Chapter 39 The Truth Behind “Struggle”

At the same time, Internet Cafe "Touching Fish," Hando University Branch.

Pei Qian silently scrolled through He An's long Weibo post, along with the player comments below, stunned and dumbfounded.

"So that's how it is! Got it, got it!"

"I knew something felt strange about this game when it first came out, now it all makes sense!"

"Has President Pei's game design reached this level? It takes a titan of the national game industry to decipher it?"

"Before, I actually believed the official Weibo post, thinking that *Struggle* was a highly condensed version of reality, a mirror reflecting truths for everyone. But after reading the grandmaster's interpretation, I realized I was only on the first level, and *Struggle* actually has a second, third, and fourth!"

"Heh, President Pei, you old multilayered cake."

"Tengda Games is terrifying. *A Change of Heart* only broke the fourth wall once, but *Struggle* breaks it countless times, endlessly. Is the fourth wall okay?"

Among the many comments, one long review received the most likes.

"What touches me most is the spirit contained in *Struggle*, the interpretation of 'struggle' itself, which is both subversive and, on a higher level, subtly aligned with those fundamental theories, just like those theories."

"According to the grandmaster's interpretation, on the surface, *Struggle* completely violates all the basic theories, but upon closer analysis, it is found that this game actually elevates all the basic theories, subtly aligning with them on a higher level."

"The concept of 'struggle' is the same. In fact, the main content of the game is all about deconstructing struggle, constantly telling us that the rich struggle in the clouds, while the poor struggle in the mud. The rich telling the poor that they can climb to the clouds through struggle is a lie; the poor telling their children that hard work can change their lives is also a well-intentioned lie."

"This game ruthlessly punctures this lie, causing many deceived people to suddenly wake up."

"On the surface, this game seems to deny the impact of struggle on life, as if saying that the rich are in the clouds, the poor are in the mud, and no matter how hard you struggle, you can't change this difference between heaven and earth."

"But in fact, through the 'consumerism' part, we can compare it with reality and realize that in reality, we can still change our lives through struggle."

"This struggle is not a specific behavior, but a state of mind, a choice. When we have not sunk to the bottom of the mud, never to rise again, we strive to find all opportunities to live better and create greater value. This is struggle."

"So even if our struggle cannot reach the clouds, we must not lose hope in life, because life is about making the right choices one by one, and giving up is never the right option."

Below this long review, many people shared their own stories.

"This reminds me of the saying: We step onto a stage we did not choose, and perform a script we did not choose. Perhaps this script is painful, but as long as we perform it well, there will be brilliance even in the pain."

"I reflect. My parents gave me excellent living conditions and forced me to work hard. I saw many poor people being free and undisciplined, and thought that their laziness caused their poverty. But now I know I was wrong, because not everyone has my conditions. I bought both the Poor Version and the Rich Version, hoping that this game can constantly remind me not to make the same mistakes as the rich protagonist."

"Indeed, I think both the Poor Version and the Rich Version are striving to make the poor and the rich more aware of each other's situations. Let the poor not admire the rich, so that they will not be deceived by the rich's rhetoric; let the rich look down at the poor, so that they can put away their arrogance."

"This game builds a bridge between the poor and the rich. Maybe these two groups will never be able to understand each other, but at least this bridge exists and makes its voice heard. This is meaningful."

"So the best way is not to buy the Poor Version or the Rich Version, but to buy both! Seeing your own life can elicit empathy and trigger reflection; seeing other people's lives can help you understand the blind spots in your vision. Playing the Poor Version and the Rich Version together allows you to understand the true meaning of this game!"

"So that's why buying both versions together is more expensive? I understand, I'll buy it. I'm willing to spend the extra thirty yuan!"

"To be able to make players willingly add money to buy the game, and feel good about it, is truly a pricing genius!"

"You can also not buy it and watch a playthrough online."

"Brother, listen to me, you can indeed watch a playthrough online, but you will never experience the emotions that the game brings you. Why is gaming called the ninth art? Because it is interactive! When you watch a playthrough, you are just an observer, unable to make your own decisions. What kind of interaction is that?"

"Everyone can have their own choice, whether they don't pay attention, watch a playthrough online, only buy the Rich Version, or buy both versions... I think President Pei doesn't really care. *Struggle* has sparked widespread discussion online, breaking through the circle, and attracting attention from people who don't even play games. As an interactive movie game, its mission has been perfectly accomplished."

"However, I still think that those who are capable and truly love domestic single-player games should buy both versions for their collection. After all, being able to play such a game is a blessing in itself!"

...

After reading these comments, Pei Qian silently closed his laptop.

Crazy, this world is crazy!

Pei Qian thought he had exhausted all his efforts to seal away Qiao Old Shi and could confidently wait for *Struggle* to lose money.

Never would he have imagined that He An would jump out!

Moreover, that official Weibo post gave He An some inspiration, allowing him to find the perfect spot for a backstab and hit the mark in one go!

Pei Qian was dumbfounded after reading He An's analysis.

He An said that any creator projects their own thoughts when creating something.

But Pei Qian wanted to say that he didn't project anything!

He decided to do this entirely because he thought players would hate it!

As for "violating all four game design theories," Pei Qian did it on purpose!

After He An explained the four theories, Pei Qian deliberately went against them. But Teacher He, you were the one giving the lecture, and you were also the one who marked my wrong answers as completely correct. Can you be consistent!

I just want to know how to successfully make a game fail!

I did everything according to failure, and you're telling me that I just went around in a circle, so it's still a success?

This is outrageous!

So outrageous!

Pei Qian was angry. This blame should clearly be placed on Teacher He!

The theories you taught me clearly had huge loopholes, otherwise, why didn't I lose money even when I operated in reverse according to your theories?

What's even more infuriating is that He An also posted a long Weibo post, playing the role of Qiao Old Shi!

I thought that you, as a veteran of the national game industry, would have insightful opinions when you spoke on Weibo, but I didn't expect you to say such vulgar words!

Sad, so sad!

Pei Qian refused to accept it and insisted on getting justice!

Seeing that Friday was just around the corner, and He An would be coming to Jingzhou to teach again, he had to make it clear in this final class why the theories you taught me were useless! All wrong!

...

...

September 9th, Friday.

Pei Qian arrived at a coffee shop near Hando University, fuming.

Since its release on September 3rd, the online reviews for *Struggle* had undergone two major reversals. In the end, the score on the official platform had settled at 9.5 points, and the score on the tpdb website had reached 9.3 points.

Pei Qian couldn't bear to look at this score!

It even surpassed *A Change of Heart*.

*A Change of Heart* had a very low score at the beginning, but as time went on, the score had been slowly increasing, and now it had risen to 9.2 points.

But *Struggle*, which President Pei had high hopes for, had surpassed the score of *A Change of Heart* in just one week, which made him feel very outrageous!

Of course, no matter how good a game is, it cannot satisfy everyone.

The content that players interpreted certainly couldn't suit everyone either. Some people might be tired of struggling and want to rest, feeling that struggle is meaningless. They certainly wouldn't accept the ideas in this game, and might even give it a one-star review.

But there's no way to change that, because there's no work in the world that can satisfy everyone. As He An said, the key is to see what it encourages and what it rejects.

Not encouraging positivity is encouraging self-abandonment. Obviously, the latter should not be encouraged under any circumstances.

Constantly spreading negative energy can indeed gain attention and profit by provoking the negative emotions of some people, but everyone should clearly recognize that this is wrong.

Negative energy cannot improve people's lives.

The sales of *Struggle* don't seem too exaggerated at the moment. If the time is extended to a year, it should only make a small profit. Now that there is less than a month left until the settlement, it doesn't seem possible to earn back the game's investment.

This can be considered a stroke of good luck in misfortune.

It can be seen that the game production model that Pei Qian initially set, with high investment, meticulous production, and easy to leech off of, still had the desired effect.

But no matter what, President Pei felt wronged!

Originally, he hoped to gain neither fame nor profit, but now he really didn't gain much profit, but he gained too much fame!

*Struggle* had successfully broken through the circle. Not only were players paying attention, but many people who didn't play games were also paying attention. There were a large number of *Struggle* playthrough videos on Erie Island, and the discussion was very active.

The thing Pei Qian wanted to do most now was to question Teacher He An.

You said that violating all four rules would definitely lead to failure? Then what's going on with me?

Is there something wrong with what you taught?

Pei Qian drank his coffee angrily. Soon, He An arrived.

"Teacher He, about *Struggle*..."

Pei Qian was about to say why everything you taught doesn't match up, but He An laughed and interrupted Pei Qian.

"President Ma, I know what you want to say!"

Pei Qian: "?"

He An sat down opposite Pei Qian: "Did you tell President Pei all the basic theories I taught you?"

A question mark floated above Pei Qian's head.

?

Did I tell myself?

Pei Qian said somewhat blankly: "Why would you say that?"

He An smiled slightly: "Isn't it obvious? How could *Struggle* coincidentally violate all four of the basic principles I taught? Am I telepathic with President Pei? Obviously not!"

"President Ma, you must have mentioned this to President Pei unintentionally, and President Pei happened to use *Struggle* to show off his skills!"

"Why do I say it's showing off his skills?"

"Because only game developers can see the secrets in it, players can't see it at all!"

"President Pei deliberately used this game to break all four principles, and then subtly aligned with these four theories on a higher level, which is equivalent to writing a textbook by the way."

"President Pei must know that President Ma, you are learning about this, so he used this game to provide a reference and help for your learning!"

"Before, I judged that you and President Pei must be close friends, talking about everything. Now I am even more certain of this. Judging from the development time of President Pei's game, it shouldn't be specifically made for your teaching, but many of the details must have been adjusted for your teaching!"

"I have to say, President Ma, your friendship with President Pei is really enviable."

"President Ma, can you arrange a time for me to meet President Pei? I really want to meet such an excellent producer!"

Pei Qian was stunned by He An's words, and he couldn't say a word of the remarks he had prepared.

Where are our two brainwaves going!

I'm talking about the bumper, and you're talking about the tail!

He An analyzed so much, and really analyzed Ma Yang's personality characteristics, including the relationship between the two, except for the fact that Ma Yang is Pei Qian.

This made him feel very hopeless!

Because the more He An analyzed, the more he felt that he was approaching the truth, and the impression in his mind was constantly strengthened.

Pei Qian found that after he took on Ma Yang's identity, a series of misunderstandings inexplicably arose, which was completely inexplicable!

Now He An believed that he was Ma Yang. If he told him that he was actually President Pei, wouldn't the old man faint on the spot?

Therefore, Pei Qian, who was originally angry and had a lot to say, could only swallow it silently.

There was nothing he could do, he was wearing a disguise to begin with...

Forget it, for the sake of the old man's age, let it pass.

Pei Qian was just about to say let's start the class, when he suddenly noticed that He An didn't have the prepared textbooks in his hand.

He instantly felt something was wrong.

"Uh... Teacher He, today's lesson, wouldn't it be about *Struggle*?"

He An smiled on his face: "Okay, President Ma, you're getting more and more insightful! You also think that it's most appropriate to talk about *Struggle* today, right?"

"Such a textbook-like game, used to conclude our course, while reviewing the previous knowledge and striving to integrate it, is clearly the most suitable teaching material!"

"Of course, President Ma, considering that I have already posted this article on Weibo, I have decided to offer this class for free! I will refund one class's tuition from the money you transferred to me to the company account where you transferred the money..."

Pei Qian was stunned for a moment.

Refund the tuition?

Don't mess around! I'm keeping this tuition to deduct the system's funds during the settlement. If you give me back two hundred thousand yuan, I will deduct eight times less during the settlement!

Are you trying to mess with me!

It's fine if you frantically interpret *Struggle* and post it online, but now you want to stab me again?

No way!

Pei Qian hurriedly and resolutely refused: "No! This money must not be returned! I will get anxious if you return it!"

He An was stunned for a moment. President Ma was so excited?

Well, respecting knowledge and being eager to learn is good.

He An nodded with satisfaction: "Well, good, President Ma, although your comprehension ability is not very good, you are sincere enough and your attitude towards learning is very upright."

"Okay, then I'll start the class!"

"First of all, let's start with President Pei's original intention in creating this game..."

Pei Qian silently took a sip of coffee, and suddenly felt that life was as lonely as snow.

How melancholy!