Thinking from the Cradle

The sunlight from outside streamed into the living room, its warm glow seemingly imbued with poetry.

Lin Feng sat on the sofa, observing the progress of his plans, when a maid entered with tea.

"Mr. Taylor, someone wishes to see you."

Hearing this, Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and he asked the maid, "A Wallbreaker?"

The maid shook her head and replied, "No, it's the CEO of SG Company, Knight William. He wishes to consult you on the development of space virtual games."

StarsGame, or SG for short, was a virtual game development company established a few months ago. Due to its heavily invested game CG, it currently held the top spot on the player anticipation list for virtual games.

This company seemed to have been specifically founded in response to Lin Feng's call for space-themed virtual game development, which was why Lin Feng had been paying close attention to it for some time.

Listening to the maid's report, Lin Feng pondered for a moment.

"Development suggestions..."

"Alright, I'll meet him. Let him in."

After all, they were responding to his plan. Lin Feng saw no reason to turn them away.

The maid left the room, and a moment later, SG's CEO, Knight William, entered with hurried steps.

"Hello, Mr. William. I'm honored by your visit."

"No, I should be the one thanking you for making time in your busy schedule."

As soon as they met, the two shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and sat down to talk.

"So, Mr. William, could you be more specific about the questions you wish to consult on?" Lin Feng asked.

William replied, "It's like this: I recently read about your concept of integrating games with education, and I'm very interested in applying your vision to game development."

"However, we've encountered difficulties in figuring out the specifics, which is why we've come to seek your advice."

Lin Feng nodded in understanding. His recently announced concept was indeed very challenging to implement.

The idea of combining games with knowledge education, where students learn while playing, was Lin Feng's vision for virtual world education.

However, merging games and education was incredibly difficult because knowledge was inherently dry. Some people would get dizzy just looking at a quadratic equation.

Lin Feng said, "As long as you follow the framework of 'one core and two principles' when developing your game, you'll naturally be able to apply my vision to its development."

"Core? Principles? Please, could you elaborate?" Knight William asked excitedly.

His true purpose for being here wasn't just to inquire about Lin Feng's vision. As a company, they certainly had their own think tanks. The main objective of this visit was to understand the framework for virtual games from Lin Feng.

Lin Feng was the future architect of virtual game rules, and he was known for being quite ruthless, capricious, and willful. If SG Company's painstakingly developed game failed to satisfy him, it would likely be shut down instantly.

If the game was shut down, the development costs would be irrecoverable, and all the invested money would be wasted.

"You need to understand that you are developing a game, not a learning program. The game merely has the function of imparting knowledge to players, so you must prioritize the game's fun factor first, and learning second. That is the core," Lin Feng stated.

If a game primarily focused on learning knowledge, its tediousness would significantly increase, and students would feel it wasn't a game for entertainment but rather an electronic version of homework.

In such a scenario, the concept of combining games and learning would collapse.

Therefore, learning knowledge should not be the main focus of the game; it should be driven by fun.

Lin Feng continued, "Players will unconsciously absorb knowledge as they play the game, turning it into common sense that they can apply flexibly."

"Knowledge that students learn in school, apart from exams and homework, often goes unused. This leads them to feel lost, unsure of how to apply what they've learned."

"For example, in chemistry, 'Copper does not react with nitrogen tetroxide at room temperature, but in the presence of nitromethane, acetonitrile, diethyl ether, or ethyl acetate, copper nitrate is formed.' Students memorize this, but can they use it? Can they distinguish between nitrogen tetroxide, nitromethane, acetonitrile, and diethyl ether? Even with copper, there's pure copper and copper compounds, which differ in appearance and color. Can students differentiate these?"

"If they learn but cannot use it, they will feel it's useless. However, in reality, if students were to conduct experiments hands-on, it would consume a massive amount of resources daily, making educational costs excessively high. Furthermore, it involves experimental dangers, and students' personal safety cannot be guaranteed."

"Virtual games can solve these problems. Not only are they safe, but they can also more concretely allow students to realize how to use the knowledge they've acquired."

Lin Feng recalled his own school days. It was precisely because he pondered these issues that he gradually slacked off in his studies. He learned things but couldn't use them, so what was the point of learning? Just to get a certificate?

Virtual games could be used to hone students' knowledge, enabling them to practically 'use' what they've learned. This alone was far superior to the tedious homework of real-world education.

"It is precisely because I agree with your ideas that I decided to incorporate this concept into the game. Your suggestions are very helpful to us, and we will focus on ensuring the game's fun factor. What then are the 'two principles'?" Knight William pressed.

At some point, Knight William had taken out his portable notebook and was meticulously recording Lin Feng's every word.

Lin Feng continued, "The game's physics engine must be as close to reality as possible at all times. This is the first principle. The game can be difficult in terms of content, but it must not be difficult for players to immerse themselves in terms of operation. This is the second principle."

The first principle is for education; a physics engine that doesn't adhere to reality would cause cognitive dissonance in students playing the game. The second principle is for the game's fun factor. True players never fear game difficulty, but rather operational complexity, as overly complicated controls can prevent players from immersing themselves in the game.

Of course, there were other more complex issues to resolve, such as some players preferring to play solo and others preferring team play.

However, these were not Lin Feng's concerns but those of the game developers. He only needed to provide a framework, and the rest would follow.

Knight William pondered for a moment and then asked, "Will players leave because the game is too difficult?"

Lin Feng smiled slightly and replied, "No. Ensuring the fun factor will prevent that. It's precisely the sufficiently complex content that makes it worthwhile for players to immerse themselves and play. If this can even directly impact their future career prospects, they will only play this game more actively. Who wouldn't want the opportunity to learn knowledge and earn money by playing a game?"

He paused for a moment, then his tone shifted to one of serious earnestness.

"Let me be clear: I absolutely prohibit reskinned cash-grab games. Regardless of the company or the people behind it, if anyone dares to produce such a game, I will eliminate them on sight."

Lin Feng's plan was to control and guide human thought. Adult minds were already solidified, making them very difficult to change. Students' minds were not yet solidified, making them easy to mold. It would only be a matter of time before students grew up, entered society, and the tide of human thought would shift.

It was for this purpose that Lin Feng was starting with virtual education.

In Lin Feng's plan, those reskinned cash-grab games were obstacles that needed to be removed because they would divert students' attention.