Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
They were shocked to see Chen Mo going off script!
Those two words completely changed the meaning of the title!
âThis was a pitfall that many designers fall into. I Am MTâs gameplay was really fragmentation, but what about Onmyoji? Without a doubt, itâs a very replayable game.
âEven though itâs a replayable game, and even though it doesnât fit what mobile games are used to, it was really successful, why? To put it simply, if your game was the same quality as Onmyoji, you could make it a replayable game too, and you could even make more revenue...
â... And the third point, although itâs easy to pivot when the cost is low, but once itâs faced against high quality games, your game will be out-competed, which is why other mobile card games were dumpstered...
âThe fourth point, although IP is important, you donât have to throw everything down just to get it. The highest point of mobile card games are games that are their own IP. Buying IPs are just opportunities, itâs just a skin for your game, it still depends on the game as to how well you can execute it.
Chen Mo went through the points at his own pace as there were only a few points that were noteworthy among mobile card games. He could fill out an entire talk just by using knowledge from the top of his head.
The audience were both surprised and dumbfounded as they listened.
âHe completely changed Qiu Binâs powerpoints for the last three points. He even completely overhauled the conclusion page?â
âYeah, and itâs the complete opposite too.â
âWhich oneâs right?â
âI think it makes sense.â
âYeah, I need to digest this a bit.â
âBut according to Onmyoji, Chen Mo is right.â
âOnmyoji did overhaul the idea of mobile card games, but I didnât really pick up on how he did it?â
âDid he mean that once the quality is good enough, you could do as you wish?â
âThatâs not possible right?â
âSo should I focus on replayability or fragmentise gameplay? Should I buy an IP? Iâm so confused!â
-Two hours passed in a blink of an eye.-
Chen Mo reached the last page of the powerpoint, âMobile card games have a limited lifespan. It mightâve grown a lot in this year, and many mobile card games made a lot of money, but in the long term, players will get bored of it, and the genre will eventually fall out of favour.
âItâs hard to say how long the downfall will last, but Iâll leave you guys with this: Think about how the game plays, make sure itâs high quality. Mobile card games are only here temporarily and will not be able to sustain us indefinitely.
âLastly, I hope you guys have learnt something from this, and I hope that you guys can make excellent games in the future. This concludes my talk, thank you.â
Chen Mo bowed and left the stage with roaring applause from the audience.
âThatâs excellent! Thereâs no way Qiu Bin could give a talk of this quality!â
âYeah, itâs Chen Mo after all. His knowledge in mobile card games is really deep! His views are completely different from ours.â
âYeah, but thereâs still parts I donât understand.â
âTake your time and digest it. Itâs a blessing that he was willing to tell us so much.â
âI thought Chen Mo was crazy, but he seems quite humble today. Itâs nice that he was willing to share so much too!â
Many video game designers came forward to greet Chen Mo and exchange their contacts. Chen Mo didnât deny them as many of them genuinely wanted to become friends.
Chen Mo knew exactly what he was saying. There are only so many things with mobile card games, but knowing is one thing, executing is another.
Just like Onmyoji, so what if they knew that the game was profitable, how many developers were actually willing to match their game to that quality?
The various settings of the game tie in directly with the finished game. Even if Chen Mo revealed his settings and decisions, most designers wouldnât be able to recreate a successful mobile card game.
There were even some designers that uploaded Chen Moâs speech online.
Qiu Bin died a little bit inside, I wasnât at the ceremony, why is my name showing up!
Why did Qiu Jiang egg him on? Why did you drag Chen Mo on stage?
And Chen Mo too, couldnât you have declined? Why did you actually deliver the talk?
And even then, why did you use my powerpoint?
And you even changed it? Isnât that just saying that all my thoughts were wrong?
Qiu Bin felt helpless as he got tied into it even though he wasnât even there.
Damn you Chen Mo!
â
The event continued on the second day.
The talks were still the focus during the day. Chen Mo would listen to anything he came across as the contents were mostly similar, just on different topics.
The main event finally started during the night.
The talks during the day were just supporting events for the main award ceremony. Many designers worked hard for an entire year just for recognition from this event as it would help a lot for their future development.
A few people whom Chen Mo met greeted him as they entered the venue.
âChen Mo? Youâre here!â
âI hope you get the mobile game of the year, Iâll even congratulate you ahead of time.â
âYour talk was great yesterday, when are you going to talk about RTS games??â
âChen Mo, can you tell me if thereâs any strategy for drawing SSRs in Onmyoji?â
Chen Mo answered every single question.
âWell, Iâm just here to learn.â
âItâs hard to talk about RTS games, maybe next time.â
âThereâs no secret, the players donât buy it, but you donât believe it as a videogame designer either? Itâs all random.â
Soon, the award ceremony started.
A member of staff came up to Chen Mo and whispered to him, âMr Chen Mo, in case you get an award, be sure to think of what to say.â
âI have an award?â
âNo, Iâm saying if you do get it. I donât know whoâs receiving the award either.â
Chen Mo laughed, âAlright, you donât need to tell me twice.â
Chen Mo claimed that he was just here to learn, but he actually really wanted to get the reward. Chen Mo was in a different world, and also had a different goal. In the previous world, heâd be happy just to have clothes on his back and a roof over his head, but Chen Mo wanted to make more better games in this world.
Chen Mo had already made plenty of money and didnât need to worry about clothes on his back or a roof over his head, but Chen Mo wanted to make more better games, and receiving an award from the officials would do wonders in helping him achieve that goal.