Next day...
The awarding place for the sci-fi expedition of the game department is located in the game department of Shanghai City "The New York of China".
As for the location, it's in the conference hall of the Shanghai City Game Department Building.
Calling it an awards ceremony feels a bit of a stretch since it doesn't exactly match the grandeur the word "ceremony" usually implies.
Even though it's National Day, there are still quite a few people working in the game department. None can tell if they're regular staff or just contract workers.
There aren't any fancy decorations either. The staff are casual. They are taking photos, mostly using their phones and tablets.
On the other hand, outside the entrance, several media outlets with cameraman who are holding cameras on their shoulders are gathered.
But these folks are mostly filming and snapping pictures from a distance. None is stepping forward for an interview.
It makes sense though—this is just the beginning. If there are going to be any interviews, it'll probably happen at the end of the event.
Despite the simplicity, this is my first time at such an event, and I find it pretty exciting.
It's around one and a half PM now, and we've been told that the official events start at Two.
I follow the staff into the conference hall. This place has been converted into a temporary venue for the event. Although it's quite spacious. I would have preferred a much better venue at some three-star hotel.
The room wall is a combination of red-brown color. The ceiling is colored white, with LED light embedded into the roof. Surprisingly the venue is fully Air conditioned with posters of participating games hanging on the walls. The seating arrangement is a straight-row system.
The chairs are divided into two sections, and upfront, there's a long horizontal table serving covered in red carpet as the main podium. Behind it is, the game department emblem on the wall.
Throughout the conference room, there are markings of the seats for each participant and dignitaries.
Soon, I found my spot, right in the front row. The person next to me shifts a bit to look away.
I sat up in my seat. My curiosity overwhelmed me as I started to look around the room. Suddenly I hear someone call me out. It was the gentleman sitting next to me.
"You're Chen Xu, right? 'To the Moon' really deserves the spot," says the person sitting beside me, giving me a faint smile. But I can also spot something else behind that smile—probably pain. He feels a little conflicted too.
He continued with the same smile "I even admired it a little. After all, I also played your game To the Moon, which moved me deeply."
Hearing his words, I glanced at him and stretched out my right hand which was a little cold with a smile on my face "Thank you, for your appreciation Sir, for fans like you, I will continue to work hard on my upcoming game"
"The narrative depth in 'To the Moon' is just First's kiss, and 'Undertale,' the gem you developed before, is even more mind-blowing," the person said, still clutching my hand with a grip that felt like it was trying to squeeze the life out of me.
I couldn't help but notice the grin plastered across his face—it was like watching someone who's simultaneously in agony and bliss, struggling with the kind of contradictions that only life and bad video games can throw at you.
[Meng You POV]
"Why did this feel so familiar?" he wondered, his mind echoing with the agonized cries of, "Why! Why! Why?" as if he were trapped in a burning hell, each shout amplifying the torment within him.
This scene, which I had imagined in my mind months ago!
It was the protagonist and the supporting roles. Everything is the same, just our roles are reversed.
┻━┻︵ \(°□°)/ ︵ ┻━┻
I let go of his hand and fell silent.
[Chen Xu POV]
I turned away from this fan of mine. As I fold my leg in a boss style and start to browse the internet over my ifruit. I noticed some people coming toward me.
By their clothing style, they look like game developer and game designers, most of them are in t-shirts with logos of some indie studious, and few wearing proper office clothes.
These designers noticed my movement and came over to talk to me.
What surprised me was that several designers were quite familiar, and they were very enthusiastic.
Although these people didn't know me, they all shared the same characteristic.
They had been torn apart by Zhong's antics on the Internet before.
Unlike me, who had trampled the other party and borrowed a wave of popularity, they had only experienced wave after wave of criticism.
Now that I had also won the first prize in this year's game competition, naturally, many designers came to take the initiative to get to know me.
When it comes to hatred, it's even less significant. There is also a little appreciation for trampling over Zhong.
After all, They're all part of the game industry, and one more friend means one more opportunity in the long term. Now I have the phone numbers of many designers saved in my contacts. I am also invited to several chat groups.
As everyone was chatting, the leaders of the game department soon arrived at the conference room.
Before coming here, I had done my homework. I had made sure to get familiar with all the leaders in the game department, knowing there would be a chance to work together in the future.
The award ceremony officially began with Yang Chen, the head of the game department, giving a speech. He was a middle-aged man in his fifties, thin, tall, and wearing golden glasses—a typical intellectual figure.
His speech was formal and serious.
Afterward, it was time for the award ceremony, and Yang Chen announced the winners in a solemn tone.
As the applause filled the room, I walked forward with a smile. When the applause faded, I accepted the red book symbolizing the first prize from Yang Chen, along with a medal for first place.
Next came the thank-you speech. I had already memorized mine, tweaking it slightly based on the speech template from last year's winners.
Whether it sounded similar didn't bother me. After all, I needed something to speak and it's perfect.
"Thank you everyone. I'm honored to win first place in this year's game department competition. It's an incredible moment for me and Neon Games to stand here..."
As I finished, the room erupted in applause, I also noticed the one enthusiastic fan, who had been sitting next to me, had a slightly odd expression on his face.
This speech is so familiar too? The person thought...
Then it was time for the second prize, awarded to Meng Zhou from NetDragon's Thunder Studio. I scanned the not-so-glamorous venue, hoping to catch a glimpse of this indie legend, but all I found was a sea of blank stares. Just as I was about to give up hope, the guy sitting next to me awkwardly stood up and shuffled toward the podium like he was trying to avoid landmines.
As he began his speech, it felt eerily familiar—like I was watching a rerun of a sitcom I didn't remember signing up for. My expression morphed into one of amused confusion, wondering if he was about to deliver the acceptance speech I had memorized in my sleep or if the universe was just playing the longest inside joke on me. Either way, I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
After all the designers finished their speeches, holding certificates and medals, we took photos with the staff from the game department. The event was essentially over.
Once outside, the reporters who had been waiting didn't hesitate to swarm us like prey, they zig-zagged around us.
Most of their attention was on me, then on Meng Zuo from NetDragon's Thunder Studio, as we were the ones who sparked the most interest in this year's competition.
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"Developer Chen, do you have any thoughts on winning the first prize this time?"
"Developer Chen, do you have any new game development plans after To the Moon? Will it still be a warmer game like To the Moon?"
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A group of reporters crowded around me, firing off various questions.
Although everyone seemed eager, it was clear that this wasn't an exclusive interview. If I answered, everyone could use the information—it would just come down to who could publish the story first.
"Winning first prize was completely unexpected and incredibly pleasant. I never imagined that the players and reviewers would be so optimistic about To the Moon. With this prize, I feel an added sense of responsibility. I want to keep contributing new games to the players..."
As I continued, I noticed the reporters around me looking less enthusiastic.
Was I being too formal for such a young designer?
But then, as if to deepen their disappointment, I added, "As for my new game, I don't have any solid ideas yet. Will it be another warm-hearted game? I can't say for sure at this point, but I do prefer developing that kind of game. After all, I've always considered myself a warrior of love."
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Chen Xu consider himself to be a Warrior of love.
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