promotion!"

"So, I'm here to beg you all to help promote this game, just repost it on Weibo!"

Chen Qi: "Sure, it's just a Weibo post. What's the name of the game? Which company is it from?"

Ruan Guangjian: "'Ghost General', the company is called Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd."

"Tengda? Tengda... why does it sound so familiar?" Chen Qi was a bit puzzled.