Chapter 79: Creating Joy with Heart

The next day, Bowie Jimenez arrived at the experience store on time.

She appeared to be a quiet young woman, probably around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Parker," Bowie said, extending her hand to shake Alex's.

"Let's find a quieter place," Alex suggested, leading her to his studio on the second floor.

As the two ascended the stairs, Amy Johnson, Paul Wilder, and the others looked towards the stairway.

"Who's that girl?" Paul asked.

Amy replied, "She seems to be a reporter from a gaming channel, here to interview the boss."

Paul was surprised. "Interviewing the boss? Wow, has the boss become that famous already?"

Everyone else chimed in, "Scary! Looks like the boss is getting famous!"

In the studio, Alex poured Bowie a glass of water, and they both sat down on the sofa.

Bowie said, "You must be very busy lately. Thank you for taking the time for this interview."

Alex shook his head. "Not busy at all, I'm actually on a break."

Bowie coughed lightly. "Uh, well, alright then."

Why is he so bad at conversing? Bowie thought, realizing that Alex's first response had already thrown her off.

Alex said, "No need to be nervous, it's just a casual chat."

Bowie was speechless. Who's interviewing whom here?

She thought for a moment. "Alright, let's start from... I Am MT. We know that this game has performed exceptionally well, with a first-month revenue of 23 million. You've also become well-known in the gaming industry because of it. Did you expect it to be this profitable when you first planned the game?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I knew."

Bowie: "???"

This is not how the script usually goes!

Generally, game designers would say they didn't expect such success due to the inherent uncertainties in the gaming industry. Nobody could be sure their game would be a hit.

But Alex just outright claimed he knew I Am MT would be this profitable?

Is he boasting?

The first question was already a major hurdle. Bowie felt a headache coming on, realizing that Alex's thought process might differ from normal.

"So, can you explain how you predicted it? Or why you had such confidence in the game?"

Bowie improvised the second question, feeling relieved that her professional skills allowed her to adapt on the fly.

Alex said, "Actually, my creed in game design is 'creating joy with heart.' Making such an excellent game stems from three aspects."

"First, my love for games."

"Second, my sincerity towards players."

"Third, my persistence in dreams."

"And if there's anything else, it's a bit of luck."

"So, I believed the game would succeed."

Bowie's eyes widened slightly. She couldn't believe these words came from Alex.

What is this? Love? Sincerity? Persistence?

This is the designer of I Am MT saying this?

These are just empty platitudes. If making good games was as simple as love, sincerity, and persistence, the number of great games in the world would have exploded.

Moreover, Bowie had done her homework and played I Am MT. This game had nothing to do with "love, sincerity, persistence."

Is he showing love through pay-to-win mechanics and sincerity through monetization?

Watching Alex spout such nonsense with a straight face, Bowie felt her interview was in serious trouble.

These are Alex's original words—should she write them down or not?

If not, how would she finish the article?

If yes, who would believe it? Readers might question the intelligence of the reporter and editor!

Bowie rubbed her temples, composing herself. "Alright, let's change the topic. How do you feel about I Am MT's low score of around 7 in the app market?"

Alex said, "That's quite normal. Since the game is free to download, competitors will inevitably try to discredit it. It costs them nothing to download and leave a one-star review."

"So I feel heartbroken. I worked hard to develop such a sincere free game, only to be maliciously slandered by competitors. This game should have a score of 9, but it hovers around 7. It's truly heartbreaking!"

"I believe the official app market should curb this behavior and give I Am MT the justice it deserves!"

Bowie was dumbfounded.

Are those malicious reviews from competitors? Those are angry players leaving bad reviews!

Does Alex not know? Of course, he does! He's just blatantly lying!

Bowie felt exasperated. She wanted a deep and explosive interview, but Alex's deflections left her feeling disoriented.

Bowie thought for a moment. "Alright, let's move on. It's said that in I Am MT, there's a card called 'Big Sister' that sold for 2,000 yuan. Many game critics argue this severely impacts the game's fairness. What's your take on this?"

Alex said, "Oh, about rare cards, it's like stamp collecting. You understand stamp collecting, right? Some rare stamps cost not just thousands, but tens of thousands. In I Am MT, there's a collection aspect. Wealthy players spend money to complete their collections, which I see as a recognition of the game."

Bowie asked, "So, you don't think I Am MT is an unfair game at all?"

Alex shook his head. "That's not the right way to frame it. There are no absolutely fair games. In some games, you excel if you invest more time, have better skills, get lucky, or have good connections. Games are miniature worlds, and absolute equality among people is nearly impossible. So yes, I admit I Am MT is an unfair game."

"Uh..."

Bowie felt confused, as if Alex's logic had entangled her, making her forget her original question.

After two minutes of confusion, Bowie checked her notes and decided to move on.

"Before coming here, I did some homework. What surprised me was the amount players spend in I Am MT. According to experts, the number of paying players might account for 10% of the total, with an average spend of around 200 yuan."

"Typically, a buy-to-play mobile game costs around 10 to 50 yuan, but players spend 200 yuan on I Am MT. Why is that? What aspect of this game attracts them to spend so much?"