Be a Human, CEO Chen

On October 8th, after the National Day holiday, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and personnel from various departments were all summoned to Chen Xu's office.

"Before the holiday, I mentioned to everyone that next, we'll be developing a relatively large-scale project."

"It will involve quite a few action elements. Qin Yi, contact a motion capture studio later—we'll need a lot of material for this."

Chen Xu said to a young man around twenty-five or twenty-six, who was already starting to show signs of balding.

"No problem, CEO Chen." The young man called Qin Yi nodded.

Motion capture wasn't anything high-end or unattainable in either his past life or this parallel world.

Compared to manually adjusting animations, the advantages of motion capture were enormous.

Cost-effective, efficient, and natural.

If it weren't for the fact that setting up a mature motion capture studio required a significant amount of capital, Chen Xu would have wanted to establish one right away, since future game development would definitely require frequent production of relevant assets.

"Alright, everyone, first take a look at the game we're going to develop this time."

After a brief introduction, Chen Xu projected his laptop screen onto the wall fabric.

The initial design concept draft for "Outlast" had been rushed out over the past few days with the help of the Memory Capsule.

"A... horror game?" Yang Xin looked at Chen Xu with some surprise.

It wasn't just Yang Xin; Ruan Ningxue, Qin Yi, and the other new employees who had joined later were all a bit stunned.

Because this was a genre none of them had ever considered before.

They had thought about narrative-driven games like "To the Moon," META games like "Undertale," traditional RPGs, and so on.

But a horror game? That was completely unexpected.

After all, horror games were really in an awkward position.

And there was another crucial point: hadn't CEO Chen said before that he was a Warrior of Love?

How the hell did a horror game have anything to do with love!

Seeing everyone's expressions, Chen Xu could more or less guess what they were thinking.

Because this type of game was genuinely very difficult to make.

It could be said that horror games were a genre that truly tested production quality.

After all, if a horror game couldn't make players feel scared, it would most likely end up as a comedy game.

Plus, the market for horror games meant that big companies looked down on them, leaving only small and mid-sized companies to produce them.

Lacking financial support, most designers would resort to a common trick used in horror movies and games: the jump scare.

Simply put, a jump scare is like looking at a picture of a long-legged young lady swaying as she walks toward you.

Just when you're excited and ready to raise your gun and fire, she suddenly turns into a blood-faced, hideous old crone pressed right up against your face—that's the standard jump scare.

Although it might be considered cheesy, it's undeniable that in games that aim to terrify players, the jump scare technique is both classic and effective.

But jump scares are a double-edged sword. Used well, they create a masterpiece.

Used poorly, they ruin the game.

Truly excellent horror games actually often use jump scares, so it's a big misconception to say that any horror game using them is automatically bad.

A real horror game keeps players in a constant state of tension.

Because the scariest part of a horror game isn't being frightened—it's the uneasy feeling of not knowing when you'll be frightened.

Horror games can have jump scares, but they must never be overused. The core of a horror game—and its most difficult aspect—is how to use the jump scare technique to make players scare themselves during the gameplay.

In the office, Chen Xu explained the key points to everyone regarding "Outlast."

"Actually, it's a shame we don't have enough development time. Otherwise, I'd really like to take everyone on a field trip—find some abandoned hospital, set it up a bit, and give you all a deeper understanding." Chen Xu thought of something and said with a look of regret.

Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue stared at Chen Xu with wide eyes.

The others, like Qin Yi, silently lowered their heads.

"Don't worry, don't regret it. Next time we develop a horror game, I'll definitely take everyone along." Chen Xu said with a smile.

Everyone was speechless.

Who would regret something like that!

"Also, Zhang Yida, regarding the game's promotion, we need to pay attention to this. We'll have to create a trending topic around video and streaming platforms. Write up a plan for that." After a brief joke, Chen Xu turned to Zhang Yida from the marketing department.

Zhang Yida, who had been sitting there silently, nodded in response to Chen Xu's words. "Understood, CEO Chen."

Nebula Games now had some funds, so promotion naturally wouldn't be neglected.

Moreover, a good horror game inherently had great streaming potential. By leveraging streaming and video platforms, the buzz could spread and ferment quickly.

After all, many players didn't dare to play horror games themselves but loved watching others play.

And for many horror games, watching and playing were two completely different experiences.

There were also players who thought, "This horror game is nothing special," and then bought it to play themselves.

Although there's a high probability they'll be too scared to even play.

But this can still help spread the game's popularity.

These are all important.

In the past life, the "Outlast" series sold over 15 million copies, largely due to the rise of the livestreaming industry.

After a brief explanation, Chen Xu continued to break down the core elements of "Outlast" for everyone.

First, just like the game's name, the player takes on the role of an unarmed journalist. When faced with all kinds of terrifying scenes, there's only one choice: run.

Second, there's the game's camera mechanic. Unlike the traditional nuclear-powered flashlight that never runs out in other games, in "Outlast," the journalist's camera night vision is essential for navigating dark scenes.

And unlike a nuclear-powered flashlight, activating night vision mode consumes battery.

But the player's battery is limited, which creates a driving point.

Additionally, the game's plot and pacing were all dissected by Chen Xu for everyone, piece by piece.

"Mm, for the DV art and scene atmosphere, Ruan Ningxue, you need to pay attention. When it's late at night, turn off the lights at home and really experience it."

"I've also prepared the props. You can take them home and try them out."

As he spoke, Chen Xu picked up a handheld DV from his desk and placed it next to Ruan Ningxue.

Ruan Ningxue: ??????

Staring at the handheld DV in front of her, the smile on her face gradually faded.

Be human, CEO Chen!