The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 161 Farm Launch Preview: Ad-filled Bizarre Ads Coming Soon

The speech ended more than an hour later.

Yang Muye, Xie Zhiyao, Yao Wei deliberately waited until almost everyone had left before getting up to leave.

Just then, Zheng Qiang finished his conversation with the students surrounding the podium and prepared to leave under the arrangement of the school staff.

Yang Muye and his two companions paused for a moment, letting Zheng Qiang and his group go first.

As Zheng Qiang was leaving, he noticed Yang Muyi, who was wearing a mask, but he only glanced at him before leaving.

After leaving the lecture hall, Xie Zhiyao joked, "Professor Zheng didn't recognize you just now, did he?"

Yang Muye shrugged indifferently.

So what if they recognize me? It's not like I'm the one who's embarrassed.

If Zheng Qiang knew that the boy she praised so highly in her speech was sitting right in front of her, listening to the speech, his expression would definitely be quite interesting.

What is a surprise?

That's it!
As they went downstairs together, Yao Wei finally asked the question that had been on her mind for over an hour.

"Is Professor Zheng Qiang's assertion in his speech true? Are you about to make a big move?"

Xie Zhiyao immediately turned to look at Yang Muye, which was exactly what he wanted to ask.

"fake."

Yang Muye shrugged.

My two self-invested campus startup projects, a Cainiao Post Station and a milk tea shop, are indeed going to open in October.

Both the school and the college are paying close attention to this, but this shouldn't be considered a major move, right?
Zheng Qiang was definitely fooled by Ji Donglai.

Xie Zhiyao was unwilling to give up and continued to ask:
"Judging by the timeline, Shanye Technology's new game should be ready soon, right?"

"It's already in testing and will be available on all platforms on October 1st."

Xie Zhiyao and Yao Wei both showed curious expressions.

Xie Zhiyao went so far as to ask Yang Muye if he could try out two rounds first, just like he did with "Niu Le Ge Niu" last time.

"This time we're making a simulation game, which has a long development cycle. The beta version is boring, and you can't really make any progress in a short time."

Yang Muye spoke the truth.

The biggest selling point of farm games is their social interaction gameplay; even single-player games like "Cow Cow" don't offer as much replayability.

A simulation/raising game?
Xie Zhiyao was stunned.

After a period of phenomenal popularity, the popularity of the "Cow and Sheep" mini-game on various websites and platforms plummeted.

From being a hot topic across the internet at the beginning of the semester to now being almost completely forgotten, it has only been a short month.

This has led to a surge of pessimistic comments about Shanye Technology online.

Some say that the popularity of cattle and sheep is entirely due to viral marketing, and that only one of them can become popular at a time.

Some say that Shanye Technology is just a small workshop, and its success is due to luck rather than ability.

Even worse, some people directly called Shanye Technology a fraudulent company, saying that cattle/sheep were just tools developed to swindle money.

Shanye Technology's second game is now a simulation game, clearly indicating their intention to directly confront the negative comments online.

You say my game has a short lifespan and I'm just trying to scam you? Well then, I'll develop a game with a long lifespan and show you.

To be honest, Xie Zhiyao was quite worried.

No matter what industry you're in, making a career transition is always the hardest thing.

Shanye Technology started out with fast-paced casual games like cow/sheep games. Are they really not afraid of failing if they step out of their comfort zone and make simulation games?

The viral marketing that previously made the cow/sheep mini-game a hit has been proven to be just a one-trick pony.

If a new game simply replicates the marketing tactics of the cow/sheep mini-game, people probably won't be "fooled" again.

Yang Muye put his arm around Xie Zhiyao's shoulder:

"Don't worry, I've specially invited three groups of spokespeople this time, and the game ads will start airing tonight to warm up the audience."

Xie Zhiyao looked shocked: "You got a celebrity to endorse you?"

"Yes, Gu Tianle, Nick Cheung, Chicken Brother, and we're also planning to invite a female celebrity."

Yang Muye laughed and said, "How about it? Is this lineup impressive enough?"

Xie Zhiyao's eyes widened.

Wait, are you serious?
"Nonsense, of course I'm lying to you."

These Hong Kong and Taiwan celebrities charge exorbitant endorsement fees. Although Yang Muyi could afford to hire them if he gritted his teeth, only a fool would waste that money.

The reason we made Old Boys, Plastic Brothers, and Sisters Who Make Waves famous is all for this moment.

After seeing Yang Muyi off with Yao Wei, Xie Zhiyao immediately rushed back to his dormitory and turned on his computer.

After logging into Youku, Xie Zhiyao first opened the homepage of Plastic Brothers and found the latest square dance video of "Little Apple".

After clicking, a 10-second countdown ad pops up.

Under the scorching sun, Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai, dressed like farmers, slumped on the ground without any regard for their image.

Behind the two was a field, with hoes for digging and buckets for watering lying to the side.

"I'm exhausted. My hands are blistered from digging."

"You think watering isn't hard work? My shoulder is killing me right now."

As the two were complaining, a dazzling golden light fell from the sky.

The scene shifts, and the two are back in their university dormitory, where a grid of farmland appears on their computer screen.

When you move your mouse over the farmland, it immediately transforms into a hoe.
With just a few taps, an entire field is dug.

Upon seeing this, Xu Kaiyang immediately pushed Zhang Kai aside and snatched the mouse himself.

When you move the mouse over the cultivated farmland, it transforms into a watering can.

With just a few dabs, the entire area was thoroughly watered.

Neither of them expected farming to be so simple, and they immediately began vying for control of the mouse.

The camera then pans to reveal the four large, cartoonish characters for "Happy Farm".

Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai reverted to their previous peasant attire.

"Start with a plot of land, farm with just a few taps, and you can easily realize your rural dream."

"The game launches on October 1st. If you're a true brother, come find us at Happy Farm and play together!"

After watching the advertisement, Xie Zhiyao was stunned.

He never dreamed that the simulation game Yang Muye mentioned would actually be farming.

But upon closer inspection, it makes quite a bit of sense.

Yang Muyi's household registration is still in Yunmiao Village, and he will definitely go back to his hometown to farm in the future.

I just didn't expect it to be this kind of "planting".

Xie Zhiyao, who also harbored a desire to return to his hometown to develop his career, immediately developed a strong interest in this little game called "Happy Farm".

Unfortunately, the game won't be released until October.

Xie Zhiyao closed the Plastic Brothers' homepage and then opened the Old Boys' homepage. Clicking to play the live video of "Little Apple" brought up another ad with a 10-second countdown.

The advertisement content is exactly the same as the previous "Plastic Brothers" ad, except that the actors have been changed to Cheng Feng and Wu Di.

Even the lines haven't changed.

At first, Xie Zhiyao wondered if the director was being lazy.

But he immediately dismissed the idea.

As expected, this is probably another "remote collaboration" between the old boy and the plastic brother.

They use similar advertising content to create hype among themselves.

With the words "Q version of Happy Farm" popping up, Old Boys' advertising slogan is finally different from that of Plastic Brothers.

"Hello everyone, I'm Cheng Feng."

"Hello everyone, I am Wu Di."

"Happy Farm, this is a brand new version you've never played before."

"Just three minutes of playing will make you love this game just like we do."

Xie Zhiyao clicked on another video of Old Boys and found that all the videos were running the same ad.

Finally, Xie Zhiyao opened the homepage of Sisters Who Make Waves.

This is a new account, and so far it has only uploaded one video: the music video for "Little Apple".

After clicking, it's the same ad with a 10-second countdown.

This time, the advertising content is finally a little different.

Under the scorching sun, Yang Zixi, Zheng Wei, and Xie Meilan, dressed in peasant clothes, were harvesting vegetables.

A dazzling golden light descended from the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them were back in their university dormitory.

On their respective computer screens, the crops planted in the fields were already ripe.

After quickly glancing at the others, the three of them became somewhat furtive, clicking the mouse cautiously to avoid making too much noise.

The camera zoomed in, revealing that they were both stealing vegetables from each other's fields.

The four large, cartoonish characters for "Happy Farm" popped up.

"Hello everyone, I am Yang Zixi."

"Hello everyone, I am Zheng Wei."

"Hello everyone, I am Xie Meilan."

"Your time is very valuable. We are your senior classmates who are riding the waves of success. We are waiting for you in Happy Farm!"

Xie Zhiyao, who had just been successfully attracted by the "stealing vegetables" gameplay, was stunned when he heard the last line of the advertisement.

You've already said my time is very valuable, and you still want me to play games?

Who came up with this game line, the brilliant strategist or the young genius?

At first, Xie Zhiyao couldn't figure out the principle behind it at all, and in the end, he even sent Yang Muyi a text message to humbly ask for his advice.

Yang Muye quickly replied to the text message:

Do you know what the most awesome cigarette ad slogan is?

After reading the text message, the first thing that came to Xie Zhiyao's mind was the advertisement for Yunnan Hongta Group.

The higher the mountain, the greater the man!
After replying to the text message, Yang Muye immediately replied:

"Wrong, it's smoking that's harmful to your health!"

what?
Xie Zhiyao thought he had misread it.

You call this a cigarette advertisement?
Yang Muye's second text message came immediately.

"This phrase is printed on every cigarette pack, and every smoker knows it, but does it stop them from buying and smoking cigarettes? Isn't this the most brilliant advertisement?"

The same principle applies to the saying "Your time is very valuable".

Everyone knows their time is valuable, but that doesn't stop people from wasting it as they always do.

At first, Xie Zhiyao thought Yang Muye's explanation was too far-fetched. But after watching several videos on Youku and seeing the same phrase repeatedly popping up in the ads, he finally understood.

Yang Muye was indeed lying.

The phrase "Your time is very valuable" and the warning "Smoking is harmful to your health" on cigarette packs are completely different things.

Including the line from the "Plastic Brothers" series: "If you're a true brother, come find me in 'Happy Countryside'."

And then there's Oldboy's line: "Just three minutes of playing will make you love this game just like we do."

Essentially, it's the same principle as the much-criticized yet incredibly successful advertising slogan of Brain Gold: "No gifts this holiday season, only Brain Gold."

They brainwash the public through constantly repeated advertising slogans.

After seeing the ads a few times, even people who have no interest in farm games will find themselves wanting to give it a try.

This is similar to the viral marketing used in the previous cow/sheep game, which leveraged people's curiosity and competitive spirit.

Xie Zhiyao is now 100% certain that these three incredibly catchy game advertising slogans were definitely written by Yang Muye.

Professor Zheng Qiang's prediction in his speech has come true.

Happy Farm could very well become another phenomenal hit game among cow/sheep mini-games.

Such time-accumulating simulation games obviously have a much longer lifespan than short-lived consumer goods like cow/sheep mini-games.

Xie Zhiyao is now even looking forward to seeing what kind of expressions those who are pessimistic about Shanye Technology will have on their faces when "Happy Farm" is launched.

Creating a phenomenal hit game can be attributed to luck.

While there's still a significant element of luck in consistently creating phenomenal hit games, people often say that luck is also a part of skill.

A residential community next to Oriental University in Shanghai.

Qiao Jingjing was chatting with Zheng Peipei on QQ using her mobile phone.

"That Yang Muyi is really going too far. You went all the way back to Yanjing to be a guest singer in his band, and all the videos that others posted online went viral, but your duet of 'Want to Go to the Beach' is still not very popular."

"There's a reason why 'Little Apple' became so popular. Even my mom said after watching those three videos that many celebrity management companies would be ashamed of their own promotional tactics."

"Yes, I know 'Little Apple' should be a hit, but look at the video Yang Muyi posted. The title is just the song title. You don't have to be lazy like that, do you? Believe me, if you just put your name in the title, the video's views would be several times higher than they are now."

"They probably don't care whether the video goes viral or not. As long as Old Boys, Plastic Brothers, and Sisters Who Make Waves become popular, that's enough. Now, the ads for Happy Farm are everywhere. You can see them in any video you click on. I'm even thinking about playing it sometime."

"Don't play it, or you'll fall for the game developers' tricks. It's just like the Brain Gold ad. I studied media, so I definitely wouldn't lie to you."

"But what if all your classmates and friends are playing it? Won't you play it too?"

Several minutes passed before Cheng Pei-pei replied to the message:
"We'll see when the time comes. If Happy Farm really becomes a social necessity, then I'll have to reluctantly play it, but I definitely won't spend a single penny on it!"

Upon seeing this message, Qiao Jingjing immediately covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

When "Niu Le Ge Niu" became a hit, Cheng Pei-pei said something similar, but she still spent money on it for a whole week to buy "revival" chances.

Cheng Pei-pei may have remembered making a similar "vow" in the past, and in order to cover up her embarrassment, she immediately changed the subject.

"I saw Xiao Nai, the campus heartthrob in your third year of computer science at Dongda University, online. He has won many international programming competition awards. I heard that he started his own business this semester and is also preparing to develop games. Just because he is the campus heartthrob of your school, I will definitely support the game he makes."

(End of this chapter)