Hu Xianbin said, “Currently, the number of streamers, streaming rooms, and online viewers in the ‘Safe and Civilized Driving’ section are all increasing rapidly. From what we can see, four main types of streamers have risen to prominence.”

“The first type consists of purely technical streamers, such as professional drivers and professional driving simulation gamers. They can drive exceptionally well as soon as they start, so there are quite a few viewers who come to watch their high-level operations.”

“The second type includes instructional streamers who teach people how to pass driving tests like Subject 2 and Subject 3, how to get licenses for large vehicles and race cars—all can be categorized here.”

“The third type consists of streamers who purely create entertaining content, like those who deliberately crash cars to test vehicle safety, or those who frequently get into accidents due to poor driving skills… Some are genuinely bad drivers, while others deliberately create entertainment value. I have to say, many viewers do enjoy watching scenarios where ‘the streamer suddenly loses all progress and rages furiously on the spot.'”

“Among them, there’s even a group of people who specifically do vehicle review shows in the game, evaluating the performance and safety of each vehicle model, comparing them with real-life models. Surprisingly, the videos they release generate high viewership numbers, which is just absurd.”

“The fourth type is more special—they’re streamers who focus on skill growth, gradually improving their driving techniques and methodically experiencing all game content. This type has the fewest streamers but shows the strongest growth trend. Take this female streamer Zhang Yan for example—she falls into this category and has benefited from the popularity of ‘Safe and Civilized Driving,’ gaining followers rapidly.”

“Here are the statistics on viewer counts, live chat activity, and popularity trends for different streamer types. We can study them, as they might provide some valuable insights.”

Ye Zhizhou looked at the data charts and nodded slightly.

Data doesn’t lie.

If data seems to be lying, it can only mean that the data isn’t comprehensive enough, or the interpretation method is incorrect.

Both of them were game designers who naturally understood the importance of data.

Ye Zhizhou carefully examined these statistics and began analyzing them based on his understanding of the game “Safe and Civilized Driving.”

“The first type, technical streamers, gain followers quickly but seem to have difficulty retaining them. Their subsequent popularity declines rapidly, showing poor sustainability.”

“In other words, viewers easily get bored watching them.”

“This isn’t hard to understand. After all, no matter how cool these experts’ drifting techniques look, they’re merely visual effects. Other driving simulation games also feature experts who can drift and drive impressively, but they haven’t generated high popularity either, and don’t attract many followers.”

“This might be because such content is relatively detached from ordinary people’s experiences. Average players might not understand how difficult these skills actually are, nor can they learn techniques to improve their own driving skills from watching. So they just come to broaden their horizons, watch these experts run a few laps, and then lose interest.”

“The third type—entertainment-focused streamers—shows more noticeable growth in popularity, but with significant fluctuations. After all, people come to watch streamers crash cars, and when they crash and ‘suddenly lose all progress,’ it certainly creates entertainment value, but the process leading up to the crash is rather monotonous.”

“It’s somewhat like those frustrating games where players constantly return to the starting point. While they provide good entertainment value, they can also easily frustrate viewers to the point of getting a cerebral hemorrhage.”

“The second type—instructional streamers—shows steady follower growth, obviously driven by practicality. As new players continuously flood in, this type of streamer should maintain their viewer numbers.”

“But the problem is that their streaming content is relatively one-dimensional. Most people will probably stop watching after viewing a few days of tutorials and successfully obtaining their licenses. If the influx of new players decreases in the future, these streamers might face diminishing returns, with fewer viewers over time.”

“According to the data, the fourth type of streamer shows the most promise. On one hand, they allow players to comprehensively understand the game content, providing both entertainment value and allowing viewers to experience a sense of growth alongside the streamer. On the other hand, they genuinely offer guidance to players, making them well-rounded streamers.”

“However… not everyone can succeed with this model. It requires someone with talent in both driving and streaming.”

Hu Xianbin nodded. “Yes, and analyzing Zhang Yan’s streaming content also leads to some conclusions.”

“Based on chat feedback, her streams have genuinely influenced many players’ engagement with ‘Safe and Civilized Driving.’ Some who hadn’t planned to play have started playing, while others who had abandoned it have picked it up again.”

“This should be related to the game’s inherent characteristics, highlighting the core differences between ‘Safe and Civilized Driving’ and general racing or driving simulation games.”

“Many players say that ‘Safe and Civilized Driving’ is most beneficial for improving driving skills, which is clearly not coincidental.”

Ye Zhizhou strongly agreed. “Indeed.”

“The harsh penalty system in ‘Safe and Civilized Driving’ actually extends the game’s lifespan. On one hand, it creates a smoother learning curve for players, and on the other hand, it helps build players’ confidence and reduces frustration.”

“So our next goal is definitely to focus on this point and better leverage its advantages!”

Each post-launch in-depth analysis made designers like Ye Zhizhou more and more impressed with Mr. Pei.

Many design decisions that seemed unreasonable before development actually transformed into sophisticated systems after release, producing unexpected benefits!

Why do many players feel that “Safe and Civilized Driving” is the most effective game for improving driving skills? It’s not just because it includes driving license tests, circular and figure-eight drift training grounds, nor is it merely because it features different tiers such as ride-hailing, long-distance trucking, racing cars, and tracks of varying difficulties.

There’s another masterstroke: the penalty system!

And this aspect was displayed even more vividly during livestreams.

Because the penalties for collisions in the game are so severe, players become extremely cautious. Take Zhang Yan for example—before officially entering a track, she would carefully survey it several times, familiarizing herself with the terrain and pace notes. Once on the track, she would drive slowly, prioritizing collision avoidance over lap times.

Only after ensuring she wouldn’t crash would she gradually improve her lap times.

This led to two outcomes.

First, players prepare more thoroughly; second, players perceive their progress more clearly.

In other driving simulation games, players typically jump onto the track with minimal preparation. Once there, they don’t pay attention to specific routes—they just pull the handbrake at the start, floor the gas pedal straight to 7000 RPM, and charge ahead. As for encountering ditches, slopes, or turns along the way, they rely on pace notes heard in real-time. Sometimes they miss hearing them and don’t care—they just depend on impromptu reactions.

How could they not crash?

And after crashing, players generally don’t review or reflect on their mistakes; they just press the reset button and continue racing.

They might race on the same track many times, but end up still not memorizing the route or figuring out how to handle difficult turns. Any improvement in lap times relies purely on luck.

Over time, players feel they’re making no progress, or even performing worse than before, naturally leading to strong feelings of frustration and giving up practice.

But “Safe and Civilized Driving” is completely different.

Because collision consequences are severe, players must familiarize themselves with routes and pace notes. When approaching difficult turns, they proceed with extreme caution and thorough preparation, naturally making a deep impression.

Moreover, by slowly completing lap after lap and only increasing speed on sections they’re absolutely confident in, players can generally ensure that each lap shows slight improvement and progress.

These improvements and progress provide positive feedback to players, allowing them to sense the advancement of their driving skills, motivating them to persist.

Additionally, for streamers, “suddenly losing all progress” after a crash creates excellent entertainment value.

When viewers see streamers crawling through the entire course at such a slow pace, they develop the misconception that “I could do that too” or “I might even drive better than the streamer,” transforming many cloud gamers into actual players who want to try the game themselves.

This significantly extends the game’s lifespan while lowering its barrier to entry, making it accessible to ordinary people.

Not to mention players who don’t enjoy track modes can drive large trucks or long-distance buses, which offers an entirely different kind of enjoyment.