After exiting the virtual space, John followed his usual habit of browsing the internet to check out the latest player feedback on "Minecraft." As expected, the comments had shifted dramatically. What began as skepticism about the pixelated graphics and complaints about cost quickly turned into enthusiastic praise for the game's innovative gameplay.
"Pixel games are actually really fun!"
John smiled, amused by how predictable human nature was. People often dismissed things too quickly before realizing their value.
He noticed a comment mentioning that someone had discovered "Minecraft" through a live stream. This reminded John of how live streaming had exploded in popularity in his previous life. In this world, the relationship between games and streamers was similar—if the game was the wind beneath the wings of a flying pig, the streamer was the boar rider, steering the pig through the skies.
"Not bad. This streamer has good instincts," John thought, logging into the Dragon Kingdom live streaming platform. Emma had already started streaming "Minecraft," and now there were plenty of streamers showcasing the game. Many of them were veterans from "Stone Age," a hardcore survival game, who thought they could easily dominate the new game.
However, they quickly learned that the skills they had honed in "Stone Age" were almost useless in "Minecraft." The game didn't require complex maneuvers or intense combat. What captured the audience's attention was Emma's charming approach as a beginner, figuring things out from scratch. Her relatability was a huge draw, and her viewer count reflected that.
In truth, streamers and games thrived together. Streamers could boost a game's popularity, while the game could, in turn, make streamers famous.
By the afternoon, Emma's live stream server was packed. Viewers were fully immersed, watching a group of pixelated characters mine, build houses, and explore the endless sandbox world. Compared to the time-consuming crafting process in "Stone Age," Minecraft's intuitive crafting system was a breath of fresh air.
Suddenly, a special animation appeared on the screen—a golden, dragon-like creature spiraling out of a cloud, showing its claws and teeth as it flew across the screen. The animation repeated ten times before stopping.
"Wow, thanks to 'Call Me John' for gifting ten 'Flying Dragons in the Sky'! Is that really John?"
Emma, noticing the extravagant gift, couldn't hide her excitement. She quickly thanked the mysterious donor, a mixture of excitement and disbelief in her voice.
"Wow, a big spender just came in!"
"No way, ten 'Flying Dragons in the Sky'? That's a rare gift!"
"Can I hang on to this rich guy's coattails? We're just humble players here!"
"Is that the real John?"
"It's probably a fake. There's no way someone as busy as John has time to watch live streams."
Call Me John: "Ahem, thanks to the streamer for promoting the game."
"It's really him!"
"Oh my God, John's watching the stream instead of working?"
"John, I'm your biggest fan!" Emma exclaimed, quickly making John a moderator of her channel.
"Your game is so fun!"
"Thanks."
"Wow, John is so generous, gifting so much just to show his appreciation!"
"I'm crying. John, save some money for your next game!"
"Look at my username, I want to shave John's head!"
"???"
[System prompt: "I want to shave John's head" has been muted.]
"Hahaha, it seems John doesn't like jokes about baldness."
"Is John bald already? No way, right?"
"Dude, your account is done for!"
Call Me John: "…You guys have fun."
With that, John exited the live stream, but not before leaving another ninety rounds of the "Flying Dragon in the Sky" animation as a parting gift, totaling over a million dollars in donations. The special effects were undeniably impressive.
"Did John leave?"
"Waaah, I missed him again!"
"John is such a legend, dropping a million like it's nothing. The streamer's basically won the lottery."
"I'll never doubt the quality of John's games again. Next time there's a new game, I'll stream it too!"
John's appearance was brief, but it made waves. The popularity of "Minecraft" surged even higher. Other streamers, noticing the attention Emma received, immediately tried to step up their game, hoping John might make an appearance on their streams too.
They were getting ahead of themselves, though. John didn't mind spending money to support his game, but he wasn't careless with his cash.
By this point, John had already logged off the streaming platform.
"There are three key ways to accumulate points now," he thought to himself.
"Minecraft" had begun generating some points for John, though it wasn't much. He didn't have high expectations for points from "Minecraft"—after all, sandbox games, while novel in this world, weren't universally appealing. Not everyone liked games that were purely for creative fun.
John had designed it to be a game to play for enjoyment, without necessarily providing tangible benefits like other games could. This was in contrast to Pokémon, which had become a national sensation. Even "Happy Farm," another game John had released, attracted a different type of audience because of its connection to Pokémon and the in-game berry system.
The population of the Dragon Kingdom was around 1.5 billion, and nearly 99% of them were Pokémon players, but only about one-tenth of them generated points for John's system.
Pokémon's popularity was one thing, but players needed to have a deep attachment to it in order to provide points. Whether they were trainers passionate about battles, breeders focused on nurturing their Pokémon, or merchants trading Pokémon goods, the system only recognized them as loyal fans if the game held a significant place in their hearts.
Most players, however, saw Pokémon as just a trendy electronic pet, not something they were deeply invested in.
John knew that with time, he could foster deeper connections with these players.
"Happy Farm" faced similar limitations. Most people saw it as a way to grow fruits and earn extra in-game currency, not as something to enjoy for its own sake.
Still, John's player base was growing steadily. With Pokémon and "Happy Farm" combined, John's system had finally crossed nine figures—his points had surpassed 100 million.
A/N: Thanks for reading, and throw some stones!
Also check out my patreon for advanced chapters: patreon.com/AncestorX
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