Entertainment to the death, make a tokusatsu film that will crush the entire internet.

The headline of the social section of the City Morning Post.

[Real-life Pokémon battle! Couple confronts police station in the early hours over a rare Dragonite]

The main text describes a young couple in detail.

A heated argument broke out over the right to catch a rare Pokémon, Dragonite, which spawned simultaneously in the community garden.

In a moment of panic, the husband snatched his wife's phone to try and manage it for her, but the wife called the police, claiming she had been robbed of her digital assets.

Police mediation lasted until the early hours of the morning, and the case ultimately ended with the husband signing a guarantee that he would no longer seize his spouse's virtual assets.

This report was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

But this is just the beginning.

In the following week, a deluge of social news related to Pokémon swept across major media platforms:

A new trend in lunch breaks! The boss of an internet company organized a pet-catching contest for employees at his own expense, with the first prize being three days of paid leave!

"Park Turns into Trainer's Paradise! Elderly Complaints: Young People Running Around with Their Phones Affecting Our Square Dancing!"

Heartwarming! Middle school students team up to help an elderly person living alone with their household chores.

Firefighters warn: Do not catch Pokémon in dangerous areas or while the vehicle is in motion! There have been three near-accidents caused by people looking down to catch Pokémon.

On the seventh day after the game's release, four of the top ten trending topics on Weibo were related to Pokémon.

#Pokémon is changing the way we socialize#

#How many steps have you taken in Pokémon?#

#Real-life Dojo Battles#

#What's it like to catch a rare Pokémon?#

Under each topic, millions of discussions are taking place.

"I used to just stay home after get off work, but now, to incubate the eggs, I walk a full five kilometers every day and have lost four pounds in a week!"

—The accompanying image is a sports video recording and a newly hatched miniature dragon.

"Strangers from different companies in our office building formed a chat group because of a competition for the dojo downstairs. Now we even meet up for meals on weekends, and I've made so many interesting friends!"

The screenshots show lively group chats and photos of offline gatherings.

"My child used to dislike going out, but now, in order to catch Eevee, he asks for a family walk in the park every evening after dinner. Our parent-child relationship has improved!"

—A long post by a mother has received over 100,000 likes.

Of course, there were also many voices expressing concern.

A well-known television talk show dedicated a special episode to this topic: "Virtual Invasion of Reality? Pokémon: Fun or a Trap?"

In the studio, a youth online behavior research expert is speaking eloquently to the camera with a serious expression.

"We must be wary of this practice of forcibly integrating games into real-world spaces!"

He tapped the table, his voice heavy.

"It blurs the lines between virtual and reality, enticing teenagers and even adults to spend excessive time on the streets, neglecting real-life interpersonal interactions and traffic safety!"

"What's even more frightening is that this mechanism of collecting, nurturing, and competing essentially exploits people's collecting tendencies and competitiveness for psychological manipulation!"

"In the long run, this can lead to decreased concentration and a reduced sense of accomplishment in real-world situations..."

After the program aired, it was quickly reprinted by some traditional media outlets.

Experts warn;

The dangers of addiction;

Keywords such as blurred boundaries have begun to appear in some more conservative news reports.

Penguin Games headquarters.

"The opportunity has arrived."

The head of the mobile game division stared at the report on the screen.

"Contact several media outlets we are familiar with, as well as those experts, and intensify our criticism of Pokémon."

"The focus should be on addressing issues such as harm to teenagers, inducing dangerous behavior on the streets, and data privacy risks."

"at the same time,"

He lowered his voice.

"Identify yourself as a concerned parent or educator and anonymously report to the relevant departments. Be detailed in your report, saying that you have received a lot of complaints from parents that their children's grades have dropped and they stay out all night after playing this game."

The assistant hesitated.

"Minister, the Land of Light is currently riding high on its success. Would reporting it...?"

"What are you afraid of?"

The person in charge sneered.

"We're not spreading rumors. The news is there, and experts have also expressed their opinions. We're just conveying the public's concerns."

"Even if they investigate, they'll investigate whether there are problems with their game design."

"As long as we can generate public scrutiny and get the higher-ups' attention, leading to rectification or removal from app stores, our 'Legend of the Sword' will still have a chance to breathe!"

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

Before leaving get off work that day, several anonymous whistleblower letters were sent to the public email addresses of several relevant departments.

However, the people at Tencent Games never expected this.

One of the complaint letters, whether due to an oversight in the email system or some other reason, is unclear.

It was mistakenly sent to a public email address for gamer feedback.

The maintainer of this email address is a veteran gaming blogger known as "Lao Dao".

When Lao Dao received this officially worded complaint letter, he was initially stunned.

Immediately, he keenly sensed that something was wrong.

The tone, the format, and the familiarity with industry jargon...

They don't seem like typical parents or teachers.

He carefully examined the evidence in the attachment and found that the so-called negative news cited almost all came from several media outlets that had long-term cooperative relationships with Tencent.

The expert opinions came from several scholars who had previously spoken at Tencent Games' press conferences.

A bold guess popped into his mind.

Instead of making a fuss, he concealed the source of the whistleblower letter and sent it to a small group consisting of senior game industry editors, legal professionals, and enthusiastic players.

"Brothers, try this flavor."

The group chat exploded immediately.

"This writing style must have been honed by Tencent's legal department, right?"

"Hilarious! They're using the excuse of inducing spending to harm teenagers? Their own game, 'Legend of the Sword,' gives you divine gear for a first-time recharge of six yuan and guarantees an SSR in ten consecutive draws. Doesn't that count as inducing spending?"

"Come on, come on, I've got some good stuff here!"

A member of the group who specializes in game data analysis shared several links.

That's a summary of complaints and court rulings regarding several mobile games under Tencent's umbrella over the past three years:

"Honor of Kings Accused of Inducing Minors to Spend Huge Amounts of Money; Parents Seek Millions in Compensation"

Tencent's online chess and card game has been embroiled in a gambling scandal and has been summoned for talks multiple times.

Lack of transparency in gacha rates leads to consumer complaints about several Tencent games.

In contrast, the main controversy surrounding the Land of Light Pokémon is currently...

Surprisingly, the focus is on things like making people walk more, potentially bumping into trees, and couples arguing.

"The difference in skill is obvious, brothers!"

Old Dao's blood boiled, and he immediately decided: "This matter cannot be left like this."

Instead of directly exposing the whistleblower letter, he wrote a long article titled:

Who's afraid of Pokémon? — On the industry panic triggered by a new game format

The article did not mention the specific whistleblower letter.

Instead, it takes an industry competition perspective, comparing the essential differences between Pokémon's innovative AR social gameplay and traditional pay-to-win gacha mobile games.

The article lists numerous positive change stories shared by players and also objectively mentions the safety issues that need attention.

Finally, the author shifted focus, citing concrete cases in recent years involving Tencent's games that genuinely involved inducement to make in-game purchases, probability fraud, and gambling risks, creating a stark contrast.

"When a game starts encouraging you to go outside, exercise, and socialize, how can it be more harmful than games that make you sit on the couch and keep clicking on recharge buttons? I'm sorry, but I can't understand this logic."

"Who is truly harming teenagers? Is it the games that might make you bump into a lamppost while walking, or those games that are carefully designed with pay-to-win traps, exploiting human weaknesses to endlessly empty your wallet?"

"Have some giants become so accustomed to setting their own rules that when someone pioneers a completely new track, their first reaction isn't to learn from or catch up, but rather... to report them?"

This long article was published late at night.

In just two hours, it was forwarded over 100,000 times and received over a million likes.

"Brother Dao is absolutely right! Tencent Games' greed is truly appalling!"

"Haha, it reminds me of my cousin who secretly spent 5,000 yuan on a certain mobile game on Tencent in a month. My aunt was so angry she almost had to go to the hospital. Playing Pokémon? He'll just get a tan at most."

"This has threatened some people's interests, and they're getting anxious!"

"Penguin: Why aren't you following my script? I'm reporting you!"

"Hilarious! The reason for the report is 'harming teenagers'? Their own games are full of softcore pornography and gambling-related content, don't they have any self-awareness?"

Public opinion shifted instantly.

The comments section, which had initially been filled with expert warnings, was now flooded with sarcastic and rebuttal remarks.

Some tech-savvy netizens even uncovered the intricate business connections between those experts and Tencent Games.

Serving as a consultant, attending events, writing evaluation reports...

"Turns out he wasn't an expert, he was just a 'pseudo-expert'!"

"It's not shameful to talk money."

Inside Tencent Games, the minister in charge of the matter looked at the one-sided public opinion on the computer screen with a livid face, trembling with anger.

"Useless! You can't even send a complaint to the right email address?!"

"And that old knife! How did he know so much inside information?!"

"Quickly do a public relations campaign! Suppress it! Say those are all rumors!"

However, it was too late.

Several mainstream media outlets with keen business sense quickly followed up and began to delve into the chaotic competition within the mobile game industry.

Penguin Games' past scandals were unearthed one by one and repeatedly examined under the spotlight.

In contrast, Pokémon was portrayed as a positive example of innovation being suppressed in the reports.

Office of the Land of Light.

Su Xiaoran strode in, her face beaming with an irrepressible smile.

"Director Yang, look! Tencent Games' attempt to steal a chicken has backfired; the internet is now condemning them!"

Yang Qian is looking at the backend data of "Pokémon".

Upon hearing this, he merely raised his eyes slightly and glanced at the tablet screen that Su Xiaoran handed him.

Above is Lao Dao's brilliant article that went viral online, and below it is a vast army of mockers.

"Yes, I saw it."

His calm reaction surprised Su Xiaoran.

"Director Yang, don't you feel relieved? They tried to smear us, but they ended up getting themselves into trouble!"

Yang Qian turned her gaze back to her computer screen, which displayed a constantly scrolling heatmap of player activity and a summary of step count statistics.

"What's so satisfying about it?"

He smiled, his tone indifferent.

"The game itself is just a tool, a medium."

"Like a knife, it can be used to cut vegetables, or it can be used to hurt people."

"The key lies not in the knife itself, but in the people who use it, and how society guides and regulates its use."

"Pokémon simply offers a new possibility—making people more willing to go outside, interact, explore, and share fun in the real world."

"Some people use it to enhance their relationships, some use it to improve their physical fitness, and of course, some people become so addicted that they neglect safety."

"These phenomena, good and bad, all exist in reality."

"What we need to do is not deny or cover it up, but to amplify the positive aspects and mitigate the risks through game design, community guidance, and safety reminders."

He pointed to a player activity that had just been refreshed on the screen.

It was a photo of several middle school students surrounding an elderly man in a wheelchair. The man was holding a cell phone, his face full of wrinkles as he smiled. On the screen was a cute Pikachu.

The caption reads: "I helped Grandpa Wang downstairs catch his favorite Pikachu! He said it's the happiest thing that happened to him today!"

"You see, this is where its true influence lies."

Yang Qian leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant.

"Tencent Games reported us because they only see games as a tool for making money and cannot understand this value that transcends mere entertainment."

"Their failure was inevitable from the start."

"As for the reversal of public opinion..."

He paused, then gave a meaningful smile.

"That's just a matter of public opinion shifting, a natural consequence of things falling into place."

Su Xiaoran stared blankly at Yang Qian.

"So...do we need an official response?"

Su Xiaoran asked.

"No need."

Yang Qian shook his head.

"The players and the public have already responded for us."

"What we need to do now is to hurry up and launch the safety capture area alert function and the daily outdoor time reminder service."

In addition, Yang Qian plans to give Pokémon players a set of Team GUTS uniforms.

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