Chapter 4: Simple Yet Memorable Games for Players

Some mathematical knowledge flashed through Alex Parker's mind, becoming part of his memory. He could feel that his numerical ability had indeed improved slightly.

"This is quite nice. If I consume 100 books, won't my numerical ability be maxed out? Not bad, consuming 100 books costs only a million yuan. It's not expensive at all... who am I kidding? This is robbery!"

"Spending 10,000 yuan for a single attribute point, do they think I'm a fool?!"

"Calm down, calm down."

"This money isn't a big deal. If I can create a hit game that generates a million in monthly revenue, I can draw for a long time."

While comforting himself, Alex continued to click the [Draw] button.

"Click," green.

"Click," green.

"Click," green.

...

Alex almost cursed out loud.

He drew four times, costing 400,000 points, and received four green designer skill books.

That equated to 40,000 yuan in cash!

With 190,000 points left, it was enough for one last draw.

Of course, there was a convenient [Recharge] option next to the roulette. Alex clicked on it for half a second before closing it again.

Cash 1:10 exchange rate for points, no discounts, not even a first-time double bonus.

"Even Tencent Games can't compare to this level of greed."

To top up the remaining points, Alex needed to add 3,000 points, which was about 300 yuan. But Alex was almost out of money for food, so he really didn't want to spend this 300 yuan.

"Last try, if I don't get anything, I'll just drop out of the game design competition. Next month, I'll design a game myself and still qualify as a D-level designer."

Gritting his teeth, Alex pressed the [Draw] button one last time.

Although he said he didn't care, his body was honest. Alex's heart was pounding, and his hands were trembling.

At this moment, he somewhat understood the mentality of gambling addicts. If he got another green book, he'd really be at his wit's end.

"Click," the roulette stopped.

Purple area! [Special Item]!

Alex jumped up, "Finally, there's a way out!"

A treasure chest appeared on the screen. Alex tried tapping it, and with a "click," it opened, emitting a few rays of golden light.

Alex took a closer look: "Special Item: Super Focus Device."

There was also an item description.

[Super Focus Device: One-time use item, duration 10 minutes. Upon use, it can focus the attention of 500 people on any spot. Once the focus point is chosen, it takes effect immediately and cannot be changed.]

Alex scratched his head, not quite understanding, so he reread the description.

He roughly understood, but it didn't seem related to games.

Alex pondered for a long time, and the only use he could think of was using it during the game design competition to focus all the audience's and judges' attention on his game.

But... what happens after the focus?

The duration was only 10 minutes. It just made people notice his game, but it couldn't change their opinions.

It might backfire if the game was terrible and people were forced to play it.

"Think harder; there must be a way."

Alex was unwilling to waste a rare purple item.

He needed a game.

It couldn't be too complex.

It had to be within 6MB of resources.

It needed to captivate the audience within 10 minutes.

Even if they didn't love it, it should leave a deep impression.

It needed a gimmick to have a chance at winning the game design competition.

"It seems like an impossible task, but it won't defeat me. After all, I've seen many games in my previous life."

"Let's get to work!"

With a clear goal, Alex sat down at his laptop again and opened the game editor.

What seemed like an impossible task became slightly possible with the Super Focus Device.

Of course, before designing, Alex consumed the green skill books: three numerical skill books and one level design book.

Though they didn't make much difference, it was better than nothing.

The game editor wasn't hard to use, and Alex got the hang of it quickly.

He downloaded all the remaining 6MB of resources and started writing the design document. Since the game wasn't large, the document was completed in a few hundred words.

The resources were minimal, with slight modifications, using free shared resources from the editor.

The core game was finished by that night. The next day, Alex added a simple networking and ranking feature, completing it.

After testing, it felt similar to the original in his previous life.

He created the installation package and submitted the game to the game design competition officials. Whether it would be recognized would be determined on competition day.

...

On the competition day.

Alex wore his only suit and arrived at the competition venue on time.

August in the Imperial Capital was scorching. Wearing a suit made Alex feel foolish, but the air conditioning at the venue was strong, cooling him down.

With staff guidance, judges, contestants, and the audience took their seats in an orderly fashion. Preparations were in place, and the competition was about to start.

There were quite a few spectators, around six to seven hundred people.

The competition was well-organized, with live broadcasts, complete recordings, and three experienced game designers as judges.

The prizes were substantial: 300,000 yuan in game development funds, a D-level designer qualification, and a personal game experience store for the first-place winner.

The development funds were significant, but the personal game experience store was the most attractive reward!

Game experience stores could be seen as showcases for designers' work. Top designers might have entire buildings which would become pilgrimage sites for players.

In layout, they resembled internet cafes but with different functions.

Experience stores were not for profit but served as studios for designers and platforms for player interaction.

Players could meet designers, give feedback, and try the latest games. Once a game was ready, the designer would release it officially.

Although designers could release beta versions online, they preferred experience stores for direct interaction with live players, which was more inspiring.

Experience stores became a status symbol for designers. A designer without one would be looked down upon.

Alex knew the value of an experience store. If he opened one himself, the rent alone would be high, not to mention the equipment costs. It was currently unaffordable for him.

So, Alex had to seize this opportunity!