"Mr. Matsuo, you are a sociology professor at Kyoto University. What are your thoughts on this?"
"Cough... This is somewhat related to the sociology we are familiar with. People, under certain circumstances, will compete for valuable resources, which is a human instinct."
"And does electronic gaming magnify this violent instinct in people?" the host asked with a smile.
"Yes, that's right."
"And Mr. Yamashita, as a psychology professor, do you agree with Mr. Matsuo's statement?"
"Well, in our field of psychology, there are indeed related discussions..."
...
Click.
Yasutaka Natsume solemnly turned off the television with the remote control, then looked at the people in the conference room.
He bowed deeply: "I'm sorry, everyone, it's my fault for causing trouble for you all. I should have anticipated this."
At this moment, Takayuki was sitting on the side, showing a pensive look. No one knew what he was thinking.
He recalled the information he had seen in his past life.
It seemed that similar incidents had indeed occurred in the history of video game releases.
The enthusiasm of players for electronic games was too intense, eventually leading to the scarcity of game cartridges. Many people would do anything to get their hands on the games as soon as possible.
If they couldn't obtain them, some people might resort to extreme measures.
But in reality, it's a matter of probability.
Not to mention electronic games, there are plenty of other things that fanatical fans go crazy over.
This kind of thing could be big or small, it's not a big deal at all.
But obviously, the television stations were deliberately targeting electronic games.
They control the media, and now that electronic games are taking away their viewership, they naturally see them as a thorn in their side.
Previously, these television stations all hated electronic games. Anyone who dared to report any news about electronic games on TV would immediately be fired, fearing that it would generate interest in electronic games.
However, if they had the chance to attack electronic games, they wouldn't hesitate. They would find ways to discredit electronic games, preferably to the point of destroying them entirely, so that their viewership could return to normal.
However, they were being too simplistic.
The decline of television media is an overall trend, and they were deceiving themselves into thinking they could reverse it.
Sayaka Takezuka, who was responsible for the company's daily legal affairs and public relations, said earnestly, "President, we must come up with a response, but the television stations will definitely refuse to listen to our explanations. Our avenues for speaking out are limited, which is troublesome."
Takayuki raised his head. "How many television stations are reporting this incident now?"
Sayaka Takezuka picked up some documents and said, "Four, except for NHK and Tokyo Television, all the others are airing commentary programs on the electronic game brawl incident during their prime time slots, intending to maximize their influence."
All four major television networks are reporting it? Being hated by all four major mainstream media outlets at once, it seems they've made too much of an impact and have startled these giants.
These television stations are always bickering among themselves, but they tend to restrain themselves as colleagues and maintain some dignity, as they see each other regularly.
But Takayuki is a newcomer, completely unrelated to their field.
They can't stand it.
Moreover, from the rise of the Famicom to now, Famicom sales are approaching two million units, which means they're occupying nearly two million television sets.
Can they endure losing two million television viewers to a video game console?
Previously, they couldn't find any evidence to use against them, so they resorted to blocking their promotional channels.
But they believed that by controlling the most mainstream media channels, they could suppress electronic games.
But they were too naive.
Electronic games were not suppressed, but rather developed even faster.
Up to now, the highest ratings for top programs on average could only reach around thirty percent. Compared to the drop of about forty-five percent last year, this is still a significant decrease.
Or rather, the overall decrease is so significant.
This is tantamount to a death sentence for them.
Now, they have finally found an opportunity to attack electronic games, and they're ecstatic about it.
Let's not even talk about whether electronic games will be suppressed. With their current influence, they still have some say, and the public is more inclined to believe what they see on TV.
Besides the four television stations vigorously attacking electronic games, the other two television stations did not participate. Takayuki didn't understand at first.
But then he realized that NHK Television is like the BBC, with a lofty status and an aloof attitude. They probably wouldn't deign to squabble with the others, considering it beneath them.
As for Tokyo Television, they didn't participate in the ban on electronic games before. It's probably related to their laid-back attitude; they just continue broadcasting their programs without getting involved. As long as they're not starving and can barely make ends meet, they'll just continue to be lazy.
At the moment, how to deal with these four television stations is indeed a bit of a headache.
"Ask Tokyo Television and NHK Television if they're willing to accept our interview programs. We need to counterattack using television stations as well, and then make good use of online media platforms."
Takayuki looked at Ayaka Tsukino, who had been sitting quietly in the corner all along.
She's not a high-ranking member of the company at the moment.
But recently, she has been serving as Takayuki's assistant, and she handles everything related to software, networks, and so on, with ease.
Perhaps it's fair to say that she's truly deserving of being a university student from a prestigious institution; her abilities speak for themselves.
Ayaka Tsukino still dresses modestly as ever, allowing only her face to be seen, and nobody knows what her figure is like.
Most people still think of her as a stunningly beautiful but overweight girl.
But now, she's a bit different from before.
The heavy dark circles under her eyes, like panda eyes, have noticeably eased, indicating that she's been getting normal sleep recently.
"Ayaka Tsukino, we may need your help with online matters. Game development can be paused for now. Mitsuhashi will help you find some online influencers, and you can work together to spread the influence of the game online. We can't let the television stations suppress us."
Although it's not yet the era of the internet ruling everything, the number of internet users has reached over thirty million.
There's still a gap compared to the eighty million internet users in Japan in the future, but it's already a sizable group.
Controlling the direction of this group's opinions is also important.
It seems the plan with the online influencers needs to be implemented sooner.
Ayaka Tsukino silently nodded. This is her usual response to Takayuki, and he's already used to it. Moreover, the tasks assigned to Ayaka Tsukino have never caused him any worry; she's a trustworthy partner.