I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!-Chapter 41 - 21 The Gears of Fate Begin to Turn_1

Accounted for only 2% of the entire player community.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

The remaining more than ninety percent of players were basically stuck in the lowest spending bracket set by the game companies.

What does that mean?

If a game’s minimum monthly spend was 500, then over ninety percent of its players would be stuck at 500.

They weren’t particularly wealthy; they simply had no choice because that was the game’s minimum spend.

And gaming was the least expensive of many paid entertainment options.

They could choose not to play, but humans are easily influenced by the broader environment.

If everyone around you is talking about something you’re unfamiliar with, you start to feel isolated.

As for isolation, Gou Chehua knew it all too well.

During his school days, due to poverty, he was unable to partake in many experiences that normal children should have.

Consequently, he had no common topics with his classmates and couldn’t find friends, gradually becoming isolated, and then bullied by the bad students.

This led to a vicious cycle and he became increasingly introverted and reclusive.

In high school, he barely spoke more than ten sentences to his classmates over the course of three years.

He thought that if he studied hard, got into a good university, and found a good job, he could change everything.

But Gou Chehua found himself to be naive.

Isolation existed in the workplace, too.

So he wanted to just keep his head down and do his own thing.

But the rules set by his superiors forced him to move forward.

“The head office has spoken, your KPI target this month must be 20% higher than last month, any less and it will be deducted from your salary!”

“How many times do I have to say it, you can’t price the games so low! … Yes, this way, micro-spenders and non-spenders have a better gaming experience, but what will those tycoon players think? Why should ordinary people enjoy the same game content as tycoons? Send it back and redo the pricing scheme!”

“XX did a great job last month, he precisely targeted the psychology of the tycoon players, causing XXXX game’s revenue to surge by 200%! Hereby awarding a bonus of fifty thousand! The rest of you should learn from him! Let’s hear the applause!”

Gou Chehua, who had always been compliant, had endured it every time.

But each time he launched an event or a new round of spending as required by his superiors, he would be cursed at by the players.

Some of the insults were particularly harsh and unpleasant to hear.

A thick-skinned colleague consoled him with a laugh, “Players and planners are inherently opposing groups. Players can think of us as idiots, and we can think of the players as morons. Don’t mind it, as long as the KPI is met, that’s all that matters.”

Gou Chehua, who felt maxed out by pressure, was really ready to listen to his colleague’s advice and let loose.

After all, his income was now stable, and he even found a girlfriend at the company.

It was time to work hard to save money for a house and marriage.

Let his conscience fade away along with his unbearable childhood.

But then, last week happened.

The girlfriend he had been dating for half a year was stolen by another top-performing planner in the group.

The last thread holding Gou Chehua’s heart together snapped.

He didn’t understand what his years of enduring humiliation had gotten him.

He received disdain and ridicule from his colleagues.

He received abuse from the players.

He received pressure from his superiors.

And there was the contemptuous glance from his girlfriend as she walked out of the company holding hands with the top performer.

On the brink of collapse, Gou Chehua decided to explode right along with everyone else!

First, he had the programming department put together a standard monetization strategy, then lied about modifications from above, prompting them to create a nearly free-to-play scheme.

When submitting it for senior management’s review, he used the normal template.

But when the game he was leading the update for was released that night, he switched it to the free-to-play scheme.

The next day, the game’s forum exploded!

The ones who raised the biggest ruckus were actually the tycoons.

The characters or skins they had previously spent a fortune on could now be obtained at super low prices in this version, leading the tycoons to rage post after post before deleting their accounts and quitting the game en masse.

The impact of the incident was so great that it even burst onto the Weibo hot search for a time.

When the gaming director heard about this, he was livid, but when he went to find Gou Chehua, he discovered Gou was already in the director’s office.

The door had been locked from the inside.

Sitting back with his legs propped up on the computer desk, his hands clasped behind his head, Gou leisurely closed his eyes. From the director’s computer speaker, an elegant classical piano piece was playing.

The music, audible throughout the entire company, had everyone agape, their gaze fixated on the door to the director’s office.

At least in that moment, Gou Chehua’s expression was calm and relaxed.

When the gaming director’s shouting failed to open the door, he chose to call the police, and even vowed to have Gou Chehua thrown into prison.

At the eleventh hour, upon learning of the situation, the company’s general manager, Xu Kun, sighed after getting a rough understanding of Gou’s three-year work situation.

With a forced smile, he escorted the police away.

He did not allow the director to escalate the situation further but instead took responsibility for the game’s losses himself, only issuing Gou Chehua a dismissal.

Before parting, Xu Kun wordlessly patted Gou on the shoulder and nodded at him.

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you for your contributions to the company these past years. I wish you smooth sailing in your future career.”

The farce came to an end.

Gou Chehua left the company, feeling empty and dispirited, with his briefcase in hand.

The glaring sunlight outside forced him to squint.

He had played the good guy for over twenty years.

He had intended to do something bad, choosing to detonate himself along with the scumbag colleagues in the company.

But in the end, he was pulled back from the brink by a kind-hearted manager, and now he felt unbearably guilty.

He realized he wasn’t even cut out to do bad things, let alone good ones.

Even Lamu would shake its head at him.

“Alas, when it rains, it pours,” Gou Chehua sighed softly.

“Alas, when it rains, it pours.”

Suddenly, he heard a young and handsome man beside him utter the same phrase.

Then, their eyes met.

This young man, well.

He was very handsome, so much so that even Gou, a man, had to acknowledge his good looks.

His whole being radiated the vitality of someone who had been soaked in sunshine.

His eyes brimming with anticipation and yearning for the future.

“That must be nice,” Gou thought to himself with envy.

Though he was also quite young, why did he have no aspiration towards his own future?

To say nothing of aspiration, he even faced difficulties finding another job…

After all, having caused such a debacle, it was unlikely anyone in the same industry would dare to hire him…

And it was at that moment.

He suddenly heard the young man beside him turn to face him, speaking earnestly.

“Hello, my name is Ke Jin, and I’m a game designer. I’m currently in need of a game planner. Join my team, and you’ll be well compensated, with high authority in planning. You could even set your own game pricing schemes and launch game events. How do you feel about it, sir?”

Ke Jin??

The designer from the other day associated with Goose Duck Kill?

His renown, Gou Chehua had heard plenty about in recent days.

Not only had he heard of Ke Jin, but Gou was also one of Ke’s little admirers. This past week, after work, he did nothing but study those two games in depth, even writing a game analysis that was tens of thousands of words long.

Apart from these, Gou also noticed Ke had specifically emphasized the “high authority in planning, setting one’s own game schemes, unfettered by the boss” part.

Ah! The scent of freedom!

Gou’s eyes lit up, and as he looked at Ke again,

He didn’t see just a person.

But a sun rising high, its brilliance dazzling to the eye.

“I… I am willing,” Gou said, wiping his hands on his trousers before hesitantly shaking Ke’s hand.

Their hands clasped together firmly, like allies united in conviction.

Yet, the thoughts running through their minds at that moment seemed somewhat misaligned.

Ke Jin thought, “Great! Recruitment success! With this smart guy’s previous planning experience, all I have to do is wait for the cash flow to drop off the charts as the paying players flee overnight!”

Gou Chehua thought, “I have drifted for half my life without a wise leader. This time, I must give it my all! I cannot let Designer Ke’s high expectations of me go unmet! I’ll strive to grow bigger and stronger and create new glories!”