The Stanley Parable

After confirming that he accepted the system.

A crude panel appeared before Wang Chuan.

"Just as expected, every transmigrator comes with a system."

After staring blankly for a moment, Wang Chuan began examining it.

It was a virtual screen that no one but him could see.

Well, he had verified that using his tool of a deskmate.

The panel's contents were very simple, consisting of only four sections.

The first section was Fan Points.

Based on the system's description, Wang Chuan learned where Fan Points came from.

Whenever he created a game, he could earn a certain number of Fan Points based on the satisfaction players gained from experiencing it.

That satisfaction could come from being moved, angered, or delighted. As long as they sincerely acknowledged the game in the end, it counted.

As for what Fan Points were used for, he had to look at the next section.

The second section was the Big Wheel.

Everyone knew what a Big Wheel was for: drawing prizes.

According to the system's information, Wang Chuan also learned that the Big Wheel required ten thousand Fan Points for a single spin.

Although he did not yet know the exact odds, he instinctively felt that this Big Wheel was a scam.

The third section was even more familiar, called the Quest Board.

The standard quest template every transmigrator needed, though it currently had only two quests.

One Main Quest and one Side Quest.

Main Quest: Become the God of Games!

Quest Reward: One wish granted. (No time limit, no penalty for failure.)

Side Quest: Become an official Game Producer within one month.

Quest Reward: Five to ten Big Wheel spins. (No penalty for failure.)

Become the God of Games?

Wang Chuan had some guesses, but there was no time limit or punishment, so there was no rush.

Become an official Game Producer within one month?

That was something he needed to complete as soon as possible.

Not only to finish the quest, but also to fulfill his dream.

That was right, Wang Chuan had a dream. Bringing the classics from his previous life into this world was his dream.

However, he still needed to carefully consider exactly how to proceed.

There were three ways to become an official Game Producer.

The first was to win the Game Producer Competition, which would earn him official rewards and certification.

Another way was to join a well-known game company in the industry and work diligently for several years.

Then he could apply for the company's assessment and become an official Game Producer.

The final option was making indie games. If the first two paths had entry barriers, then this one was open to anyone.

It was just that the requirements were rather insane. The game had to be published exclusively through official channels, with the certification option enabled.

Then the certified game had to reach first place on the new games chart and achieve ten thousand sales.

In other words, it had to rank first, and ten thousand people had to pay for it. Refunds did not count.

"Hmm, competing and making indie games are my only options. Joining a company isn't very realistic."

After stroking his chin and thinking for a while, Wang Chuan gave up on it.

There was still one section left to inspect.

The last one was the Item Board.

As Wang Chuan expected, there was a Newbie Gift Pack inside.

Needless to say, it was an essential item for every transmigrator.

Using his mind, he clicked on the Newbie Gift Pack among the items.

After a flash of white light, the Newbie Gift Pack opened.

Its contents disappointed Wang Chuan somewhat. There were only two cards and nothing else.

"Let's see what these two cards are first. The system wouldn't screw me over... right?"

Clinging to a shred of hope, Wang Chuan clicked on the cards.

The next second, the cards' information appeared on the panel.

Strange Association Device: Use this item on a game, and anyone who experiences that game will have a chance of forming strange associations.

Memory Searcher: Got a question? Ask Baidu. Want to remember something? Ask the Searcher.

Holy shit, wasn't this thing way too overpowered?!

After reading the item descriptions, Wang Chuan was instantly stunned.

But it was the good kind of stunned.

Putting everything else aside, this Memory Searcher was truly absurd.

It allowed him to freely search through his memories, just like searching for keywords on Baidu.

After all, he was a proper gaming nerd who had played most games.

But playing games and actually making them were completely different things.

With this Memory Searcher, however, he could perfectly recreate every detail of a game within his mind.

If he still could not make a good game with this, then he would... ahem, never mind. No poisonous oath.

As for the other Strange Association Device, Wang Chuan was a little baffled.

It had a certain chance of making people who played the game form strange associations?

The first thing he thought of was horror games, because that genre suited this item best.

Mm, it would definitely scare people to death.

But games like that clearly did not fit his situation, so perhaps he needed to think about it from another angle.

Eh? The associations it created did not necessarily have to be limited to horror!

At that thought, Wang Chuan's eyes lit up.

After changing his posture, he felt ideas flooding into his mind without end.

Setting aside anything his current funds could not handle.

Only one type suited him best: a "Meta Game!" Or, in other words, a "META game!"

Simply put, this kind of game created a connection between the content within the game and the player.

For example, when you were playing a game, controlling the character and making choices, you thought you were the one in control.

Then suddenly, the game character turned around, stared coldly at you, and said, "Stop interfering so much in my life!"

That created the sensation of breaking through the fourth wall. That was the META element.

It made players feel as though they were being toyed with, as if everything that happened in the game truly existed.

That was also the unique charm of Meta Games.

There had been many representative Meta Games in his previous life.

There was The Stanley Parable, which focused on exploring the Narrator; Icey, which combined META and ACT; Undertale, which fully brought out META's characteristics; and so on.

Here, ACT referred to move systems, monster design, and the like. Simply put, fighting monsters.

Wang Chuan carefully recalled the contents of those games and compared them against one another.

He had already decided to make a Meta Game, because it would allow him to make the greatest possible use of his cheat.

But he needed to carefully consider which game to choose.

"Ah, right. How much money do I have on me again?"

Suddenly, Wang Chuan thought of a fatal problem. Making games cost money—how much did he have left?

He checked his phone: Your balance is 31,241.11 yuan.

Well then, he only had a little over thirty thousand left. There was no need to hesitate anymore.

"Then it's decided. The Stanley Parable."

That was settled. After seeing how much money he had, Wang Chuan decisively set his sights on The Stanley Parable.