Game Making: Start By Healing the Player

Sitting in front of the computer, Chen Xu had a rough understanding of the current situation.

The gaming industry, this is the direction he will strive towards.

But even if you decide to make a game, it’s not that easy.

With the aid of the highly advanced tech in this world, creating the underlying code is no longer necessary when developing games.

But the art, music, modelling and so on; none of them are expenses that can be spared.

Besides, Chen Xu himself is quite embarrassed at the moment.

He has yet to obtain the title of Game Designer, so the resources available to him in the platforms are very limited.

Although Chen Xu estimates that, like some hit indie classics of his previous life, these resources will be sufficient.

But there’s another important point: he’s damn near broke.

After all, he had just graduated and was living in the suburbs of the Capital City.

The cost of living is quite high and he has only 10,000 yuan or so in the bank.

Leaving the system and all that aside for now. After all, this heartless thing requires your own work to collect points, without even giving you the option to exchange points for cash!

“I need to find a way to make money.” Chen Xu rubbed his chin and thought.

He started going through the folders on his computer, looking for anything useful, then his eyes lit up.

There were more than a dozen coloured comics packed away in a document.

The content depicts a story about some cool young ladies playing water volleyball.

The tone of the story is positive and uplifting, fully demonstrating vitality and youth.

According to his recollection, these comics were not drawn by him, but given to him for colouring by a senior from the same university.

The illustrations had a peculiar charm to them, and so Chen Xu made a decision.

This was his first job as a freelancer in this world, and with it came his first game idea.

‘Mirror’, a domestic erotic Gal game with match-3 elements that was deeply loved by players in his previous life.

It was selected as the second most reviewed game in 2018, and topped the global daily bestseller list on the Steam platform.

It has accumulated 71,000 reviews, of which nearly 69,000 are positive, and most of the other 2,000 are bad reviews given for the memes.

The reasons for choosing this game are also very simple.

There is basically no modelling work to be done for this type of game, and the contents can be easily written and produced by Chen Xu himself.

Furthermore, due to the characteristics of this game, without having funds for promotion, it can be said that the game ‘Mirror’ has unique advantages compared to other games.

In terms of quickly recouping capital costs, it can be said that ‘Mirror’ is the best choice.

Of course, some of the content that is over the line still needs to be changed, he doesn’t want to be too entangled with erotic content for later works, after all.

“But if you go at it alone, it will take forever. I need to find a helper.” After making the decision, Chen Xu thought about it and came up with a plan.

But first, let’s solve this hungry stomach.

Chen Xu stood up, picked up the keys and mobile phone on the table, and went downstairs to look for food.

……………………

“Never underestimate the meat cutter at a Lanzhou ramen restaurant. What incredible skill he has with a knife!”

Chen Xu picked up a slice of beef as thin as a cicada’s wing with his chopsticks and sighed.

When dipped into the ramen broth, it made Chen Xu doubt his eyes, as they almost looked translucent.

Six slices of beef were placed on the ramen noodles, with chopped spring onions and coriander on the side.

Whether it’s a past life or a parallel world, this beef can be summed up in one word: thin.

Although the amount of meat is not really enough to pick your teeth, the noodles are still quite tasty.

It is very chewy, and the noodle soup made from beef bones is also delicious.

After eating and drinking, Chen Xu paid the bill, left the noodle shop and dialled a phone number on his way home.

After about three rings, the phone was connected.

“Senior Sister, the drawings you gave me earlier have been completed. I will send them to you soon.”

“Also, Senior, do you have time tomorrow? I have some things I would like to discuss with you.”

“No problem, I’ll meet you at Island Coffee, the one at the intersection of the Garden Community. Tomorrow afternoon, one o’clock.”

Chen Xu hung up the phone and stretched.

His pot of gold will depend on the performance of ‘Mirror’.

But if he has to do all the work alone.

Chen Xu estimated that it would take him about two months to complete ‘Mirror’.

And this is if he worked till his liver explodes.

So, if possible, it would be best to find a helper.

Whether it will all work in the end, only heaven knows.

……………………

One o’clock in the afternoon.

Chen Xu came to the cafe at the agreed time.

In the lobby on the first floor, a girl in her twenties was sitting by the window.

She wore glasses and a casual, white suit. She was bobbing her head to something on her headphones.

“Senior Ruan, nice to see you.” Chen Xu walked over and greeted the other party.

“No problem, my house happens to be nearby.” Ruan Ningxue took off her headphones and smiled slightly, shaking her head.

Before Chen Xu could continue, Ruan Ningxue smiled happily and said, “So, Chen Xu, what do you want to talk to me about? Have you finally decided to join my studio? I even told you that I am obsessed with comics. How unbecoming of me.”

“You can definitely hone your skills with fanart first, and then change career paths. Many famous artists in the industry used to draw fanart!”

“And I saw the illustrations you filled in, Chen Xu, you are very talented!”

Ruan Ningxue said to Chen Xu very seriously.

“Ahem… Well, Senior Sister, I appreciate your kindness, but that’s not why I came to see you today.” Chen Xu coughed twice in embarrassment.

She is a senior student from Chen Xu’s department.

Just like Chen Xu before, Ruan Ningxue also aspired to be a cartoonist.

It’s just that the other party’s path is a little different, that is, compared to Chen Xu’s repeated failures in submissions, Ruan Ningxue started drawing fanart.

At least she can make a lot of money from this job, and in her words, becoming a bestselling fan artist, becoming famous, and then changing careers to become an official cartoonist is also a viable path!

And what kind of fanart?

Of course, it is fanart that tells beautiful love stories, but of course sometimes it is filled with lust instead of beauty.

As a senior student, Ruan Ningxue thought highly of Chen Xu’s skills and always wanted to recruit him to form a team.

Sensing that the topic had gotten a little out of hand and that there was a good chance that it would happen again, Chen Xu went straight to the point.

“Eh… switching to gaming?”

Hearing Chen Xu’s words, Ruan Ningxue’s eyes widened as if she had heard something incredible.

“My original idea was just to present the story to others. Comics and games are actually just a medium.” Chen Xu told Ruan Ningxue his reasoning.

“And there are many examples in the industry of cartoonists or novelists who have become directors and game designers.” Chen Xu said with a smile.

After all, unlike before, the development of technology has lowered the basic threshold for all walks of life.

As a result, there’s no small number of border crossing examples in the world’s entertainment industry.

Of course, whether you can will be successful after crossing industries, that is another matter entirely.

“That’s not the answer, okay!” Ruan Ningxue rolled her eyes: “If you don’t count food and shelter, you’ll still be in arrears on your illustration payment! So, Chen Xu, are you going to sell me off for nothing?”

If the person sitting across from her was not her junior, and if she wasn’t still planning on recruiting Chen Xu.

Ruan Ningxue would have definitely left immediately because this felt like some sort of scam.

This evil capitalist wants to use your labour for free!

No, capitalists don’t do that!