Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 619 True or False
In a hotel room in Los Angeles.

"Yes, yes, leader, rest assured, we will definitely showcase our prowess at sea!"

Yang Ding hung up the phone and let out a long sigh of relief. He looked like he had just been pulled out of the water, and the back of his shirt was soaked.

If his subordinates saw him bowing and scraping so obsequiously, they'd probably laugh their heads off.

But Yang Ding himself didn't feel ashamed.

People have to bow down for a living, and this time the gift isn't just five pecks of rice, it's practically five pecks of gold.

As a director, many people may not have heard of him, but that's okay. If you mention the director of "Esports in China"...

Well, most people probably still haven't heard of it.

Unfortunately, the documentary he poured his heart and soul into making, just like in his previous life, is still gathering dust in the station's film archive due to various coordination problems.

Just a few months ago, Yang Ding was considering whether he should completely leave the gaming industry and switch to making food documentaries, since "A Bite of China" is currently very popular.

Although it might seem a bit like following the trend, it's still better than starving to death.

And this is no joke; he has even started preparing topics.

As a result, just as he was preparing to take action, in April of this year, a huge windfall unexpectedly fell into his lap.

The Publicity Department is leading the effort, with CCTV as the organizer, to produce a documentary called "Chinese Games Overseas".

Because Yang Ding was one of the few experienced directors in the station, the leadership approached him.

Upon receiving the assignment, Yang Ding immediately jumped up from his chair and pledged his loyalty to his superior on the other end of the phone.

"What? Who said I was going to make a food documentary?? No, no, no, boss, I love games all my life! Making game documentaries is my profession!"

Just kidding, this is a joint project between the Publicity Department and CCTV.

This is a completely different concept.

In fact, it does.

He quickly noticed the difference once the filming team was assembled. Before, he had worked himself to the bone to secure a release date for "Esports in China," meeting with countless leaders, but to no avail.

What now?
Leaders of all ranks in the station lined up to talk to him, each speaking earnestly, patting him on the shoulder, and urging him to "produce high-quality, high-quality footage."

These conversations are a source of pressure, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The core focus of this documentary is none other than the E3 exhibition.

In fact, it could be said that he received the task even later than Chu Chen did, all because of this plate of dumplings wrapped in vinegar.

When Yang Ding received this task, he made a solemn pledge. Therefore, from the time the project was initiated until the departure, his nerves were stretched taut like a fully drawn bowstring.

Before setting off, he held countless meetings and considered countless possibilities.

What if Huaxia Games' performance at E3 is mediocre? What if the feedback is poor?
He even prepared for the worst: even if the game itself wasn't outstanding, he would still film the developers' hard work of "ten years of honing a sword" and their "sentiment" of leaving their hometowns and striving for their dreams in a foreign land.

If all else fails, try interviewing more Chinese people in Los Angeles. In short, we need to make this documentary effective and capture the essence of family reunion.

During that period, Yang Ding slept very little, spending every day pondering storyboards and narrative structure, and he lost a lot of hair.

His old colleagues whispered among themselves that Director Yang had staked his entire career on this, and was almost obsessed.

Everyone understands the pressure; there's nothing we can do. The leadership's expectations are too high, and nobody knows if Xingchen can pull through. And now, only one day has passed since E3 started.

In Yang Ding's room, several members of the film crew, just as expected, looked gloomy.

but..
A frown isn't because of a lack of material, but because...
"Director, the C camera's cassette is full. Some on-set footage wasn't recorded. What should we do?"

"Brother Yang, the drone footage has been exported."

"Do you still need the online materials? I just saw another big streamer on YouTube is streaming StarCraft. He says he'll be streaming for over ten days straight, and we'll have to play all the demos."

"The Asahi TV team's request for the footage has been approved by their management, but I don't think we'll get it anytime soon."

Yang Ding listened to these reports and was momentarily dazed.

Who would have thought that StarCraft's E3 show would be so explosive?
No one could have imagined it.

Even now, he still feels like he's dreaming. Putting everything else aside, just right now, with the first day of E3 coming to a close.

Every major gaming media outlet in the world has reported on it, including mainstream Western television stations like the BBC and ABC.

Although the direction of the report was "strange".

For example, the BBC report was titled "The Cultural Spear of the Eastern Dragon: The Ambition Behind the Games."

The report details the cultural phenomenon that StarCraft caused at this year's E3, including Sony's booth, the heated discussions at the pre-E3 press conference, and the situation at the E3 exhibition itself.

They also interviewed some British game developers.

If you ignore the headline and those nonsensical conclusions, the report is actually quite solid.

Compared to the BBC, the mainstream media in the United States are much more "arrogant" because they don't actually bother to understand the cause and effect of the matter.

They simply copied a template for news articles about China, put together a headline, and made it look professional, but the actual amount of news information was practically zero.

These are all articles titled "The rise of China's game industry is remarkable, but behind this huge success, what are the costs of this top-down cultural export?"

Similar news.

Um.
However, apart from mainstream media in Europe and America, mainstream media in countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Russia gave it positive reviews.

Especially Japan and South Korea.

Although it still carries the traditional element of "unease," it is generally more positive.

As for the mainstream media in China, that goes without saying.

You don't even need to read what domestic media reports are saying. Just from the way the leader called Yang Ding just now, you can tell that the domestic audience is quite surprised that Xingchen can actually make a splash at E3.

The feeling was somewhat like that of a later era, when Pakistan and India exchanged blows in the air, and the Pakistani pilot actually shot down the other's plane.

When the good news came back, the first reaction of the rear command was not to pop champagne, but to be stunned for half a minute before quickly making a phone call to ask: "Is the result confirmed? Is it true? Wow, well done! ... Um, are our planes alright?"

The prepared press release read: "Active communication, showcasing talent; despite shortcomings, the future is promising."

They quickly changed it overnight to "A resounding victory, showcasing our national power, and shocking the entire audience."

(End of this chapter)