Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 850 The God of Games: Mario

Zhang Guangdou added, "In addition, the senior leader would like to see you again to discuss matters related to economic development."

Yang Wendong asked in surprise, "Am I the only one here?"

Zhang Guangdou said, "No, there's also Bao Yugang and Bao Sheng. The two of you currently hold the highest positions in Hong Kong."

"Haha, alright then, it's been a long time since I've seen Bao Sheng either." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "How about this, everyone doesn't need to charter a plane, just take my plane directly to the mainland."

Zhang Guangdou paused for a moment, then asked, "Going straight there? Why not go through Japan?"

"No need, we can just go directly," Yang Wendong said casually.

In previous years, Hong Kong political and business groups would charter Cathay Pacific flights to travel to the mainland and then detour through Japan, mainly to avoid provoking Taiwan. After all, many wealthy people do not want to offend either side.

But Yang Wendong is different from other wealthy people. He may soon make a big investment in the mainland. This kind of thing cannot be kept from ordinary people. The mainland will definitely publicize it. So how to get to the mainland now is not important.
Moreover, he also wanted to test Taiwan and see how Taiwan would react if he, a global super-rich man, really got closer to the mainland.
He wasn't really that concerned. Even if Taiwan turned against him, he wasn't afraid, because Glory Electronics had a lot of orders going to Taiwan. If things really turned sour, the unemployment rate in Taiwan would definitely skyrocket.

This is the influence of a top-tier business tycoon, not some minor celebrity who can be blacklisted by Taiwan at will.

Of course, he also has some assets in Taiwan, but he is certain that Taiwan wouldn't dare to go too far. If they were to completely block him, then there would be no way to attract foreign investment, and the entire economy would collapse.

Zhang Guangdou could tell that Yang Wendong didn't seem to care about Taiwan, and he thought to himself that this super-rich man was indeed different. So he said, "Alright, when is Mr. Yang free?"

Yang Wendong said, "About a week later. I just returned from the United States recently. I need to take care of things in Hong Kong a little more, and then I'll go to Yanjing City on the mainland in a week."

“Alright, then I will also inform the mainland to make preparations for welcoming them,” Zhang Guangdou said with a smile.

Yang Wendong asked, "The welcome reception won't be very large, will it? Are there any TV stations involved?"

Zhang Guangdou laughed and said, "That's not the case. Government officials don't go on TV. Does Mr. Yang want to be on TV?"

"It doesn't matter, I was just asking," Yang Wendong said. "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

In his previous life, when Hong Kong tycoons went to the mainland, they were greeted by countless reporters and students. This was a pre-arranged event, and such interviews would eventually lead to the announcement of numerous business collaborations.
In fact, these were all deliberately prepared at the last minute. Real business cooperation involves too many issues, how could it be agreed upon in just a few days?
In other words, people or teams from Hong Kong go to the mainland first, spend some time negotiating projects, and then meet up together for a unified welcome ceremony and cooperation meeting, and finally reach an agreement on that day.

This principle applies not only to cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland, but also to international cooperation and cooperation between countries. Agreements are reached first, then important figures visit, and finally, a cooperation agreement is signed.
Zhang Guangdou laughed and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Yang, if you can reach an agreement in mainland China, it will definitely be on CCTV News."

"OK." Yang Wendong smiled. He didn't really care about it, but the name was too big, so it was inevitable that he would be asked to come a few times. As long as he didn't become a "business star" like Li Ka-shing, it was fine.

With the development of reform and opening up in the mainland, it was only a matter of time before I went to Beijing. This was expected, and there was a lot of cooperation to be done, so it was necessary to start working with the mainland as soon as possible.

For the mainland, the reform and opening up was only a little difficult in the first few years. Things got much better after 85. After the 90s, things went smoothly. Foreign exchange reserves were not in short supply. So some special projects had to be decided in the 80s. By the 90s, it was time to reap rich rewards.

However, in addition to the mainland, its business in Hong Kong and overseas is also very important. It can be said that the mainland is the future, while overseas is the current need.
On June 6, Wang Zhiqun and He Guoyuan from Glory Electronics came to Yang Wendong's office together;

After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Wendong got down to business, asking, "How's the development of the handheld console going?"

Wang Zhiqun replied, "Mr. Yang, the first handheld console has been successfully developed. I've brought a prototype with me. Please take a look."

"Let me see." Yang Wendong borrowed the prototype.

This is a rectangular plastic device with an LCD screen in the middle, a cross-shaped button on the left, several buttons on the right, and a power button on the side. It is entirely yellow and looks rather cute.

"How many colors are there in total?" Yang Wendong asked as he turned on the device.

Wang Zhiqun replied, "There are four types in total: white, yellow, blue, and black. This is determined according to the customer's needs. The plastic parts are also provided by Changxing Industrial, so it is easy to modify them."

"Hmm." At this moment, Yang Wendong had already turned on the game console, which was playing the game "Chinese Blocks".

The game was relatively simple at first, and Yang Wendong continued to chat while playing: "How many types of handheld games are there now?"

Wang Zhiqun replied: "Currently, there are four types: Chinese Blocks, Snake, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders."

The arcade versions of these four games are basically obsolete, but the Famicom cartridges are still being sold. We're internally concerned that if these games are also included on handheld consoles, it might cause some interference.

"No, portable handheld consoles are just for killing time when you're out and about. The experience is nowhere near as good as home consoles," Yang Wendong shook his head and said. "Although the games are the same, the time customers spend playing them is different, so there won't be much competition."

There will definitely be some impact, but if we don't do it, someone else will.

He Guoyuan added, "Over there, people's demands for games on the Famicom are getting higher and higher, and they prefer games like 'Battle City'."

"Letting handheld consoles fill the market for these simple games in the future also fits our market segmentation."

"So, when are you planning to release the handheld console?" Yang Wendong asked.

Wang Zhiqun replied, "It will be launched in Hong Kong at the beginning of next month. The price is not very expensive, about HK$200, which should be affordable for many people in Hong Kong."

"Haha, there are a lot of rich people in Hong Kong now." Yang Wendong laughed;
With the property market growing exponentially, Hong Kong's overall economic level may still not be as high as that of Europe and the United States, but it is far higher than that of other developing countries. Although the wealth of real estate is intangible, it can still increase people's desire to consume. For example, in the past, when housing prices in mainland China were soaring, the economy was doing well, but when housing prices fell, consumption slumped.

Wang Zhiqun said, "Yes, once the feedback from the Hong Kong market is positive, we will release it in Japan, and then in the United States and Europe."

"What about production?" Yang Wendong looked at He Guoyuan: "I estimate that this product will also be a bestseller, with plenty of orders. How will we control the quantity and quality?"

Whether it's an arcade game, a home console, or a handheld game, as long as the hardware isn't too bad, it ultimately comes down to the software that wins.

And many of the games under Honor Electronics are proven to be blockbuster hits.

As long as the hardware doesn't have any problems, handheld consoles are bound to be a hit.

He Guoyuan said, "Mr. Yang, I have authorized 12 suppliers from Hong Kong and Taiwan to participate in the assembly. Their products will be launched in Hong Kong as soon as possible, and we will make adjustments based on the quality feedback."

These 12 suppliers were also our previous partners, manufacturing Famicom and arcade machines for us. We can trust them in terms of quality control.

"How many are from Hong Kong and how many are from Taiwan?" Yang Wendong asked.

He Guoyuan said, “There are 4 Hong Kong companies and 8 Taiwanese companies. The largest one is Foxconn Precision, which we have invested in before. The person in charge of this company, Guo Taiming, is a ruthless man. In order to get our orders, he took out a lot of loans and even sold his house to get the latest equipment. He is very strict with his employees and with quality control. It can be said that he is currently our best supplier.”

"Guo Taiming, as long as he does a good job, I won't have any less orders. I can let him do it without worry," Yang Wendong nodded and said.

Those super-giants who rose to prominence in their past lives must have possessed considerable abilities. It is said that in the past, Terry Gou almost went bankrupt trying to secure orders from the American computer industry.
Of course, now that they've partnered with Honor, they shouldn't need to go through so much trouble in the short term. As long as they develop in the next few years, things will definitely not be so bad, and they might be able to enter the computer industry more easily. History might change, but they won't lose out. At least they'll have a stable supplier, which is very important for their business.

He Guoyuan smiled and said, "Okay, I will be stricter with them in the future, and I will also make other supplier factories learn from them."

"Okay, how's the supply chain development going on the mainland?" Yang Wendong asked again.

He Guoyuan said, "Several companies from the mainland have also started to enter our industrial chain, but the quality is still uncertain and it is too early to let them supply the game industry. We only let them participate in the home appliance sector, and these are all home appliances from Hong Kong, so that after-sales service is convenient in case of any problems."

"Okay, let's continue with this." Yang Wendong nodded;
In fact, unless absolutely necessary, customers don't like to switch suppliers easily, because switching means instability.
However, the trend of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry moving north is inevitable and cannot be changed. Therefore, the only option is to integrate as soon as possible, just like SAIC Volkswagen a few years later. Although localizing the industrial chain is painful, once successful, the returns are very considerable.

He Guoyuan said, "Yes, Mr. Yang."

“Alright, then the game industry projects can continue to develop according to plan.” Yang Wendong continued, “I called you here today to discuss the development of a new game.”

"A new game?" Wang Zhiqun's eyes lit up. It had been a while since Yang Wendong had suggested anything about this.

Yang Wendong said, "To be precise, it's a type of game. Once you develop the first one, you'll have many new ideas, which will allow you to develop more interesting games."

He Guoyuan asked, "Mr. Yang, what type of game?"

"I call this game a side-scrolling game," Yang Wendong explained. "Weren't our previous games all on one screen? That is, all sorts of things could be displayed in front of the player at once?"

Wang Zhiqun nodded and said, "Yes, isn't this what we should do?"

Yang Wendong said, "That's right, but the downside is that the space is limited. Even in 'Tank Battle,' you can only attract people by setting different levels, but each level is just a single scene."
So I have an idea: the game interface should change as the game character changes, just like this scroll. Opening it to the right reveals more text. Do you understand what I mean?

"Similar to ancient calligraphy and painting?" He Guoyuan asked.

Yang Wendong laughed and said, "That's right, that's it. The reason why Tank Battle is so popular is because there are so many levels, with endless possibilities, but they are still different levels. After playing it once, the feeling is different."

This is true of many games on the market. Relying on different levels, players eventually get bored. Their entertainment threshold rises, and they demand more complex, interesting, and exciting visuals. This is what I mean by scrolling games.

Wang Zhiqun said, "Theoretically, it's possible, but this design places very high demands on the chip."

“Yes, so we need to start with research and development; that’s a technical issue,” Yang Wendong nodded.

Wang Zhiqun asked, "So what kind of game is ours?"

"I call this game Mario. He's a plumber whose mission is to rescue the princess who has been kidnapped by a dragon," Yang Wendong briefly introduced the game god from his previous life: Mario.

The first horizontal scrolling game in history was actually Space Cruiser, although it was vertical; the principle was the same.

Space Cruiser was released in 1981, which is quite a while ago.

Yang Wendong didn't know what "Space Cruiser" was about, as he had never played it.

The most memorable one is undoubtedly Mario, which is one of the most classic games in human history, almost without exception.

Then, Yang Wendong spent more than ten minutes recounting the game content he remembered, including flowers, mushrooms, monsters along the way, various pipes, cliffs, and so on.

Actually, he only remembered these settings. Even a god couldn't remember the specifics of the levels forever. But the specifics of the levels didn't matter. As long as the settings were the same, the game designers below could design the future levels.
The previous "Tank Battle" was actually the same;

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(End of this chapter)