Meanwhile, at the Slackin’ Internet Café, Handong University branch.
Pei Qian silently scrolled through He An’s long Weibo post and the player comments below it, staring in astonishment, completely dumbfounded.
“So that’s it! I understand now!”
“I knew something felt off about this game when it first came out. Now everything makes sense!”
“Has Mr. Pei’s game reached this level now? Only someone who’s a titan in the Chinese gaming industry can properly explain it?”
“I believed the official long Weibo post earlier, thinking ‘Struggle’ was just a highly condensed representation of reality, like a mirror where everyone could see some truth in the game. But after reading the master’s interpretation, I realized I was only at the first level, while ‘Struggle’ actually has second, third, and fourth levels!”
“Heh, Mr. Pei is truly a master of layered meanings.”
“Tenda games are terrifying. ‘Return to Shore’ only broke the fourth wall once, but ‘Struggle’ breaks it countless times, endlessly. Fourth wall, are you okay?”
Among the many comments, one long review received the most likes.
“What touched me most deeply was the spirit embodied in ‘Struggle,’ the interpretation of ‘struggle’ itself, which, like the basic theories, is both subversive yet secretly harmonious at a higher level.”
“According to the master’s interpretation, on the surface, ‘Struggle’ completely violates all basic theories, but upon careful analysis, we discover that this game elevates all these basic theories, aligning with them at a higher level.”
“The concept of ‘struggle’ is the same. The main content of the game is all about deconstructing struggle, constantly telling us that the rich struggle in the clouds while the poor struggle in the mud. When the rich tell the poor they can climb up to the clouds through struggle, that’s a lie; when the poor tell their children that hard work and struggle can change their lives, it’s also a well-intentioned lie.”
“This game mercilessly bursts this bubble, awakening many who have been deceived.”
“On the surface, the game seems to deny how struggle can change one’s life, as if saying the rich are in the clouds, the poor are in the mud, and no amount of effort can change this gap between heaven and earth.”
“But, through the ‘consumerism’ segment, we can compare it with reality and realize that in real life, we can still change our lives through struggle.”
“This struggle isn’t a specific action but a mindset, a choice. When we haven’t yet sunk to the bottom of the mud with no chance of recovery, we strive to find every opportunity to live better and create greater value—that is struggle.”
“So even if our struggles cannot take us to the clouds, we still shouldn’t lose hope in life, because life is about making the right choices one by one, and self-abandonment will never be the correct option.”
Beneath this long review, many people shared their own stories.
“This reminds me of that saying: We step onto a stage we didn’t choose and perform a script we didn’t select. Perhaps this script is painful, but as long as we perform it well, there can be brilliance even in the suffering.”
“I reflect on myself. My parents gave me privileged living conditions while pushing me to work hard. I saw many poor people living freely and thought their laziness caused their poverty, but now I know I was wrong because not everyone has the conditions I do. I bought both the poor and rich versions, hoping this game will constantly remind me not to make the same mistakes as the rich protagonist.”
“Indeed, whether it’s the poor version or the rich version, both are trying to help the poor and the rich better understand each other’s circumstances. Let the poor not admire the rich blindly, so they won’t be deceived by the rich’s rhetoric; let the rich look down at the poor, so they can put aside their arrogance.”
“This game builds a bridge between the poor and the rich. Perhaps these two groups can never truly understand each other, but at least this bridge exists and makes its voice heard, which is meaningful.”
“So the best approach isn’t to buy either the poor version or the rich version, but to buy both! Seeing your own life creates resonance and prompts reflection; seeing others’ lives helps you understand your blind spots. Playing both the poor and rich versions together allows you to understand the true meaning of this game!”
“So that’s why buying both versions together costs more? I get it now. I’ll buy them, and I’m perfectly willing to spend those extra thirty yuan!”
“Getting players to willingly pay extra for a game, and even feel good about it—truly a pricing genius!”
“You could also not buy it and just watch others play through it online.”
“Brother, listen to me, you can certainly watch others play, but you’ll never experience the emotional impact the game can bring you. Why is gaming called the ninth art? Because it’s interactive! Watching others play makes you just a spectator, unable to make your own decisions. How is that interactive?”
“Everyone can make their own choices—whether to ignore it, watch others play, buy only the rich version, or buy both versions… I think Mr. Pei wouldn’t care. ‘Struggle’ has successfully sparked discussions across the web, broken through its niche, and attracted attention even from non-gamers. As an interactive movie-type game, its mission has been perfectly accomplished.”
“However, I still believe that those who can afford it and truly love domestic single-player games should buy both versions as a collection. After all, being able to play such a game is itself a kind of good fortune!”
…
After reading these comments, Pei Qian quietly closed his laptop.
Crazy, the world had gone crazy!
Pei Qian thought he had exhausted all means to seal away Qiao Laoshi and could confidently wait for “Struggle” to lose money.
He never expected He An would jump out!
And somehow that official Weibo gave He An some inspiration, helping him find the perfect spot to backstab, hitting the mark in one strike!
After reading He An’s analytical theories, Pei Qian was stunned.
He An said that any creator will project their thoughts during creation.
But Pei Qian wanted to say, he hadn’t projected anything!
He made these decisions solely because he thought players would hate it!
As for “violating all four game design theories,” that was completely intentional!
After He An explained the four theories, Pei Qian deliberately did the opposite. But now, Teacher, he was judging his deliberately wrong answers as correct! Could there be some consistency here?
All Pei Qian wanted to know was how to successfully make a failed game.
He did everything according to the formula for failure, but now he was told he had come full circle and still succeeded?
Ridiculous!
Ridiculous!
Pei Qian was furious. This blame clearly should fall on Teacher He!
The theories he taught had huge flaws. Otherwise, why would operating against those theories still not result in losses?
The most infuriating part was that He An had also posted a long Weibo, assuming Qiao Laoshi’s role!
I thought that as a veteran of Chinese gaming, your statements on Weibo would be profound. I never expected such crude language!
How sad, how truly sad!
Pei Qian refused to accept this. He had to seek justice!
Friday was approaching, and He An would soon be coming to Jingzhou to teach. In this final lesson, Pei Qian had to clarify why the theories He taught were completely useless! All wrong!
…
…
September 9th, Friday.
Pei Qian angrily arrived at the coffee shop near Handong University.
Since its release on September 3rd, “Struggle” had gone through two opinion reversals online. Finally, the rating on the official platform settled at 9.5, while on the TPDb website, it reached 9.3.
Pei Qian couldn’t bear to look at this score!
It even surpassed “Return to Shore.”
“Return to Shore” initially had low ratings, but over time, they slowly increased, now reaching 9.2.
But “Struggle,” which Pei Qian had high hopes for losing money, surpassed “Return to Shore” in just one week, which he found absurd!
Of course, no game, however good, can satisfy everyone.
The content that players interpreted certainly wouldn’t suit everyone. Some people might be tired of struggling, needing rest, feeling that the struggle is meaningless, and would not accept the ideas in this game, perhaps even giving it a one-star review.
But that couldn’t be helped, because no work in the world can satisfy everyone. As He An said, what matters is what it encourages and what it rejects.
Not encouraging positive progress means encouraging self-abandonment. The latter should never be encouraged under any circumstances.
Continuously spreading negative energy can indeed gain attention by stirring up negative emotions in some people, thereby profiting, but everyone should recognize that this is wrong behavior.
Negative energy cannot improve people’s lives.
The sales of “Struggle” weren’t particularly spectacular so far. If projected over a year, it would probably just make a small profit. Now, with less than a month until settlement, it seemed impossible to recover the investment in the game.
This was a small consolation amid the misfortune.
It showed that Pei Qian’s initial strategy of high investment, refined production, and easy piracy still had the desired effect.
But regardless, Mr. Pei felt wronged!
He had hoped to gain neither fame nor profit, but now, while he hadn’t gained much profit, he had gained far too much fame!
“Struggle” had successfully broken out of its niche. Not only were gamers paying attention, but many non-gamers were too. AiLiDao featured numerous “Struggle” playthrough videos, and discussion heat remained high.
What Pei Qian wanted to do most now was to question Teacher He An.
What happened to the promise that violating all four principles would guarantee failure? What was going on here?
Was there something wrong with what the teacher taught?
Pei Qian angrily drank his coffee. Soon, He An arrived.
“Teacher He, about ‘Struggle’…”
Pei Qian was about to ask why everything He had taught didn’t match up, but He An laughed and interrupted him.
“Mr. Ma, I know what you want to say!”
Pei Qian: “?”
He An sat down across from Pei Qian: “You told Mr. Pei all the basic theories I taught you, didn’t you?”
A question mark floated above Pei Qian’s head.
?
I told myself?
Pei Qian looked bewildered and said, “Why would you say that?”
He An smiled slightly: “Isn’t it obvious? How could ‘Struggle’ coincidentally violate all four basic principles I taught? Are Mr. Pei and I somehow telepathically connected? Obviously not!”
“Mr. Ma, you must have unintentionally mentioned this to Mr. Pei, and Mr. Pei just happened to use ‘Struggle’ to show off his skills!”
“Why do I say it’s showing off?”
“Because these intricacies can only be noticed by game developers, not by players!”
“Mr. Pei deliberately used this game to break all four principles, yet aligned with them at a higher level. This is essentially writing a textbook!”
“Mr. Pei must have known you were learning about this content, so he used this game to provide a reference and help for your studies!”
“I’ve always thought you and Mr. Pei must be close friends who tell each other everything, and now I’m even more certain. Based on the development timeline, this game wasn’t specifically made for your education, but many details were certainly adjusted for your learning!”
“I must say, Mr. Ma, your friendship with Mr. Pei is truly enviable.”
“Mr. Ma, could you arrange a meeting between me and Mr. Pei? I’d really like to meet such an excellent producer!”
Pei Qian was left speechless by He An’s words. All the arguments he had prepared couldn’t come out.
How had their brain waves gotten so misaligned!
He was talking about one thing, while He An was talking about something completely different!
He An had analyzed so much and had even figured out Ma Yang’s personality traits and their relationship—everything except the fact that Ma Yang was actually Pei Qian.
This made Pei Qian feel utterly hopeless!
Because the more He An analyzed, the more he believed he was approaching the truth, reinforcing the impression in his mind.
Pei Qian realized that after assuming Ma Yang’s identity, a series of misunderstandings had arisen that he couldn’t explain away!
Now He An was convinced that he was Ma Yang. If Pei Qian told him that he was actually Mr. Pei, wouldn’t the old man faint on the spot?
So, Pei Qian, who had been fuming with a belly full of words, could only swallow them silently.
There was nothing he could do. After all, he was wearing a disguise, naturally at a disadvantage…
Well, considering the old man’s age, let this matter pass.
Pei Qian was about to suggest starting the lesson when he suddenly noticed that He An wasn’t holding any prepared teaching materials.
He immediately sensed something was amiss.
“Uh… Teacher He, today’s lesson wouldn’t happen to be about ‘Struggle,’ would it?”
He An smiled: “Well done, Mr. Ma, you’re getting more perceptive! You also think discussing ‘Struggle’ today is most appropriate, right?”
“Such a game that could be called a textbook, used to conclude our course, reviewing previous knowledge while striving for integration—it’s clearly the most suitable teaching material!”
“Of course, Mr. Ma, considering I’ve already posted this article on Weibo, I’ve decided to teach this lesson for free! I’ll refund one lesson’s fee from the money you transferred to the company account…”
Pei Qian was stunned.
Refund the tuition?
Don’t mess around! I’m keeping this tuition fee specifically to deduct from the system’s fund limit during settlement. If you return 200,000 yuan, I’ll have eight times less deducted at settlement!
Are you trying to ruin me?
It was bad enough that you posted a crazy interpretation of “Struggle” online, and now you want to stab me again?
No way!
Pei Qian hastily refused: “No! This money absolutely cannot be refunded! If you refund it, I’ll really get angry!”
He An was taken aback. Why was Mr. Ma so agitated?
Ah, respect for knowledge, eager to learn, not bad at all.
He An nodded with satisfaction: “Well, that’s fine too. Mr. Ma, although your comprehension isn’t very good, your sincerity is enough, and your attitude toward learning is very proper.”
“Alright, I’ll start the lesson now!”
“First, let’s begin with Mr. Pei’s original intention in creating this game…”
Pei Qian silently took a sip of coffee, suddenly feeling that life was as lonely as snow.
How melancholy!