December 7th, Saturday.
In the Slackin’ Internet Café, Qiao Liang, Cui Geng, and several other web novelists were playing the newest version of GOG together while keeping an eye on the large screen nearby. With the rapid development of Endpoint Chinese Web, Cui Geng, once known as a serial novel-abandoner, had now become a prominent author with considerable status. Qiao Liang had also become a well-known streamer, though in a place like Jingzhou where so many extraordinary people gathered, occasional celebrities and internet personalities rarely attracted much attention.
The large screen would normally broadcast the latest GPL league matches or in-house café tournaments, but today was different. It was showing the TGN Awards Ceremony taking place across the ocean. TGN was considered the most influential gaming awards ceremony worldwide, often called the Oscars of the gaming industry. Of course, some people might question its credibility, and whenever they announced the Game of the Year, there would always be disagreements and criticism directed at the judges. Nevertheless, it remained the highest honor in the gaming world. Many game developers took pride in winning the Game of the Year award at TGN.
Qiao Liang played for a while, then glanced at the large screen and asked, “Where are they at now?”
Someone immediately replied, “Almost there! Don’t start another game. They’re about to announce Game of the Year.”
Hearing this, almost everyone in the internet café put down their games and turned to look at the screen. Several players even stood up from their seats and gathered in front of the screen to watch closely.
Yu Fei had attended the awards ceremony with several key employees from the gaming department, but it seemed Mr. Pei still hadn’t planned to attend, which disappointed fans of Tenda games. Although attending didn’t guarantee winning, what if they did?
In previous years, Tenda games had won several minor awards at the TGN ceremonies, but none had created much of a stir. The reasons were complex. On one hand, Mr. Pei seemed very unenthusiastic about such award ceremonies and showed little interest in participating. Neither the gaming department nor the film department actively participated. On the other hand, Tenda games primarily targeted domestic audiences in China, so their influence abroad was relatively weak. Previous games like “Turn Back to Shore,” “Struggle,” and “Mission and Choice” were all excellent, but their main strengths were in perfecting their respective genres. When it came to Game of the Year, they ultimately faced many constraints.
This time, however, “The Future You Choose” was undoubtedly a strong contender for Game of the Year. Although players would say that Mr. Pei no longer needed a so-called Game of the Year award to prove his status in the global gaming industry, saying such things without actually winning the award always sounded a bit sour. Everyone still hoped they could win Game of the Year, which would establish Mr. Pei as a genuinely world-class game developer.
The TGN stage was enormous. During the waiting period, the large screen had been showing trailers for several games. These were all highly anticipated blockbusters or new expansions for masterpieces, which elicited cheers from the live audience.
The host approached the stage, and the venue fell silent. Everyone in the internet café held their breath, waiting for the results.
The host solemnly cleared his throat and said, “This year is very special. While the gaming industry has been rapidly developing with traditional gaming companies making strong efforts, we are also delighted to see many emerging game companies rising quickly. Games from various countries and regions have injected fresh blood into this awards ceremony.”
“This is a very positive phenomenon for TGN. We look forward to seeing more game developers rise up and make the global gaming industry more diverse and colorful.”
“Now, please welcome the TGN orchestra to perform a piece for all the nominated games!”
The camera turned to the orchestra, which was ready to begin playing the theme music from the games. The theme music from several nominated games was beautifully blended together, and as the music played, game footage appeared on the big screen. Each game was shown for about a minute. These were all the top AAA titles of the year. The world’s best game developers had poured their hearts and souls into these games, spending enormous resources, all aiming to win the Game of the Year title.
When “The Future You Choose” appeared on screen, thunderous applause and cheers erupted both at the venue and inside the Slackin’ Internet Café. The same reaction was happening elsewhere, though domestic players seemed more surprised—they hadn’t expected the game to be so popular overseas.
“I didn’t expect such an enthusiastic response from the live audience. Do foreigners really like this game that much?”
“Yes, both the game and film versions of ‘The Future You Choose’ have had a significant impact abroad. The choice of theme was really appealing!”
“I think what makes ‘The Future You Choose’ special is its interesting gameplay first of all. Whether it’s the game mechanics or map structure, this type of online game can attract the broadest player base. Secondly, the plot has deeper meaning, and both domestic and foreign players can interpret it in ways that resonate with them, even if those interpretations differ.”
“Yes, the same goes for the film.”
For domestic and foreign players, “The Future You Choose” clearly had different interpretations. Although foreign players weren’t concerned with the business war between Tenda Group and the Anti-Tenda Alliance, and might not necessarily agree with Qiao Liang’s interpretation of the game’s deeper meaning, this didn’t prevent them from interpreting and understanding the game from their own perspectives!
Foreign players equally harbored resentment toward big corporations and concerns about cyberpunk-like futures. Moreover, both the game and film versions of “The Future You Choose” tended to reveal the whole world from the protagonist’s personal perspective, and used foreign names and background settings, making it easier for foreign players to immerse themselves and connect with the story.
All the nominated games had been revealed, and now it was time for the final award. The host returned to the stage holding the trophy.
Unlike film awards, it was the host who presented this award.
“Now, I am very pleased to announce that the Game of the Year, selected by 47 media outlets and fans worldwide, is…”
“Tenda Games’ ‘The Future You Choose’!”
As soon as the host finished speaking, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience. The camera turned to Yu Fei, who looked incredulous as he hugged his colleagues one by one before going up to the stage. He was visibly surprised and nervous. Even when he received the TGN Game of the Year trophy from the host, he still seemed to be in a dreamlike state.
“First of all, I would like to thank all the TGN judges and players around the world who love Tenda games. On behalf of the development team and all Tenda Group employees, I thank all players for their long-standing support.”
“To be honest, I’m still a bit dazed, because I never imagined that as an ordinary novelist, I would receive such an honor as Game of the Year.”
“Although I am the producer of this game, Mr. Pei is the one who gave it its soul. Mr. Pei is not here today, but after my repeated requests, he finally agreed to write a short message for the players, which I will read on his behalf.”
With that, Yu Fei took out a prepared letter from his pocket. After the on-site translator relayed his words, another round of applause and cheers erupted from the audience. Foreign players had long heard of Mr. Pei, and his absence from the ceremony was undoubtedly a disappointment. However, having Yu Fei deliver his message was a good consolation.
“I am deeply honored and also feel great pressure due to the love from players around the world.”
“The purpose of games is to bring joy, and they also have the power to change the world.”
“As a player, I believe the most wonderful feeling a game can bring is the sense of the unknown—because we don’t know what will happen next in the game, we become captivated by it.”
“Just like in real life, you can never predict what consequences will follow after you make a decision.”
“I sincerely hope that Tenda Games can continue to bring happiness and joy to all players in the future. I also hope that all players can find that carefree spiritual world of childhood in our games and gain the power to change reality from gaming.”
“Some free-spirited people like to play games with life, but for players like us, games are life.”
“Thank you again for your love of Tenda Games, and I hope all employees of the game department will continue to work hard to bring better games to our players!”
The venue erupted with thunderous applause and cheers that continued for a long time!
This award represented the beginning of an era belonging to Tenda Games. Everyone believed that this was not just a breakthrough for Tenda Games, but also a brand new beginning for the domestic gaming industry! Once a new era truly begins, it won’t easily come to an end!
The development of the domestic gaming industry had been tumultuous. Being able to finally win the Game of the Year honor was not only thanks to the joint efforts of Mr. Pei and all the employees of the Tenda gaming department, but also countless independent game developers who persisted in pursuing their dreams, and the players who unconditionally supported the development of domestic games as a strong backbone.
As the industrial layout planned by Tenda’s gaming department gradually gains momentum, it will certainly inspire more creators to strive tirelessly for higher pursuits in the future!