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Chapter 579 Brilliant Public Relations

When an opportunity arises, you'll find that America is full of wolves and tigers.

Just three hours after reports of White's death from photosensitive epilepsy broke, a flood of accusations and claims came from all sides to multiple regulatory agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The most astonishing example is a housewife from Nevada.

She claims that her 17-year-old son developed photosensitive epilepsy a year ago, which she suspects is related to the visual effects of products under YueDong Games. Therefore, she is demanding that YueDong Games compensate her for medical expenses, mental distress damages, and other damages totaling $23.

It's been a year, and now you know to come and file a lawsuit, demanding compensation.

This sounds like utter bullshit. Why didn't they do this sooner?

But the reality is, this is very American.

When a company is in crisis, especially a well-known company with high compensation capabilities, greed can drive various entities to ignore the facts and join the ranks of those seeking compensation.

They don't care about the ins and outs of the incident, nor do they care about defining the boundaries of responsibility; they only care about the immediate temptation of profit.

There is a famous saying in America.

In this land where capital is the ultimate religion, crises are never just disasters, but also, in the eyes of some, a path to wealth. As a leading company in the North American gaming industry, YueDong Games' high revenue and substantial capital reserves since its IPO have now become easy prey for speculators.

At 1:50 PM, the world's first publicly traded gaming company, or more accurately, the first publicly traded gaming company in North America, was established.

In just the past few hours, the market value of DynaGames has shrunk by more than three billion US dollars, and Nintendo has reclaimed its title as the world's largest game company.

The press conference hall on the third floor of YueDong Games' headquarters was packed to capacity.

Everyone is discussing the crisis facing the Jumping Game, but many media professionals have a hint of guilt in their eyes.

At 2 p.m. sharp, as the scheduled start time for the press conference arrived, Ryan Ruiz, CEO of Leap Games, walked slowly into the venue, surrounded by his public relations team and legal counsel.

Wearing a dark suit and with his hair neatly combed, he couldn't hide the fatigue in his eyes, which attracted a lot of attention.

Ryan Ruiz walked straight to the podium and sat down in the chair in the center.

He didn't speak immediately, but first looked around the venue, his gaze slowly sweeping over the densely packed reporters and flashing camera flashes below the stage.

After a few seconds of silence, he picked up the microphone in front of him and spoke in a steady but slightly hoarse voice, "First of all, on behalf of YueDong Games, I would like to express our sincerest apologies to the White family. We are deeply saddened and regretful about White's passing, and extend our sincerest condolences to his family."

Before he could finish speaking, a flurry of questions erupted in the room.

"Mr. Ruiz, does your apology mean that Leap Games has admitted that its products were the direct cause of White's death?" The public relations director sitting next to Ryan wanted to stand up to remind the reporter to follow the rules of questioning, but Ryan raised his hand to stop him.

He nodded slightly and calmly replied, "First of all, it needs to be made clear that any investigation report issued so far is only a preliminary investigation report. The possibility that the flashing effects of the game screen can induce epilepsy is only suspected, but this does not mean that YueDong Games is the culprit."

"Secondly, based on what we know, in the five days before White fell ill, his average daily sleep time was only 5.2 hours, and on the shortest day it was even less than 4 hours."

"Common medical knowledge tells us that chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a decline in the body's immunity and dysfunction of the nervous system, which will undoubtedly significantly increase the risk of epileptic seizures and exacerbate the severity of the condition."

Ryan Ruiz's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly conveyed to every corner of the venue.

"Studying, exercising, all his actions could be part of the tragedy. The computer screen showing the Counter-Strike interface does not mean that the game is the most direct culprit."

"It's very likely that he was studying, but he was distracted by the game screen. The dynamic game might just be one of the triggers."

"So, is Jump Games shirking responsibility?" another reporter pressed, his tone clearly questioning. "Your statement seems to imply that White, as well as his family, should bear some responsibility for the tragedy that occurred?"

"No, I'm not shirking responsibility." Renn slowly shook his head, his eyes firm, and said, "If the final investigation confirms that YueDong Games' products are indeed related to the incident, then we are willing to assume full responsibility."

"That's why I just apologized to the White family. We don't deny that the high frame rate flashing effects in the game could objectively be one of the factors that trigger epilepsy."

Ryan Ruiz's tone became serious. "But we also cannot ignore the responsibilities of other stakeholders. As parents, have you fulfilled your guardianship obligations to your minors? Have you paid attention to your child's chronic sleep deprivation? As schools, have you neglected any shortcomings in the education and management of students' physical and mental health? These are all issues that need to be explored in depth, rather than simply attributing all the responsibility to the game company."

"In fact, this isn't the first time that flashing game screens have triggered photosensitive epilepsy. To cite a recent example, last year a Nintendo game in Japan caused thousands of players to experience seizures. Fortunately, due to timely detection and proper treatment, no one died." "Why do the same technologies produce different results? The core reason lies in the individual's physical condition."

Ryan Ruiz's remarks sparked a murmur in the room, with reporters bowing their heads to take notes. However, one reporter still pressed for clarification, asking, "What about your company's dynamic flash adjustment technology? Are you going to deny it?"

"Since you know your technology can cause photosensitive epilepsy, why are you still using it? Is there any deliberate disregard for the health and even lives of players?"

Ryan took a deep breath and, without dodging the sensitive question, responded frankly, "First of all, it needs to be acknowledged that 16 frames per second of flashing images is indeed in the frequency range that triggers photosensitive epilepsy, which is a scientifically verified fact."

"But I must emphasize that the technical standards of Jump Games fully comply with current industry norms and relevant federal laws and regulations."

"Secondly, if everyone truly understands the current state of industry applications of dynamic flash technology, they will find that Dynamic Games has already minimized the potential harm of the technology to the greatest extent possible."

With a hint of pride in his voice, Ryan Ruiz said, "In pursuit of more stunning visual effects, major game companies around the world are now generally using high frame rate flash technology. The flash frequency of many popular games has reached 24 frames per second, which is 50% higher than ours, and the corresponding risk of triggering flashes is also higher."

"It's not just the gaming industry; Hollywood also widely uses high frame rate flash technology to create more stunning scenes, with some films even exceeding 30 frames per second."

"You can look it up; there was a similar case in the UK in 1993."

"A 14-year-old boy suffered photosensitive epilepsy while watching a movie in a theater due to the continuous high frame rate flickering of the screen. Because the staff on site failed to notice in time and take emergency measures, the boy ultimately died."

"Compared to these stunning visuals created using simple high-frame-rate data, our company, Leap Motion, has always adhered to the spirit of prioritizing technology."

"Our dynamic flash technology, even at 16 frames per second, can achieve the effect of other games or movies at 24 frames per second." "This incident made me realize the fragility of life and the dangers posed by flash technology. Therefore, I have decided that YueDong Games will continue to invest in research and development of flash technology and open up its patents to the entire industry."

"We hope that this move will minimize the occurrence of photosensitive epilepsy caused by this technology."

"Of course, I also urge regulatory agencies to take this matter seriously and establish unified American standards for photosensitive safety in video games and movies."

After finishing his speech, Ryan Ruiz stood up and announced loudly, "We at Leap Games will also establish a Player Health Committee, inviting the families of victims, gamers, doctors specializing in neurology and other related fields, as well as media representatives to participate in this plan. The goal is to scientifically and systematically ensure that various new technologies no longer become a burden for gamers."

After Ryan finished speaking, the hall fell into a brief silence.

The reporters exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing strange expressions.

I originally thought this press conference would be an apology meeting, with YueDong Games bowing its head in remorse, promising compensation, and begging for public understanding.

But as I listened, it somehow turned into a declaration of industry transformation.

Is this an attempt to interfere with the rules of the gaming industry?

By comparing the current state of the industry, the article emphasizes that Leap Games' technology has the lowest risk and the best effect, indirectly refuting accusations of disregarding user health.

Then, by citing the examples of Nintendo and Hollywood, the company transformed its individual crisis into a common problem for the entire industry, thus alleviating its own public pressure.

Finally, by opening up its patents and advocating for the establishment of standards, the company demonstrated its social responsibility while cleverly positioning itself as a rule-maker in the industry. If future industry standards are indeed based on Leap Games' technological solutions, other companies will have to rely on its patented technology, allowing Leap Games to collect substantial patent fees.

The most crucial step is the establishment of the Players' Health Committee. This initiative can not only effectively improve the company's image, but also resolve potential public opinion crises in advance by bringing together representatives from all parties, thereby gaining control over the discourse on the healthy development of the industry.

"This isn't crisis management; it's clearly a strategic move to establish industry dominance!" a reporter whispered to his colleague beside him.

Open patents, exchanging short-term technology sharing for long-term industry dominance.

It has a nice-sounding name: Health Committee.

But what technologies are healthy and what technologies are unhealthy, in the end, it's up to you to decide.

Are there any healthy electronic products out there?

Is this a strategy by YueDong Games to boost its stock price?

The reporters had no idea.

However, one thing is certain: the decline in YueDong Games will be less severe before the Nasdaq closes today.