To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 769: 431 Chapter 769: 431 After reviewing his benefits package, Leon was silent for a long time before he asked in the internal communication software, “How do I request leave?”

Xu Qingling: “We don’t have that system, do we?”

Leon: “You mean, no one can take leave here?”

Xu Qingling: “No, it means if you don’t feel like coming in, just let any colleague know. We don’t have an attendance system here, and you can even be away for a whole month if you want.”

Leon: “…No reasons asked?”

Xu Qingling: “The boss has said, if an employee doesn’t want to come to work, it must be the company’s problem, so there’s no need to ask for a reason. By the way, if there’s anything you want, you can also contact the boss directly. He’s always worried that the studio’s benefits aren’t good enough, and your opinions would be very helpful to him.”

Leon fell silent.

When he learned that leave was not an option here, he feared that this place was a sweatshop, where even becoming ash would mean being turned into fertilizer to show up for work.

But now, it seemed like this place was a good company indeed.

After a while, Xu Qingling asked, “Any other questions?”

Leon: “No, that’s all.”

Xu Qingling: “Alright, then I wish you a pleasant time at work.”

If this had been any other company, that phrase would have carried the hollow hypocrisy of a corporate slave.

After all, going to work means laboring away your life and soul for the boss, and selling your body and soul could never be pleasant.

But now, Leon actually felt that the statement was particularly fitting and realized that going to work could indeed be very pleasant.

Shaking his head lightly, Leon felt regret.

He regretted not coming here earlier for the sake of pride, wondering how much he had missed out on.

But now, it wasn’t too late, and he could still strive on.

Just as Leon was getting ready to start working, he noticed Xiao Douzi approaching from the side.

The other was tall and strong, whereas Leon was more on the skinny side.

Feeling the light above his head being blocked, he instinctively swallowed and asked, “Excuse me, is there something you need?”

Xiao Douzi looked at Leon carefully and then asked, “What projects did you primarily handle at Druid Entertainment?”

“Well, I was mainly the president’s assistant, but before becoming the assistant, I was involved in the production of ‘Frontline Mission 4,’ mainly in level design and narrative.”

Xiao Douzi immediately lit up, then took out her notebook and said earnestly, “That’s my favorite installment; I think its level design is nothing short of art. So, could you give me an autograph?”

“I prefer the fifth one,” Monkey came over and said, “I like the feel of it.”

“I’m all about the original,” Huang Ping joined in, “That one’s the classic.”

“Mr. Liu, you’re getting old, aren’t you? I heard old people like to play old games.”

Watching his enthusiastic colleagues, Leon’s last bit of apprehension vanished.

He had thought his former status as an employee of Druid Entertainment might lead to his exclusion, but clearly, his colleagues here weren’t like that.

They were passionate about games and showed no discrimination or dissatisfaction towards him.

No office politics, no scheming, and even during casual conversations, no one came over to stop them; the atmosphere here was truly wonderful.

Half an hour later, the group finally finished chatting and went back to their work.

And Huang Ping told Leon where the game documents were, then pointed to the single rest room and said, “You should look over the documents first. After that, you’ll take over the overseas operations for ‘Reincarnation Land.’ If you’re tired, take a break in there; no need to force yourself.”

“You’re giving me such an important job right off the bat?” Leon was astonished.

“Yes, you’ll be handling the overseas operations from now on. Also, I must remind you…”
Huang Ping’s grave tone sent a shiver down Leon’s spine.

I knew it, high pay comes with high risk; there must be something here I’m not aware of.

Huang Ping, however, was looking seriously at Leon and said solemnly, “When you’re playing ‘Reincarnation Land,’ if you feel any discomfort, stop immediately and head to the break room to watch some videos. We’ve experimented and found that watching cats and hamsters is the most stress-relieving. If you still feel off, just open the door, and Sanmiao will come in for you to pet for a while.”

“What kind of strange rule is this?”

Leon frowned, wondering if this was some kind of prank that the old employees played on the newcomers.

This type of prank was quite common in North America; as long as it wasn’t overly excessive, the supervisor wouldn’t usually say anything.

“Believe me, this is the experience we’ve summed up over time. Alright, get started.”

Opening the document somewhat perplexed, Leon spent the morning roughly browsing through the copy here, and then he found the game quite interesting.

The document was written very formally, and it didn’t use any particularly difficult vocabulary, making it easy for the reader to get the hang of it and quickly understand how the game is played.

The document was completed by several people, with involvement from the studio’s planners, but there was no significant personal bias while reading it, indicating that the planners here were all well-trained.

The game industry has developed to this point as a highly industrialized industry; standardized documents can significantly reduce reading and communication costs, greatly enhancing the efficiency of game production.

Moreover, any feature of the game could be implemented with Fang Cheng’s help, no matter how outrageous the idea, which added to Leon’s impression of Fang Cheng.

A genius programmer, a genius game producer, with a keen eye for games and tasteful game aesthetics, no wonder Fang Cheng Studio could rise so quickly.

After reading the document, Leon was ready to start playing the studio’s new game, ‘Reincarnation Land.’
This game is the latest work of Fang Cheng Studio, but due to its excessive horror, it is currently not available for domestic release and has chosen overseas instead.

The game’s content is quite mysterious, known only as a horror survival game where players need to survive in an unknown area, scavenge for resources, and make it through long nights, praying for dawn to come.

Just from reading the document, Leon could imagine a dark, sinister world with no sunlight, no hope, where players’ every effort only extends their life, yet ultimately they cannot avoid being consumed by darkness.

All sorts of monsters emerge endlessly, and players can continue to obtain various resources in this place, but even using them for sustenance is problematic, let alone thinking about further development.

Leon had a very good imagination. Just by reading the game documentation, he could imagine the game’s content and construct a rough idea of the game in his mind.

It’s terrifying, interesting, and indeed it wouldn’t be easy to pass the review in Huaxia, but in North America, it could likely achieve high popularity.

Moreover, Fang Cheng Studio’s game graphics have always been top-notch within the industry. Druid Entertainment had even attempted to poach art talents from Fang Cheng Studio, offering a large reward for any lead on them.

Unfortunately, no one has claimed that money so far.

So, there’s a rumor saying that the so-called art guru is Fang Cheng’s secret weapon, whom Fang Cheng has imprisoned in a secret place where they can only endlessly paint and model for Fang Cheng’s lavish use.

Others hold that Fang Cheng is the art guru himself, with all the content being drawn and modeled by him alone.

However, the credibility of this rumor isn’t high.

After all, being a genius programmer already, if he could also handle art, then this person can’t just be called a gaming genius but would deserve the title of a godfather of gaming.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Leon started the game.

He launched the ‘Reincarnation Land’ client, put on headphones, and the gloomy music started playing along with the grim game graphics, pulling Leon into that mysterious place.

Staring at the screen, Leon silently began to experience the game, and for fifteen minutes he didn’t make a single sound.

“Not bad for a newcomer,” Huang Ping, hiding on the side, remarked. “To just sit and watch for fifteen minutes from the start, that’s some concentration.”

“As expected from a Druid Entertainment employee, truly experienced and knowledgeable,” Xiao Douzi commented.

Monkey felt something was amiss and couldn’t help saying, “Haven’t you noticed that he hasn’t touched the mouse or keyboard at all?”

“Maybe he’s thinking about something.”

“His eyes aren’t moving either!”

“Too focused, maybe.”

“And it seems like he’s stopped breathing…”

“…We need to save him!”

And so, Leon’s first day at the new company ended with him being scared into fainting.