"We're not qualified to presumptuously define what a game is; we're just exploring it," the old professor sighed. "Professor Zhou, you've only experienced it for a few minutes, so it's hard to grasp the essence of this work. You shouldn't jump to conclusions; that's arrogance."
He tapped twice on his terminal, and the big screen quickly displayed the data from the first test of Minecraft on campus.
Downloads: 1000 people, the download channel was overwhelmed as early as 2 a.m. today.
Average player online time: 4 hours.
The fact that these people were able to play for such a long time in just 36 hours shows that even people who are new to the game can easily become addicted.
This is on a weekday! These people are putting in almost all of their free time!
Many people played the game day and night, neglecting to eat or sleep. The game was uploaded for a total of 36 hours, and they played it for a total of 35 hours.
There's one last crucial metric: player feedback.
Positive feedback rate: 98%!
Even ignoring the overwhelming praise, just look at the few negative reviews and see what they say—
[Anonymous user: I keep thinking I'll play the game again in one more night, then I'll turn it off as soon as I find wheat seeds, then I'll dig a cave to make a house and then turn it off... and before I know it, it's dawn! It's addictive!]
[Anonymous User: Why aren't more downloads available?! Why?! My dad and brother took my computer and played on it all night, and I was so anxious watching them! Why can't I play? That's too much!]
[Anonymous user: Thumbs down! Why am I relegated to a coffin while Sisyphus built a paradise? This is clearly someone else's world!]
The real [illegible] cannot be found.
I've finished reading it, but there's nothing there.
Instead, glaringly positive reviews streamed across the screen like a flowing river.
"Perhaps the gods are playing a game."
"It's so funny, I cried, sob sob sob."
"Playing to the point of flow"
"I want to live in that world."
"Please, please make it available for download."
I'm speechless.
...
The undeniable facts are right before our eyes, and no one can refute these genuine and vivid player reviews.
Teacher Zhou took a step back and slumped into a chair.
He was wrong; he was too arrogant and conceited. It really is a good game.
Finally, the old professor offered some words of encouragement, saying, "Don't be discouraged by temporary setbacks. My friend, this game has a very bright future, so keep working hard!"
Mingyan smiled slightly and said, "Actually, I have a lot to learn, and I'm still far from perfect in many areas. For example, in terms of design concepts, I've only borrowed from the experience of predecessors..."
The remaining teachers' expressions suddenly turned very strange.
—Your design thinking is still far from perfect?
Ming said, "This work is considered poor. I think Teacher Zhou has his reasons for giving me 40 points..."
The teachers grading the papers: Hey! That's going too far!
Mingyan continued, "If I were to give myself a score, I'd say around 60 points, barely passing. Honestly, I think I could have done better, sigh."
He sighed with deep regret, the sound lingering in his ears.
The teachers who were grading the papers turned green with embarrassment.
—This work is barely passing! What about the rest of the students? Are they all going to fail, be sent back for review, and fail the whole course? Huh?!
The old professor patted Mingyan on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Yes, humility is a good thing. Young man, keep it up!"
Mingyan nodded humbly and said, "Yes, I will definitely learn from my teachers and classmates."
Teacher Zhou's face turned pale and then red. Finally, realizing he was too ashamed, he quickly lowered his head and buried it in his documents, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
Mingyan left the meeting room, where the old professor still had to write the final review report.
At this moment, Mingyan took out his silent mobile phone and discovered that many messages had been sent to him.
It turned out that it was almost dinnertime, and everyone in the class group was calling on each other to go to a five-star restaurant for dinner—Keli was indeed rich and powerful; he had booked the entire lobby, and almost all of the 40-plus classmates were there.
Mingyan was probably the last to arrive. He rented a shared electric scooter on the street and slowly floated over.
He arrived just in time; the food had just been served, and the young students had begun toasting each other.
With feigned familiarity, Kerry draped his arm over Mingyan's shoulder and said with a smile, "Come on, classmate, let's have a drink! Whether you graduate smoothly this year or not, whether you get your degree or not, we've been friends for four years after all! If you can't find a job in the future, just come to me. I'll always remember to save one of my four secretary positions for you!"
Everyone started to jeering, and one of his followers said sarcastically, "Wow, what great luck! Someone who failed their graduation project can still get into a big company like Vayela. Kerry, you're too kind!"
Kerry said, "Haha, who told me to be so disgusted by my classmate's miserable state!"
Mingyan shook his head and said, "Well, you're quite generous."
Kriri was taken aback by his reaction.
For some reason, feeling uncomfortable being stared at quietly by Mingyan, he suddenly turned his head away.