Chapter 1
In just over an hour, Qiao Liang had already run through the game's first ending.

Clearly, the game encouraged multiple playthroughs. After completing the first ending, he returned to the initial room, ready to start again.

The difference was that, at the start of the second playthrough, he would receive some starting funds based on the outcome of the previous playthrough (or a composite of the previous n playthroughs).

The game included some special game types, such as MMORPGs, which required a significant amount of development funding. If players chose this mode at the beginning, they were almost guaranteed to fail due to a broken funding chain, unless they made all the right choices.

However, with accumulated funds from the second playthrough onwards, the success rate would increase when choosing game types that required larger investments.

Qiao Liang didn't immediately start his second playthrough; instead, he fell into deep thought.

This game... was quite special!

It was difficult to describe the feeling.

At the very beginning of the game, Qiao Liang was bewildered. The game constantly challenged his ingrained thinking, shattering all his common gaming knowledge into fragments.

The game's name was "Game Designer," and its content reflected that. Players had to take on the role of a designer, create a game, and ultimately face the scrutiny of the market.

When he first entered the game, there wasn't much that wowed him; in fact, it was somewhat off-putting.

Although it supported both keyboard/mouse and gamepad controls, all he could do was move and change the camera angle. The entire game involved constant running around, without even basic interactions like opening doors or using items, let alone a combat system.

Running into a room and choosing a door to enter was considered progressing to the next key point in the game.

If the game's art style hadn't been so outstanding, and if the scene silhouettes appearing in the rooms hadn't created such a strong atmosphere, Qiao Liang felt he might have given up at the very beginning.

Another thing that was quite irritating was the narrator.

Initially, Qiao Liang thought the narrator would simply provide a brief introduction to the story's background at the beginning, but as he played, he realized that the narrator was present throughout the entire game and constantly trying to get his attention.

Constantly laughing at me, never stopping!

Each time he entered a room and made a choice, the narrator would always offer a suggestion in a snarky, annoying tone.

For example, when choosing a monetization model, the narrator would try to persuade the player to choose a heavy pay-to-win model.

What was most infuriating was that this narrator seemed to be a professional MT (main tank), with incredible taunting abilities!

If you didn't choose what the narrator suggested, you would be taunted;

If you followed the narrator's suggestions and ended up with a failed ending, you would still be taunted!

In short, the narrator's purpose seemed to be to give bad advice and constantly undermine the player's confidence, with mAx levels of toxic and punchable behavior.

There were several times when Qiao Liang was so infuriated that he wanted to reach into the screen and beat up this annoying narrator.

Qiao Liang was very puzzled about the narrator's purpose.

Was it just to annoy the player?

That didn't make sense!

Confusion and anger were Qiao Liang's first impressions of the game.

But gradually, as the game's story progressed, Qiao Liang began to have a different feeling.

He discovered that teasing the narrator seemed to be the essence of the game!

In many choices, deliberately not choosing what the narrator suggested would elicit different reactions from the narrator.

At first, the narrator didn't care much, only expressing some minor frustration;

Gradually, the narrator started to become impatient, trying to explain the consequences of not following his advice;

Later on, the narrator became more irritable, speaking more harshly and without holding back;

When provoked, he would fly into a rage;

In the end, the narrator would adopt a "nothing to lose" attitude, with a tone of "I'll just sit here and watch what kind of trouble you can get into."

The narrator's reactions were also particularly interesting at the end of each playthrough.

If the player followed the narrator's advice and failed, the narrator would mock and ridicule the player for being easily swayed, lacking their own opinions, and deserving to fail;

If the player didn't follow the narrator's advice and failed, the narrator would still mock and ridicule the player, saying that if they had followed his advice, they definitely wouldn't have failed, and that the player deserved it;

If the player didn't follow the narrator's advice and ultimately succeeded, the narrator would still stubbornly insist that if they had followed his advice, they could have achieved even greater success!

Although he would be taunted regardless, the narrator's tone when the player succeeded was sour and amusing.

Qiao Liang developed a strong interest in the voice actor, curious about how he managed to capture the narrator's mindset so well, with such distinct layers of emotion!

While teasing the narrator, Qiao Liang discovered even more of the game's merits.

After careful observation, he realized that the art style was not just "good," but "outstanding"!

The silhouettes in the scenes were particularly effective at creating atmosphere, and combined with the appropriate music and sound effects, they highly condensed the true situation, allowing it to be well-represented in a room-sized environment.

The unique art style gave the game a strong sense of artistry and sophistication.

Starting from the second playthrough, Qiao Liang played through different endings as he repeatedly tried different choices, and they were all very unexpected!

The first time, he followed the narrator's advice and chose a heavy pay-to-win model, resulting in the game's reputation being ruined. Although he made money, the subsequent sequels failed, and he was mocked by the narrator;

The second time, Qiao Liang learned his lesson and chose a conscientious model, but the game didn't make enough money because of insufficient monetization points and low player spending rates, and he was mocked by the narrator again;

The third time, Qiao Liang completely followed the narrator's instructions, but this time it flopped even worse, and he was relentlessly mocked by the narrator...

Qiao Liang was so angry that he wanted to smash his gamepad.

What a scam!

How could he keep playing if every ending was a bad ending?

But after many failures, Qiao Liang carefully considered and immediately realized the deeper meaning.

The player was playing as a game designer, and what he was experiencing was exactly the game designer's daily life!

The annoying narrator could be seen as the greed within, or as the armchair critics and passersby who were always pointing fingers.

The narrator would offer some suggestions, some of which were lucky guesses, and some of which were completely wrong.

As a game designer, it was difficult not to be influenced.

Completely lacking your own opinions would certainly lead to failure;

Being stubborn and refusing to listen to any advice would also likely lead to failure;

Only by carefully analyzing and seriously considering the advice, and making the right decisions in the vast majority of the dozens of choices, could one ultimately achieve success!

In fact, wasn't this the case for any creator in the cultural industry, not just game designers?

On this path, most creators were lonely and struggled, but that was precisely why the final fruits of victory were so sweet!

Unconsciously, Qiao Liang realized that his eyes were a little moist.

Because Qiao Liang himself was also a content creator.

Making videos and making games were both forms of cultural output, and the mental states were so similar!

Qiao Liang couldn't help but recall the things he had experienced.

Pouring his heart and soul into a video, only to have it ignored;

Having to accept some sponsored content in order to survive, being chased and scolded by many fans, and not daring to show his face for days;

Feeling sad every time a fan sent a long private message expressing their disappointment and saying they were going to unfollow;

However, he quickly got used to it, because nothing lasts forever. He warmly welcomed new fans and treated old fans consistently. If someone really unfollowed him, they would say goodbye and wish each other well.

Perhaps a certain video suddenly went viral because it caught a trending topic, seemingly due to luck, but in reality, it required a great deal of accumulation as a prerequisite.

In the game "Game Designer," Qiao Liang found this resonance.

He realized that this creator was simply a genius!

This game seemed abusive, cruel, and disgusting, but wasn't that the true state of reality?

Which game designer in reality wasn't covered in scars, and who hadn't come through the taunts and scorn of countless people?

Some were exhausted and quietly withdrew;

Some overcame obstacles and never forgot their original intentions;

Some abandoned their ideals and became the very thing they hated...

Every state of mind was incorporated into this game, and only by deeply experiencing it could one discover it!

It was like a cup of fragrant tea:

The first taste might be a little bitter;

Gradually, you would taste some sweetness;

Carefully savoring it, you would discover the vastness of life, the warmth and coldness of human relationships;

When the tea was finished, the aftertaste would be endless.

Qiao Liang sat in front of his computer, his heart suddenly filled with emotion.

"So, I misunderstood President Pei..."

"How could someone who can make this kind of game be petty?"

"I want to make another video!"

Qiao Liang reopened the B薯网 (Fan Shu Wang) backstage.

He looked at his two current sections, "Garbage Game Rants" and "New Game Recommendations."

He hesitated for a moment, as neither of these sections seemed quite suitable.

After some consideration, Qiao Liang created a new section.

"Masterpieces"!