Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 472 An Unexpected Explosion

The popularity of the Starry Night Game Developer Competition spread rapidly, like a wildfire doused with fuel, fueled by countless spontaneous discussions among players.

Compared to serious game development competitions that are just for insiders to enjoy, competitions that have been transformed into variety shows have a much lower barrier to entry for dissemination.

There were no dry technical presentations or developer interviews.

Instead, there were countless edited hilarious program clips and a variety of unique and creative game demos.

Twitter, Weibo, YouTube, Reddit... the shadow of this gaming extravaganza from the far East can be seen on almost all mainstream social media platforms.

Especially that evening, "Adam's World" actually made it to the top of the trending topics on Twitter in the United States.

And it's number one.

Starry Night Games frequently trends on social media in Asian countries like Japan, China, and South Korea.

According to media statistics, up to October this year, for more than 130 days out of the 200+ days, the top ten trending topics on Japanese Twitter were related to stars.

While not quite as exaggerated in China and South Korea, Starry Sky Games, as the absolute leader in the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) field, has also gained considerable popularity alongside the rise of ACG games.

But in the United States, the situation is completely different.

This is Steam's home base, the main battleground for Sony and Microsoft.

The last time StarCraft sparked a large-scale discussion in the United States was because of the unique pricing model of The Last Survivor, and before that, it was the exclusive collaboration with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

But even on those two occasions, he never reached the summit.

After all, the American internet is very similar to the Chinese internet. As a major country, if gaming news wants to reach the top, it can't just be gaming news.

This time, just like with "Adam's World," what truly ignited the discussion was a tweet posted a few hours ago by a man named Andrew Niccol.

Andrew Niccol
Many people around the world may have this name, but for movie lovers, this name has only one meaning.

That's the screenwriter of the classic film "The Truman Show" and the renowned director who made "Lord of War".

He may not be particularly famous on a larger global scale, but in the United States, and within the film industry, he is by no means a nobody.

His tweets were simple, even somewhat casual, like something he'd written while surfing the internet late at night:

"I played a game called 'Adam's World,' and it definitely has a 'Truman Show' feel to it. It's very well made. If you decide to make a full version, give me a call. I might have some ideas for the script. @StarryAmerica"

Andrew Niccol's real intention was to ride the wave of popularity.

As a veteran of Hollywood, he is well-versed in the art of publicity.

With his new movie "Anonymous" about to be released, and its theme somewhat similar to the current popular game, it's only natural to casually tweet about it.

However, the logic of internet dissemination is never subject to individual will.

Those who want to become famous don't, but those who post something casually become overnight sensations.

This happens all the time.

Just like Andrew's promotional tweet for "Anonymous," almost no one paid attention to it, and there were very few likes and retweets.

But that tweet he casually posted about "Adam's World" was like a rocket with its fuse lit, soaring into the sky.

This explosive popularity is actually due to a combination of factors. On the one hand, The Truman Show is too classic, and many Americans have seen it. On the other hand, the StarCraft competition itself is also very popular in the American gaming community. It just needs an opening to expand outwards.

Andrew's tweet was like a megaphone handed to him by God.

"The screenwriter of 'The Truman Show'! He said this game has that vibe!" "I knew this game was awesome, now it has a big director endorsing it!"

Players' enthusiasm was instantly ignited; they frantically shared, commented, tagged their friends, game media, and various online influencers.

Every share is like adding a dry piece of firewood to this fire.

If the enthusiasm of gamers was just the first wave of fuel, then the unparalleled national popularity of the film "The Truman Show" itself was the spilled aviation fuel.

This movie, which is over 20 years old, has long been a part of American popular culture.

It is not just a movie, but a cultural symbol, a synonym for reflection on modern media society.

Countless people have seen it during their childhood, and some have seen it more than once.

When the keywords "Andrew Nicol" and "The Truman Show" appeared together on Twitter's trending topics, countless non-gamers were drawn to them.

They might know nothing about the Starry Night gaming platform, and have no interest in any 48-hour competition, but they know *The Truman Show*.

Curiosity is the best medium for communication.

The topic began to gain traction, and the scope of discussion quickly broadened.

~~~
University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

David is a true film buff. While other people's bookshelves are filled with books, his bookshelves are crammed with all kinds of classic films. His room walls are covered with posters of Kubrick and Hitchcock.

Of all these movies, one of his favorites is *The Truman Show*.

Like many so-called "in-depth analysis" articles, he also believes that The Truman Show is one of the greatest social allegories of the late 20th century.

As for games?

It's not that he doesn't play games, but he plays very little. In his view, most games are just cheap dopamine stimulation and lack genuine artistic expression.

Therefore, when he saw someone retweet Andrew Niccol's tweet on a film fan forum, his first reaction was to scoff.

"A game version of The Truman Show? Don't be ridiculous. How could a game possibly replicate that omnipresent sense of surveillance and the protagonist's inner struggles?"

He replied to the post, his words filled with academic arrogance.

"Try it and you'll see, friend. The demo is free."

"Even the writers of The Truman Show thought this game was good."

Someone replied to him like this.

If only one person replied like that, it would be fine, but for this one post to have at least a dozen replies is a bit exaggerated, especially since this isn't a very popular forum.

The more replies he received, the more he started to consider giving it a try.

Of course, the main reason he wanted to give it a try was that he wanted to play it and then face off against someone in the opposite lane.

However, whatever the reason, he still downloaded the Starry Night Games platform on his computer and found the demo.

The game begins with somber electronic music and a title screen composed of monitors.

Regardless of the final product, the game's texture looks genuinely impressive.

(End of this chapter)