Chapter 81: The Interview

"The players have a genuine love for this game. They feel the sincerity I convey through it, which is why they willingly spend money to support me, hoping I can make more and better games in the future. For this, I always remember the players' love and am constantly motivated to develop better games to repay them."

In the experience store, Amy Johnson was loudly reading Alex Parker's interview news article.

"That's so cringy! It's unbearable to read," Paul Wilder said.

"Boss, aren't you afraid players will beat you up for this?" Lily Emerson added.

Jessica Thompson said, "I suggest you all hide out at school for a few days to avoid the fallout."

Alex Parker was speechless. "What's wrong with it? Isn't it written well? Look, every word is a reflection of the players' true feelings for me."

"Boss, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for saying that?" Amy Johnson asked.

Paul added, "Boss, did you install a lightning rod here?"

Alex sighed. "Alright, enough. We have an interview today. Don't scare away the candidate."

Paul asked, "An interview? You're hiring someone?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'm planning to hire someone for the storyline and someone for the numerical aspects. Otherwise, with just Amy and me, it's impossible to handle a large-scale game."

Jessica teased, "So there'll be a cute girl soon, right?"

"Really?" Paul perked up.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Why do you always think about that? It's a guy."

Jessica said, "A guy? Why hire a guy? Send him away."

Alex replied, "Do you want to turn my experience store into a women's kingdom?"

Jessica gave him a look. "Don't tell me that's not what you want."

Alex shrugged. "Whatever, he's probably arriving soon."

Not long after, Alva Castillo arrived.

He was a young guy, tall and thin, who looked quiet and polite. Alex shook hands with him and led him to the meeting room.

Jessica whispered to Amy, "Hmm, I've changed my mind. This guy is pretty cute."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Have some standards, will you? It should depend on whether he meets the boss's requirements."

In the meeting room, Alex poured Alva a glass of water. "This isn't a big company, so just think of this as a casual chat. No need to be nervous."

Alva nodded. "I'm not nervous. But I must say, I'm surprised. You're younger than I expected."

Alex smiled. "I graduated from college just over a year ago."

Alva said, "So you're just a year ahead of me. I graduated less than a year ago."

Alex had already reviewed Alva's resume.

Alva Castillo, 24 years old, recently graduated from a major university in Shanghai with a degree in literature. After graduation, he worked for a media company in Shanghai for a while but quit because he didn't like the job. He's been contemplating a career change but hasn't decided yet.

He had some personal works, mostly short stories, including various fanfictions in genres like Western fantasy, Xianxia, Wuxia, and Oriental fantasy.

His works weren't particularly outstanding, but his basic writing and plot construction were solid. Most importantly, no matter what genre he wrote, there was no sense of dissonance, which satisfied Alex.

Alex asked, "Have you thought about what to do next?"

Alva replied, "Not really. I don't like the interpersonal dynamics in traditional jobs. I considered writing web novels full-time, but my current level isn't quite there, and it might not be financially stable, which puts pressure from my family."

Alex asked, "Have you considered working in game design?"

Alva said, "I have. But domestically, games don't focus much on storylines, and my main interest lies in that area."

Alex nodded. "Alright, I've prepared a test for you. Just do it at your own pace."

Alex handed him a printed test.

Alva looked at it. There were only five questions.

The first question was to design the world background and two classes for a Xianxia MMORPG, briefly describing the class characteristics.

The second question was to write the names and descriptions for five items in a Three Kingdoms strategy game, with the items of the same type and increasing in quality.

The third question was to explain the relationship between Draenor and Azeroth based on the content in the "Azeroth Universe."

The fourth question was to choose a minor event from the "Azeroth Universe" and write a simple quest line. No detailed quest texts were needed, just a summary.

The fifth question was to write a complete quest text, i.e., what an NPC would say to the player. The quest outline was: "Fordring asks you to retrieve Tyran's Hammer." Character settings should follow the related content in the "Azeroth Universe," but can be modified with rewritten character settings.

Alex said, "Take your time with it. An hour should be enough."

Alva nodded. "Yeah, that's enough."

Alex turned to leave. "Call me when you're done."

Outside the meeting room, the others whispered, "How's it going, boss?"

Alex said, "He seems okay. I gave him a written test. If he does well, then he's in."

Amy asked, "What kind of test?"

"Do you want to try it? I don't want to discourage you," Alex teased.

Jessica said, "Hey, Amy is a top student. You underestimate her."

Alex said, "Alright, I'll show you. If you want, give it a try."

Alex found the test on Amy's computer and showed it to them.

After reading the whole test, everyone quietly dispersed.

Amy was speechless. "Boss, what is this? It's too hard! The first two questions can be made up, but what about the rest?"

Alex said, "You don't follow these things, so of course, you find it hard. Alright, everyone get back to work. This just means you're not suitable for the storyline designer role."

Jessica said, "Let's have a moment of silence for this storyline guy."

Amy said, "Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe he can do it?"

Actually, Alex's test was relatively simple, meant to check the basic skills required for a storyline designer.

Tasks like item names, descriptions, world backgrounds, classes, quest lines, and quest texts are all basic jobs for a storyline designer.

A good storyline designer must first package a game well, ensuring players feel like they are in a complete, coherent world without dissonance, enhancing the game experience.

The advanced ability is to integrate storylines and settings, merging the world background with gameplay, and even moving players through special questlines.

For Alex, it's enough if Alva meets the basic requirement for now. Further skills can be developed over time.