Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 504: Back to a Familiar Place
Pei Qian nodded.
"All right, Teacher He. Let's begin."
He An's expression softened slightly.
"Good. That's the attitude a student should have."
"What we're covering today is actually part of the fundamental theory of game design."
"The core concept is alignment."
"What I mean by 'alignment' is matching different design philosophies and game genres to different target audiences, while also choosing the appropriate marketing strategy."
"In short, every aspect of a game has to work in harmony."
"If even one part is misaligned, the game could very well fail spectacularly. It's not something you can afford to be careless about."
Pei Qian: "?"
A single mismatch can cause a game to flop?
Then why did every one of my games become huge hits?
So you're saying I somehow perfectly avoided every wrong answer?
The corner of Pei Qian's mouth twitched.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Teacher He was repeatedly reopening his old wounds.
Completely oblivious to the subtle changes in "Ma Yang's" expression, He An continued,
"In this regard, several of Tengda Group's games can be considered textbook examples."
"Lonely Desert Road, as a low-budget game, was promoted through content creators making humorous complaint videos."
"Game Producer was a meta-game that broke the fourth wall, so it was marketed through a large-scale piece of performance art."
"BE QUIET, a game with complex rules that demanded patience, was promoted through a massive multiplayer ARG. At the same time, the campaign also successfully filtered the player base and helped cultivate a healthier community."
The teaching materials He An had prepared were incredibly detailed.
As he discussed each game, he carefully analyzed its characteristics while explaining how its marketing strategy had gradually created waves of discussion, formed viral talking points, and ultimately sparked widespread attention across the internet.
Pei Qian was forced to relive all of his past failures once again.
Rubbing salt into the wound...
Unfortunately, this was a genuine one-on-one lesson.
If it had been a lecture, he could have dozed off or played with his phone and no one would have cared.
But sitting face-to-face with He An, even the slightest lapse in attention would be immediately noticed.
What if President He got angry and simply walked out?
So Pei Qian had no choice but to listen carefully.
He treated it like reviewing a notebook filled with past mistakes.
Nearly two hours passed as He An analyzed several case studies.
From the perspectives of genre, target audience, gameplay characteristics, and marketing strategy, he comprehensively dissected Pei Qian's previous "failures."
At the same time, he comprehensively reopened every emotional wound Pei Qian had.
Seeing that President He had finally paused to sip his coffee, signaling the end of that section, Pei Qian hurriedly seized the opportunity to ask a question.
"Teacher He, based on what you've just explained... can I conclude that if a game's marketing is misaligned, then the project is guaranteed to fail?"
Putting down his coffee, He An nodded.
"Nothing is absolute."
"But at the very least, the probability of failure becomes extremely high."
"It's similar to why consumers despise products that rely on false advertising."
"However, because China's game market is still relatively immature, some low-quality, pay-to-win games that profit by provoking players actually benefit from deceptive advertising."
"For those games, getting players through the door matters more than anything else."
"So misleading advertising actually increases their revenue. Even if only a small percentage of those tricked players stay, as long as they're heavy spenders, the strategy pays off."
"But for premium single-player games that rely on quality to succeed… False advertising is a minefield."
"Step on it, and you'll either die... or be crippled."
Pei Qian's eyes lit up.
Die... or be crippled?
Teacher He was someone who chose his words very carefully.
The fact that he used such strong language was enough to show just how disastrous the consequences could be.
Pei Qian couldn't help smiling to himself.
So I did learn something useful after all!
Struggle is currently in development.
If I can properly apply what I've learned today... maybe I can finally fulfill the game development department's long-cherished dream of losing money!
...
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
He An packed away his teaching materials.
"All right, that's enough for today. I've covered everything I planned to teach."
"Keep your copy of the materials."
"When you get home, review these successful case studies regularly. Over time, your skills will naturally improve."
"That's what it means to review the old to gain new understanding."
Pei Qian: "..."
So I have to keep revisiting these memories of being stabbed in the back?
Isn't that a little cruel?
Forget it.
I'll just treat it as homework—like regularly reviewing a notebook of past mistakes.
Seeing that He An had packed everything and was about to leave, Pei Qian quickly spoke up.
"Teacher He... I have one more question."
"Teacher He, you've already covered several Tengda Group game case studies in today's lesson. Surely next time we won't still be..."
He An's face darkened.
"President Ma, your eagerness to learn is commendable, but this habit of being picky about what you study is unacceptable!"
"You need to trust me. I will choose the teaching methods best suited to your abilities and current level."
"As for exactly what I'll be teaching, you'll find out when the time comes."
"Don't ask so many questions."
Pei Qian: "...Understood."
After seeing He An off, Pei Qian couldn't help feeling depressed.
Don't tell me every future lesson is going to use Tengda Group case studies to explain the fundamentals of game design…?
That would be unbearable.
Sure, he could absorb some useful ideas by deliberately doing the opposite of what the materials recommended...
But that was still an extra step.
Why couldn't I just study failures from the beginning?
Pei Qian genuinely wanted to hear He An talk about failed projects.
But He An firmly believed those lessons would do more harm than good, so he refused to discuss them under any circumstances.
Now what am I supposed to do?
After thinking for a moment, Pei Qian remembered that there was still several hundred thousand yuan left in the training budget.
Since the money had to be spent anyway...
Why not hire another instructor?
One who specialized in teaching failed case studies.
Learn experience from failure...
Learn lessons from success...
Studying from both directions should produce even better results, right?
The system had previously suggested that, although the budget was generous, he should only study one subject, since trying to learn too much at once would likely result in failing all of the system's evaluations.
But...
It had never said he couldn't hire two teachers for the same subject, had it?
The more Pei Qian thought about it, the more reasonable the idea seemed.
He immediately called Assistant Xin and explained his new request.
This time, instead of looking for another legendary designer like He An, he wanted someone who was reasonably well-known and competent, but who also had plenty of failed projects.
If they had ever produced a game that lost an absolute fortune, even better.
On the other end of the line, Assistant Xin didn't ask any unnecessary questions as usual.
She simply replied that this type of designer would actually be harder to find than someone like He An and that it would probably take about two days.
After all, there were only a handful of veteran designers with He An's level of prestige and successful projects. She could simply contact them one by one.
Finding someone who had enough recognition to be worth learning from, while also having a long history of failed projects that could actually be verified, was considerably more difficult.
Pei Qian wasn't in a hurry.
Two days was perfectly acceptable.
Just as he finished packing up and was preparing to head home, his phone rang.
It was Zhang Yuan.
After a moment's thought, Pei Qian guessed it was probably about the DGE esports club and that Zhang Yuan was calling to report the progress.
"President Pei," Zhang Yuan said over the phone, "I'd like to give you an update. We've finalized the club's location, recruited our first batch of players, and all the computers we ordered from ROF Assembly have arrived. They're top-of-the-line machines, and President Ma is very satisfied."
Pei Qian wasn't particularly interested.
These were all matters that had already been decided. There wasn't much to report.
Besides, it was impossible to understand the actual situation over the phone.
He would still need to find some time to visit the place personally before he could feel at ease.
So he casually asked,
"So... where exactly is the club located?"
"Oh, President Pei."
As Zhang Yuan spoke, there was a hint of a smile in his voice.
"This is actually a place we're all very familiar with. We used to go there all the time."
"It's Mingyun Villa."
Pei Qian: "?"
Mingyun Villa?
The moment he heard that familiar name, Pei Qian instinctively became nervous.
There are so many villa districts in Jingzhou...
Why did it have to be this one?
Somewhat proudly, Zhang Yuan continued,
"President Pei, I followed your instructions to the letter!"
"You said we shouldn't cut corners on the venue—that it had to be impressive, preferably an entire villa."
"So I surveyed all the villa communities in Jingzhou."
"After searching everywhere, I realized that the land at Mingyun Villa was the most expensive!"
"Ah, I still remember when you first took a liking to Mingyun Villa. Back then, nobody cared about the place."
"But now, it's a completely different story."
"And Mingyun Villa is definitely going to become Jingzhou's next major commercial district. The area is getting more prosperous by the day."
"I figured an esports club shouldn't be located right in the city center. It's too noisy and not ideal for focused practice."
"But it also shouldn't be too remote, where supporting facilities are lacking and everything becomes inconvenient."
"Besides, I worked at Moyu Internet Café – Mingyun Villa Branch for quite some time before."
"So I'm already very familiar with the neighborhood."
"Taking everything into consideration, Mingyun Villa is the best choice!"
"Besides, Moyu Internet Café can even deliver meals to us."
Pei Qian: "..."
You make such a convincing argument that I can't even refute it.
Judging by Zhang Yuan's explanation, Mingyun Villa really did seem like an excellent location.
Although it had some connection to Mingyun Private Kitchen, surely an esports club and a high-end private restaurant couldn't somehow team up to stab him in the back again?
Those two businesses had absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Besides, ever since Mingyun Private Kitchen had become wildly popular, the entire Mingyun Villa area had turned into the so-called "gathering place for Jingzhou's elite." Property prices had been rising steadily ever since.
Renting a villa there definitely wouldn't be cheap.
Spending a little more money wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Pei Qian nodded.
"All right. Even if the villas here cost a bit more than elsewhere, I'm sure they're worth every penny."
Zhang Yuan coughed lightly, unable to hide the pride in his voice.
"President Pei, the best part is that it's actually cheaper than anywhere else!"
Pei Qian froze.
"What? Why?"
Zhang Yuan continued proudly,
"After deciding on Mingyun Villa, I personally went over there to meet Manager Lin Canrong, and then I spoke with Manager Cui."
"I told them you wanted to rent a villa here for an esports club."
"Manager Cui was absolutely delighted. He said that since it was one of President Pei's businesses, they had to support it with everything they had!"
"Although an esports club doesn't really bring much value to Mingyun Villa itself, they still remember everything you've done for them."
"However, nearly all the villas in Mingyun Villa have already been sold."
"So Manager Cui helped us contact owners who had purchased multiple properties to see if anyone would be willing to rent one out."
"And President Pei..."
"Guess what happened?"
Pei Qian desperately wanted to say,
I don't want to guess!
But in the end, with the corner of his mouth twitching, he replied,
"Don't tell me... someone I know happened to own one and was willing to rent it out at a discount?"
"Exactly!"
Zhang Yuan sounded thrilled.
"President Li from Fu Hui Capital—you remember him, right?"
"The one who used to compete against you when Moyu Internet Café first opened, but eventually became completely convinced by your wisdom?"
Pei Qian: "..."
How could I forget?
Even now he's still stuck to me like glue!
Zhang Yuan continued,
"Long before Mingyun Private Kitchen became popular, President Li had already begun investing in the area."
"He opened bars, cafés, and several other businesses nearby."
"Later, he foresaw that Mingyun Private Kitchen was about to become a huge success, so he immediately bought three villas in one go!"
"One of those villas had already been luxuriously renovated but had been sitting vacant the whole time."
"The moment he heard that you wanted to use it, President Li offered it without hesitation."
"He even said we wouldn't have to pay any rent."
Pei Qian blurted out, "Absolutely not!"
Zhang Yuan quickly agreed.
"Exactly, President Pei! That's what I said too."
"I knew you would never take advantage of someone like that."
"But President Li insisted."
"I argued with him as hard as I could."
"In the end, we could only settle on a friends-and-family price."
"Manager Cui also said that, since it's one of your businesses, the esports club will receive the same preferential treatment as Mingyun Private Kitchen."
"Permanent exemption from property management fees."
"Permanent exemption from cleaning fees."
"Utilities at half price forever."
"Dedicated parking spaces."
"And even a gardener to maintain the backyard."
"I felt it would be rude to keep refusing everyone's kindness, so... I accepted."
Pei Qian fell silent.
A long while later, he finally spoke.
"Send me the address."
"I'll go there tomorrow."