Heated Discussion

Inside the Modu Game Department.

Unlike in his previous life, the various entertainment industries in the Parallel World were not governed by a single central department.

Instead, they were divided into a number of different departments.

The Game Department was naturally responsible for matters related to games.

Domestic publishers licensing overseas games and the review of domestic games.

As well as games that had passed domestic review and been released locally but were intended for overseas export—those all had to be reviewed by the Game Department.

Likewise, unlike the blanket bans of his previous life, the Parallel World had a detailed rating system for game reviews.

Of course, that was mainly because some technologies in the Parallel World were more advanced. At the very least, real-name verification for games had been fully implemented.

Minors could forget about looking at boobs. They definitely would not be able to find any.

It was precisely because of this that the review regulations were more relaxed than in his previous life.

Of course, if someone insisted on making porn, that still would not fly.

Just like Magic Mirror, Chen Xu's first game—it could only be exported and then imported back through overseas channels.

It was considered a gray-area business. It was not supported, but neither was it directly shut down.

In addition, the Game Department provided its self-developed game engine to the public.

It was more or less like Unreal Engine from his previous life.

Except one was commercial, while the other was state-owned.

And their technology was not even on the same level.

At that moment, leaders and judges at the Modu Game Department responsible for this Sci-Fi Game Development Competition were holding a meeting to discuss the relevant matters.

Unlike ordinary players, these judges basically had to play every game. Their scores were based on summaries from the lower-level review staff, along with their own assessments of each game's content.

After all, with so many games and so little time, playing through every story from beginning to end was simply unrealistic.

At the same time, considering that players had expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the games selected in previous years, they had decided to combine player votes with official scoring this time.

After all, the purpose of the Game Department's competition was to better guide the domestic gaming market.

And the gaming market was decided by players.

What was the point of officially selecting suitable games if players did not like them? How could that guide the market?

"Let's begin by voting on the First Prize. Everyone, explain your choice one at a time," said the lead judge seated at the head of the table.

"NetDragon Games. Galaxy Heroes, developed by designer Meng Zuo, has some flaws in its story presentation and numerical design, but its Level Design pacing is exceptionally strong," the first judge said as everyone began giving their opinions.

"Nebula Games. To the Moon, developed by designer Chen Xu, does not have much to say for itself in terms of gameplay, but its use of reverse chronology gives it nearly perfect pacing."

"I agree. Although Chen Xu's game is different from Undertale and does not showcase any particularly stunning systems or mechanics, its pure story alone is powerful enough to be deeply moving."

"Galaxy Heroes is indeed excellent, but To the Moon is also outstanding. Personally, though, I feel that most ordinary game designers would not have the resources to create something like Galaxy Heroes, whereas To the Moon is different. For that reason, I am more inclined to choose To the Moon."

"While I acknowledge that this game is excellent, can To the Moon really be called a sci-fi game? At its core, doesn't it seem to be about love?"

"Strictly speaking, To the Moon is not a sci-fi game. But if we apply that standard, more than forty percent of the entries in this competition would not count as sci-fi either."

"I have my reservations. I still favor Galaxy Heroes."

The lead game judges for the event fell into a fierce debate over the selections.

At the same time, countless players online had already begun trying out and experiencing the various competing games.

In terms of early game promotional buzz, quite a few of the participating games had received promotion.

But the one drawing the most attention was still Chen Xu.

After all, the hype around Undertale had not fully died down yet. Then Zhong Mei, who had previously played dead, popped back up, only to be utterly crushed by Chen Xu.

In terms of publicity, Chen Xu had completely seized the momentum.

That led many players to try To the Moon as soon as possible.

Across forums and player chat groups, people were already passionately recommending and discussing it.

"I strongly recommend everyone try Chen Xu's new entry, To the Moon. It moved me to tears!"

"Come on, bro upstairs, was that really necessary? Moved you to tears? Isn't this just a game Chen Xu made in a little over ten days?"

"So what if he made it in a little over ten days? If it's good enough, then it's damn good! And the story is genuinely moving. Once you've played it, you'll understand what it means for a tough guy to cry."

"Damn it, seeing you guys talk about it is making me tear up again!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Why not try it yourself and find out? This game made me realize my tear threshold is actually this low!"

"It's that good? Holy shit, I'm going to buy it and give it a try."

"Who are you all voting for? I've decided on To the Moon. Nothing anyone says will change my mind!"

"Same. I've decided to vote for To the Moon too!"

"Although it moved me too, I don't think To the Moon counts as a sci-fi game, does it?"

"Why should I care whether it counts as sci-fi? I'm voting for it anyway!"

The players who had tried To the Moon right away all voted for the game without hesitation.

As for whether it did not strictly count as a sci-fi game?

After experiencing that moving story, hardly any players cared.

Why should they care so much about whether it was a sci-fi game?

If they thought the game was excellent and felt it had moved them, then voting for it was all that mattered.

Whether it qualified or not was for the officials to determine.

Very soon, the three-day sales figures for this batch of competing games were released.

To the Moon stood head and shoulders above the rest with 193,000 sales, while the second-place Galaxy Heroes had 87,000 sales.

That figure was already quite astonishing.

However, there were mainly two reasons why To the Moon had pulled so far ahead in sales.

First, To the Moon was a dual-platform game, available on both mobile and PC, giving it a broader player base.

Second, To the Moon cost only fifteen yuan.

Galaxy Heroes, on the other hand, cost sixty-five yuan.

Of course, To the Moon's low price was also related to the game's length.

After all, from beginning to end, the entire game lasted only a little over four hours.

Still, the lower price had a major impact on sales.

Thanks to 'L_ys' and 'agxusvswh' for the 1,500 yuan tips.