A Fierce Repayment

This is way too abstract!

Shen Miaomiao screamed in her mind.

If the earlier Mario Bros. looked like trash at first glance, then Gu Sheng's new project was a pile of crap.

After all, Mario Bros. was a derivative of Mario. Setting aside the game's quality for a moment, at least you could tell at a glance what kind of game it was, what the basic gameplay was, and what the goal was.

But this new project!

Shen Miaomiao couldn't even imagine what kind of game this was from Gu Sheng's description!

A bratty kid constantly causing trouble, and an old dad trying his best to stop him?

Where the hell was the fun in that?

Shen Miaomiao couldn't figure it out, and even started to worry a bit about Gu Sheng's mental state.

But!

There was no doubt that a game this bizarre had zero selling points.

The track Gu Sheng had chosen was already niche, and with this twisted gameplay setup, it was hard not to lose money.

Thinking this, Shen Miaomiao couldn't help but feel happy.

Forget it, whatever kind of game it was, the more absurd it was, the better for her, wasn't it?

This time, she had to make up for the rebate she didn't earn from Mario Bros.!

Pay it back hard!

So, she nodded:

"Great, I like this idea (even though I didn't understand a word of it)."

"Then Director Gu, go ahead and set up the project. Make any requests you have, especially regarding investment. The company will fully support you and make sure you're satisfied!"

What a great boss!

Hearing this, Gu Sheng silently gave a thumbs-up in his heart.

From Little Nezha's expression, it was easy to see she didn't understand this game at all—completely confused, lost in the clouds.

But!

Little Nezha still chose to trust him, just like he trusted the teacher's answers in math class—whether he understood or not, he just nodded and said, "Right, right, right."

With a boss like this, what more could he ask for in life!

Gu Sheng silently vowed to run the company well, so he wouldn't let down Little Nezha's trust!

With that thought, Gu Sheng nodded:

"Thanks for the trust, boss. Since we're on the subject, I actually do have a small request."

"No problem, go ahead. If we can do it, the company will support you."

Shen Miaomiao nodded, signaling Gu Sheng to speak freely.

Gu Sheng grinned, looking a bit embarrassed:

"It's like this. Because this project's scale is much larger than Mario Bros., I think we can appropriately expand the team."

"A complete game team, besides the producer—that's me—also needs a Lead Programmer responsible for Engine Development and Program Operations, and a Lead Artist responsible for Scene UI and Character Modeling. Since some future projects might involve trade secrets, it's not suitable to outsource everything."

Actually, he left out one role: the Lead Designer.

The Lead Designer is usually responsible for Gameplay planning, level design, story logic structure, and so on.

But because of the system, the games he redeemed were almost finished products, containing core gameplay and story design. So Gu Sheng also took on the role of Lead Designer, saving the company money while ensuring the game stayed as original as possible.

After all, if Gu Sheng held both the producer and Lead Designer positions, it meant the game's core structure was entirely in his hands—he was the true giver of the game's soul.

Hearing Gu Sheng's suggestion, Shen Miaomiao nodded repeatedly.

Great! Perfect!

Their big director had grown up, finally knowing how to spend the company's money!

She immediately waved her hand!

"Director Gu's suggestion is excellent! Do it!"

With that, Shen Miaomiao turned to Chu Qingzhou:

"Secretary Chu, immediately start recruiting according to Director Gu's requirements. Look for experienced, capable people. Salary is no issue—the more expensive, the better!"

You see!

According to the system's rules, as the investment executor, the Principal's salary wasn't counted in the investment amount. But aside from the Principal, any personnel costs were considered investment!

That meant the more expensive the people under Gu Sheng working on the game were!

The bigger the investment amount!

The harder it would be to recover the principal!

The more rebates he would receive!

Of course, hiring personnel had to follow market rates; you couldn't hire a dog with a million annual salary—that would count as cheating.

That was why Shen Miaomiao had instructed Chu Qingzhou to recruit top-tier talent as much as possible, to drive up the capital investment.

However, before Chu Qingzhou could agree, Gu Sheng interrupted:

"Uh... what I mean is... maybe we don't need to go through all that trouble?"

At these words, both Shen Miaomiao and Chu Qingzhou were taken aback.

"What do you mean?" Shen Miaomiao shrugged, not understanding why Gu Sheng would say that.

Gu Sheng smiled:

"What I mean is, instead of hiring those so-called experienced Industry Elites who jump jobs repeatedly,"

"Why don't we cultivate a Core Team that belongs to the company?"

A Core Team?

The two across the conference table exchanged glances.

Chu Qingzhou asked: "Director Gu means hiring newcomers?"

"Yes,"

Gu Sheng nodded:

"Compared to those so-called 'Industry Elites,' I'd rather lead a new team."

Gu Sheng's reasoning was very thorough.

What kind of place was this?

A Parallel World.

To be specific, a Parallel World where game creativity was scarce and game genres were rigid.

Game development was an art industry full of creativity.

And the so-called 'elites' in this world were nothing more than mechanical laborers trapped in fixed thinking patterns.

Seeing the success of "CrossFire," they concluded that shooting games could only have the crosshair in the center of the screen, HP fixed at 100, and the objective set on Bomb Defusal.

Seeing the success of "Extreme Speed Racing," they concluded that driving games could only be about racing, the selected Vehicles had to be flashy, all modifications had to be perfect, and the goal was to pursue peak performance.

Little did they know!

Gunfire could also simulate realistic aiming, breathing to recover HP could speed up the game's pace, and the objective didn't always have to be that bomb dismantled a thousand times over.

Driving games didn't have to be about racing either; the selected Vehicles could be heavy trucks, and the scenery overlooked in racing could let players experience relaxation and joy.

Gu Sheng had many, many games to release in the future.

He hoped his game development team could open their minds, strive to understand the Ninth Art nature of games, rather than always focusing on "Will this game make money?" "Is this game mainstream?" "Does this game have a market?"

Games were dull—after all, their essence was composed of 0s and 1s, a string of tasteless code.

At the same time, games were beautiful, because within those countless combinations of 0s and 1s lay the sunset scenery of the Alps, the majestic grandeur of Norse mythology, the thrilling heat of becoming a hero to save the world, and the human reflection of peeling back the fog to glimpse the truth.

This was the game that Gu Sheng loved.

"So I'm applying to the company to trial my two friends. Like me, they still maintain a passion for creativity in the game industry."