Chapter 159: Now This is a Conscientious Designer! (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

While Meng Zuo was chatting with Chen Xu,

other game designers were also actively discussing the types of DEMOs they intended to develop.

"I think creating a sports game centered around extreme sports would be ideal. It could test the new engine and VR device's environmental interaction, while the immersive mode of extreme sports would provide excellent feedback data."

"Definitely promising. It could even extend into action-adventure games—like mountain climbing, introducing the experience of falling, and the overwhelmingly immersive feedback when facing various beasts in the forest."

"What about horror games? Something like Chen Xu's Outlast? If we want to test the threshold of immersion in games, aren't horror games the most suitable?"

"They are suitable, true, but Outlast is far too bloody. It might pass on the PC platform, but on the VR platform, with Outlast's level of gore, it would definitely fail review."

"That's true, but without gore, the horror level of Outlast drops significantly."

Nearby designers who knew each other were engaged in lively discussions.

Regarding what type or theme of game would yield better testing results, each designer had differing opinions.

However, a few designers shared the same idea as Chen Xu—starting with horror games.

After all, horror games were the ones that could induce the strongest emotional fluctuations in testers.

This was also the reason Chen Xu chose Silent Hill PT as the test game this time.

On one hand, the theme was suitable; on the other, in his previous life, this game was merely a DEMO.

Yet, despite being just a DEMO, it had terrified countless players who experienced it.

Especially its setting of a looping corridor that generated endless fear—this technique was later widely imitated by numerous horror games.

Unlike Outlast, which featured abundant gore, Silent Hill PT contained no visual horror besides the deformed baby in the sink and the 'adorable' wife Lisa.

In fact, Silent Hill PT represented the purest form of Eastern Horror—not relying on visuals to scare players, but instead emphasizing the unknown.

It made players constantly wonder what might suddenly appear to frighten them, leading to self-doubt.

Imagine just watching a horror movie alone at midnight. Suddenly, the lights go out, and strong winds howl outside.

You're completely alone in the house, yet you feel someone beneath your window, inside your wardrobe, and just beyond your bedroom door.

This self-suggested terror was the core essence of the Silent Hill series, and Silent Hill PT pushed this concept to its extreme.

The narrow corridor, the endless repetition, combined with the game's music, sound effects, and subtle, gradual changes within the same scene—

Silent Hill PT reached the pinnacle in crafting a terrifying atmosphere.

As for whether creating such a game might seriously frighten someone to harm,

Chen Xu, after researching various materials and consulting relevant staff members at the Game Department, had a clear understanding.

First, scaring people—yes, it would certainly scare them.

If a horror game didn't scare anyone, could it even be called a horror game?

But scaring someone to death? That was completely impossible.

Firstly, this wasn't a game directly released to all players, but a DEMO designed for testing new VR equipment.

Test participants were carefully selected.

During testing, their physiological functions would be continuously monitored—not only by the VR equipment but also by backup monitoring systems. Medical emergency personnel would be on standby nearby, ensuring the safety of the testers.

If a tester's physical or emotional state showed severe fluctuations, the gaming pod's system would immediately interrupt the game.

Then, based on the tester's feedback, corresponding records and experiences would be documented, providing essential data for subsequent research and technical development of the gaming pod.

Thus, safety was fully guaranteed.

The so-called 'scaring to death' didn't literally mean death from fear, but rather referred to other symptoms triggered by emotional stress.

In the human brain, there's a region called the amygdala, which controls fear. Fear itself is actually a form of self-protection in humans.

When a person feels fear and cannot determine whether a threat is real, the amygdala's feedback mechanism triggers, causing a surge of adrenaline. This leads to accelerated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, blood vessel constriction, and increased blood sugar.

If this state persists, the body becomes overloaded, potentially damaging heart tissue.

For a physically healthy individual with a normal heart, if they truly died from being scared during a horror game,

only one scenario could occur: during gameplay, the person had already been overwhelmed with fear, clearly feeling physical discomfort.

Yet they persisted, continuing to experience the extreme terror as if nothing was wrong, ultimately causing their body to collapse from overexertion.

Therefore, regarding whether Silent Hill PT might cause negative effects, Chen Xu now had no more concerns.

He could boldly and freely unleash his creativity.

..................

After completing the necessary registration with the Game Department, Chen Xu exchanged a few words with Meng Zuo and returned to Nebula Games.

The VR development prototype for Silent Hill PT would be delivered by a dedicated team from the Game Department.

As for subsidies, Nebula Games would cover the initial costs. Later, after submitting invoices and related documents to the Game Department for review, the subsidy would be transferred to the company's account.

Back at the company, Chen Xu began drafting the design concept for Silent Hill PT.

Since it was just a DEMO, the story revealed in it wasn't complicated.

As for some of the game's easter eggs, Chen Xu decided not to change them after some thought.

The original Silent Hill PT contained two special easter eggs.

For instance, after clearing the game, there was a male voice monologue, hinting at the irreconcilable conflict between the game's creator, Hideo Kojima, and his former company, Konami.

Additionally, the mysterious number 204863 mentioned in the game, similar to Kojima's previous work Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, hinted at the game's location.

Although the first easter egg might be completely incomprehensible to players in this parallel world,

it was still worth planting as a hidden clue. Although this VR DEMO wouldn't be released to players,

the Game Department might later edit related promotional videos.

Players could then glimpse the DEMO's content through these videos.

When the opportunity arose in the future to bring the Silent Hill series to adorable players, revisiting this easter egg would carry a whole new significance.

Thinking of this, Chen Xu couldn't help but smile.

As a game designer, one must care about players' experiences at every turn—now that's what you call a conscientious designer!

Sighing with emotion, Chen Xu continued writing the design concept drafts.

The content wasn't extensive, and by the afternoon, he had already completed most of it.

Meanwhile, the Game Department worked with remarkable efficiency—the VR development prototype had already been delivered.

Additionally, higher-level permissions for game designers had been temporarily unlocked.

Leaving his office and heading to the project office,

Chen Xu found Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and Qin Yi busy working on the production of Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame.

Well… the production of its promotional trailer.

"Art Team, pause for a moment. Ningxue, assign a small group—there's a VR platform DEMO that needs development," Chen Xu announced upon arriving at the studio.

Upon hearing Chen Xu's words, everyone looked surprised.

Especially Ruan Ningxue, whose eyes widened in shock. "VR!? Are we developing a VR game? Is it a new IP or an old IP? Could it be the VR version of It Takes Two?"

Not just Ruan Ningxue, but Yang Xin, Qin Yi, and others also looked bewildered.

Hadn't they just agreed that the recent focus would be on the Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame promotional trailer?

Why were they suddenly making a VR game?

Could it be related to Mr. Chen's recent trip to the Game Department?

Many people began speculating wildly.

"None of the above. It's just a test DEMO, not a huge workload, so it won't require many people. Modeling will be outsourced. The main tasks will focus on VR content framing and art atmosphere presentation," Chen Xu explained with a smile.

"Mr. Chen, I'll do it!" Ruan Ningxue volunteered immediately.

Her workload on Dark Souls: Age of the First Flame wasn't heavy, and there was another crucial point—she was genuinely interested.

After all, this was her first time working on VR.

Although the job content might not differ much from before, the game attribute had changed.

Even though Chen Xu mentioned it was just a DEMO,

in that instant, Ruan Ningxue seemed to rediscover the excitement she felt when making her first game.

"Uh… alright then. Ningxue, plus two more from the Art Team. I'll brief you on the features of this VR game," Chen Xu said, slightly taken aback by Ruan Ningxue's enthusiasm, then selected two more people, who were equally thrilled.

Following Chen Xu toward the meeting room, Ruan Ningxue wore a wide smile, her mind buzzing with speculation about what type of game the VR DEMO would be.

Would it be warm and harmonious like It Takes Two? Grand and majestic like Dark Souls? Or casual and cute like Fall Guys?

(End of Chapter) <>