A World Where Horror Genres Are Extremely Backward

"Apologies, due to your lack of experience, the company leadership believes you are currently unqualified for the character animation position. We hope you find a suitable job. Goodbye."

"Sorry, this company only recruits motion designers with over five years of experience. You do not currently meet this requirement. Apologies."

"The person in charge reviewed your resume and believes you have a promising future, but the position is currently filled. We are truly sorry, please understand."

Read, no reply.

Read, no reply.

Read, no reply.

Meng Shu sat on the windowsill, looking at his phone with a scoff, and spoke softly in a slightly mocking tone.

"Meng Shu, oh Meng Shu, you're just like I was when I first started my business—hitting walls everywhere, accepted by no one."

As he spoke, he picked up a can of soda from the counter and took two gulps.

This self-talk might sound strange to others, but for Meng Shu, it was perfectly normal.

Because he was not the real Meng Shu, but Qin Xuan, a game producer who had transmigrated three hours ago.

After getting past his initial confusion and bewilderment, he slowly accepted his new identity.

That last sentence was spoken by this producer to the Meng Shu who no longer existed.

Even though only he could hear it.

He took another two gulps of soda and turned to survey the room.

His new family lived a rather difficult life, not even reaching the standard of being comfortably off. The house was a rented old residential unit, the kind that cost 800 a month.

His father was a water delivery man, the type of manual laborer who delivered bottled purified water every day.

His mother was a dishwasher, scrubbing countless bowls in the back kitchen of a restaurant.

He also had a younger sister, a sophomore in college, who had been hit by a drunk motorcyclist outside of school, resulting in a broken leg. She was currently recovering at home.

Since the perpetrator couldn't pay, the massive medical and hospitalization expenses left his parents in dire straits, and it was this that made the recently graduated Meng Shu so desperate to find work to relieve the pressure on his family.

It could be said that the situation for this family was very grim.

They really needed money!

Looking at the rejection messages from HR on his phone, he showed no emotional reaction.

He simply shook his head, took another two gulps of soda, gazed at the narrow alley outside the window, and sighed.

"Being rejected for a job is no big deal. I was able to start from scratch before; I can do the same with a new identity and in a new world."

Meng Shu had completely accepted this new world and new life, and he found this version of Huaxia to be very interesting.

Not to mention the computers, he hadn't expected that even VR had become popularized!

Everything else had developed similarly to his previous world, the difference being that the great figures and celebrities from his past life did not exist here.

Likewise, none of those famous works existed either.

Moreover, this parallel world was a bit lopsided.

Because anything related to horror was extremely underdeveloped.

Whether it was horror movies, horror novels, horror games, or horror music, and so on.

Anything meant to be scary was of a very low standard in this world.

To the point that the word "horror" had become another way to express shock.

For example: "That is so freaking shocking."

Had become: "That is so freaking horror."

Therefore, in this world, horror wasn't called horror; it was called thriller.

And all thriller works appeared "small-minded."

They were neither scary nor interesting, often leaning into comedy or romance styles.

Coupled with a niche audience, barren themes, a lack of creativity, and simplistic plots, they were gradually ignored, leading to the development of horror-related content being extremely slow, even showing signs of stagnation.

Not to mention the varied scare tactics and creative techniques from his original world.

In this world, they were completely absent.

There was suspense, but it was incredibly childish, clearly just getting started.

Detective Conan would likely be a massive hit if brought to this world.

However, although VR had been developed and popularized, computers remained the mainstream.

VR was mainly used in the film industry and for realistic simulations.

For example, driving simulations and VR movie watching, providing the most direct personal experience.

VR Game titles did exist, but you could count them on one hand, and they were produced by large companies, yet the quality was so shoddy that no one wanted to play them.

At the very least, the quality was not as good as the VR Game titles from his original world; one could even say they didn't qualify for comparison.

This resulted in games remaining popular on PC and console platforms, with shooters, racing, and sports games accounting for the vast majority.

"VR, huh."

Meng Shu glanced at the headset on his desk. Its design was minimalist, with blue light flowing across its surface, giving it a high-tech feel.

Although his family's financial situation wasn't great, these common items were still affordable.

He had just tried it out, testing a rudimentary driving simulator.

Aside from vibration feedback, there was no other sensory immersion.

In that regard, it was just like the VR from his original world.

It was a pity there were no suitable games for him to enjoy.

Ding! Simple Game Development System activated.

You have a Newbie Gift Pack. Open it?

Meng Shu froze for a moment, his expression suddenly turning excited!

The heart that had been as still as an ancient well stirred at the sound of the mechanical voice.

Is this my golden finger? As expected, the standard equipment for a transmigrator.

Simple Game Development System.

Is this here to help me start from scratch more easily?

"This isn't bad at all. At the very least, it can speed up my ability to make money in this world and improve my family's situation."

"And it even comes with a Newbie Gift Pack. I'm quite looking forward to the contents; I hope it's something good."

Meng Shu silently commanded it to open.

The next second, the mechanical voice rang out.

You have obtained 500 Fear Points.

You have obtained a panel with +60 to main attributes.

You have obtained a game development engine that even a monkey could use.

You have obtained a step-by-step development tutorial for the Horror Games "Dark Forest".

You have obtained the concept design and promotional CG for the Horror Games "Dark Forest".

You have obtained all art assets for the Horror Games "Dark Forest" (Exclusive to Newbie Gift Pack).

You have obtained the Prologue playable Demo for the Horror Games "Dark Forest" (Exclusive to Newbie Gift Pack).

You have obtained all original soundtrack compositions for the Horror Games "Dark Forest" (Exclusive to Newbie Gift Pack).

You have obtained the production method for a first-person VR version of the Horror Games "Dark Forest".

"Dark Forest?"

Seeing this long list, Meng Shu widened his eyes slightly, feeling a mix of surprise and joy.

He then closed his eyes.

Instantly, a wealth of professional knowledge flooded his mind.

At the same time, a very simple attribute panel appeared.

Planning: 60 (Average)

Programming: 60 (Average)

Art: 60 (Average)

Music: 60 (Average)

Total Fear Points: 500

So that's how it is.

After a few minutes of silence, Meng Shu understood the system's function.

Simply put, this Simple Game Development System contained a shop filled with step-by-step production tutorials for every game from his original world.

From AAA titles to pixel games, as long as it could be called a video game, this system had it.

However, these games required a currency called Fear Points to purchase.

And Fear Points were earned by using the games he created to stimulate players and induce that specific feeling of fear.

A frightened player would generate 1 Fear Point, and it wouldn't stop there; it could be generated repeatedly.

As long as the player could be scared!

Overall, it wasn't bad. Although a 1:1 ratio was low, if the same game could make the same person feel fear repeatedly, the numbers would eventually add up.

"Fear Points."

Meng Shu pondered for a moment and sat down in his computer chair.

If one were to ask what kind of game could scare players, it had to be Horror Games.

And there were plenty of Horror Games from his original world, many of which were high-quality works.

There were even some Horror Games that had managed to scare him.

If he were to recreate these terrifying games in this world, given the primitive state of horror here, he would surely reap a constant stream of Fear Points.

The fundamental reason this parallel world's horror scene was so backward was a complete lack of creativity and technique; over time, no one had been willing to dig any deeper.

Since that was the case—

With such a perfect, untapped market, wouldn't it be a disservice to this system if he didn't enter it?

It was just a pity that the Demo, art assets, and original soundtrack were only included in the Newbie Gift Pack; any games purchased with Fear Points in the future would not come with these three components.

However, what he hadn't expected was that the first horror game provided by the Newbie Gift Pack would actually be "Dark Forest"!

As a game developer in his original world, he had naturally heard of this game, played it, and even cleared it.

Regarding this, Meng Shu's assessment of "Dark Forest" was:

A small-scale production capable of making one experience "top-tier oppression" and "shuddering terror."

New author, new book, seeking support!