My game is depressing worldwide.

Although it's called a preview live stream, it's actually just a live broadcast of pre-recorded content.

The first of the two programs we're recording today is the anime "Dumpling Family".

As the singer of the promotional song, Su Xing doesn't have much screen time, only about three minutes, which mainly announces that she will continue to sing the anime's opening theme.

Therefore, she finished filming not long afterward.

As Chen Xuan approached the elevator, he could hear Sun Zhirui's reluctant voice from afar.

"I'm so sorry, junior. I was supposed to stay with you until the end of the recording before we left together."

"It's alright, Sister Su! I'm only a little reluctant to leave, really just a little... Besides, business is more important, isn't it? Bye-bye, Sister Su, have a safe trip!"

Even after the elevator doors closed, she lingered in the elevator shaft, reluctant to leave.

Chen Xuan stepped forward and greeted her: "Sun Zhirui? Hello, I'm Chen Xuan, the owner and producer of Asylum Studio."

In the live stream, viewers, including Chen Xuan, would call Lao Wei "little devil," but she herself doesn't fit the stereotype of this type of character.

She doesn't have pigtails, pleated skirts, or baby fat, nor does she have the stereotypical "most offensive" persona she portrays online.

So, you only speak ill of Lao Wei?

What exclusive reward?

She turned around, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said with a scrutinizing gaze, "Mr. Chen, your 'Escape' series has certainly made a splash."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"So, I suggest you don't humiliate yourself by impulsively switching to action games. Like shooting games, it's a winner-takes-all genre," Sun Zhirui said bluntly.

That's not wrong.

Unlike the diverse range of works that emphasize plot, this one is different.

Shooting games and action games are two types of games that heavily rely on skillful handling.

The feel of the controls is a very subjective thing; players don't know what's good or bad about them, but their intuition will give them the answer.

Shooting and attacking are the fundamental elements that provide the strongest positive feedback for these two types of games.

If it's good, it's good; players will naturally choose the one with the best feel.

In this situation, an experienced battle strategist would be extremely useful.

This is the consensus among designers in this world, even when Chen Xuan's previous life's game design concepts were still in their very early stages.

That's why we have John Carmack's famous quote: "The plot of a shooting game is like an adult film; you can have a little bit of it, but it doesn't really matter."

Although the video game industry later experienced intense competition, both types of games remained competitive in terms of plot, level design, and emotional control.

But that was on Earth.

On Earth, design concepts remain stuck in that era.

For action games, as long as the action system is well-designed, it's fun enough.

In shooting games, as long as the guns feel good and you can kill with gusto, that's enough.

"Are you going to discourage me already?" Chen Xuan chuckled, leading the way. "I suggest you give your evaluation after playing the demo."

Sun Zhirui acted nonchalantly and said, "I just don't want a genius who makes horror games to rashly switch to a field he's not good at and suffer for it. Of course, it's your freedom to be stubborn, and it's not my money that's going to be lost."

"Take action games, which are your specialty, for example. Don't you think... this type of game is heading into a dead end? It used to be a game genre that countless players flocked to, but now it has become a 'forbidden zone' that only big companies are allowed to try."

Chen Xuan led the way, with Sun Zhirui following behind. She remained silent after hearing these words.

This was one of the reasons she resigned.

Her passion for action games led her to become a game designer.

Her intuition told her that action games are a diverse field, and there's always a path that everyone from large companies to small and medium-sized enterprises can try.

But... I have absolutely no clue.

After thinking for a moment, she asked with a hint of mockery, "You're not trying to say you've found the way, are you? A horror game maker trying to save the genre from a dead end?"

Chen Xuan ignored the slight sarcasm in her words, returned to his office, turned on his computer, and spoke as he went.

"Previous action games mainly followed two paths: one was 'fun' and the other was 'cool.' Developers pushed these two directions to the extreme, and complex systems could indeed make action games cool and fun."

"The biggest drawback of this approach is that it places all the positive feedback from players on these two points, which either results in a higher learning curve or an ever-expanding development cost."

Sun Zhirui didn't follow her in. Leaning against the doorframe, she chuckled, "What, are you trying to say you've found a new breakthrough?"

"Yes, I... or rather, a genius named Miyazaki has found it." Chen Xuan double-clicked to open the demo on the desktop. "Let the game return to its roots, with a sense of accomplishment and conquest as the core design. 'Action' is just a means for players to experience it."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhirui frowned slightly, as if she had thought of something, but it seemed like a mirage, something unattainable.

It's like... going from seeing mountains as not mountains to seeing them as mountains again.

But the exact location of that "mountain" has not yet been found.

At this moment, Chen Xuan had already opened the demo and done some simple debugging. He then moved aside and made an invitation gesture.

"So, you really don't want to experience firsthand what makes this game, which will stand as a landmark in the history of action games, so appealing?"

Sun Zhirui chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Has anyone ever told you that your eloquence is actually better suited for sales?"

She was still sharp-tongued, but she walked over despite her words and sat down in the ergonomic chair.

"There's more than one, but I still like to use games to heal gamers."

"Thanks for the invitation, I'm feeling depressed again."

Sun Zhirui took the controller and began the beginner tutorial.

However, she couldn't help but look up in surprise when she was only halfway through the tutorial, asking, "Are you serious about the character's stats? You're not going to tell me that all the battles from now on will be this slow, drawn-out two-person show, are you?"

Chen Xuan smiled without saying a word, indicating "Please continue."

Unlike many gamers, Sun Zhirui wasn't in a hurry to pass the levels.

She tried to compare the differences in motion modules, damage, skill systems, resource acquisition methods, and so on between each weapon.

Even though she could see Gundyr's battleground, she stubbornly refused to step inside.

While testing and playing, they kept making comments.

"Can't jump?! Another counterintuitive design. I don't think players will enjoy controlling such a clumsy character."

"The leveling and progression system seems to have a classic RPG feel to it, which some players will enjoy."

"Is this the BOSS battleground? I'd like to see how you can design a BOSS battle that will truly impress people."

With that, Sun Zhirui, carrying a "huge sum" of several hundred souls, stepped into the BOSS battlefield and walked toward the "statue" in the center.