Chapter 43: I Think I'm a "Love Warrior"
The awards ceremony for the Video Game Department's Science Fiction Expedition was held in the city's Video Game Department building. The venue was the conference room in the same building. Although it was called an awards ceremony, it was actually nothing like a ceremony.
Despite it being a holiday, the Video Game Department still had quite a few staff members. It was unclear if they were regular employees or just contracted workers. There wasn't much fanfare, and the Video Game Department staff were taking photos and testing, mostly with their phones.
At the entrance of the Video Game Department, there were several video game media outlets with signs and cameras slung over their shoulders. However, these media outlets primarily took photos from a distance, with no one approaching for interviews. After all, it had just begun, and even if they wanted to interview someone, they would wait until the designers finished attending the official event.
Although it was quite spartan, Alex, attending this event for the first time, found it quite interesting. It was only 1:30, and he had been informed that it would officially begin at 2:00. He followed the staff into the makeshift conference room, which was quite spacious. The entire room was decorated in a reddish-brown and white tiered style. The chairs were arranged in two sections, with a large horizontal table on the podium.
Flanked by vibrant red national flags, the background flanked the sides, and the national emblem was located directly above the center.
Each seat in the room had a plastic name card with a game designer's name on it. Alex quickly located his seat: a spot in the front row, against the wall. There was also a person sitting next to him.
"Are you Alex? To the Moon certainly deserves first place." Mark Stone, standing beside him, offered his seat to Alex.
A faint smile played on his face, but his feelings were complex. To say he felt no resentment would be a lie. But to say he felt hatred was even more of a lie. He even felt a touch of admiration; after all, he himself had played To the Moon and was deeply moved by it.
"Mark? I've heard about you for a long time. I also really like Galaxy Heroes, especially the level design of chapter 3. It's truly exceptional." After hearing the other's words and looking at the name card in front of him, Alex smiled and extended his right hand.
"No, no, To the Moon's story is perfect, and the game you developed before, Undertale, is even more amazing." Mark shook Alex's hand, unconsciously offering a commercial compliment, but then he immediately understood why that scene felt so familiar.
It was exactly like the one he had imagined a month ago! Only the protagonist and supporting characters seemed a little off.
Mark, releasing his hand, fell silent. But Alex didn't have time to realize that he had unintentionally wounded a young designer's heart. Some designers, noticing the commotion nearby, approached to chat with Alex. What surprised him most was the kindness and hospitality of several of them.
After a brief inquiry, Alex finally understood. Although they didn't know him, they all shared a common characteristic: they had been subjected to online harassment by David Cannon. However, they hadn't directly confronted him like Alex.
They had been scammed for no reason, and their popularity had even been exploited. Alex had already vented his anger for them. Moreover, now that Alex had won first place in this expedition, many designers had approached him. After all, they all belonged to the gaming community, and more friends meant more opportunities. His phone had a bunch of designers' numbers, and several designer groups had been added to his messaging account.
While everyone was chatting, the leaders of the video game department soon arrived in the conference room. Alex had informed himself before arriving. He knew all the department leaders, and he would surely have many interactions in the future.
The awards ceremony officially began, and David Yang, head of the department, took the stage to deliver his speech. A tall, slender man, about fifty years old, with gold-rimmed glasses, perfectly fit the image of a traditional intellectual.
His speech was quite formal and serious. After his speech, the awards ceremony began, and David Yang spoke solemnly. Amidst applause, Alex stepped forward with a smile. As the applause died down, Alex accepted the small red notebook representing the first prize and the small medal from David Yang.
Next, he delivered an acceptance speech, which Alex had already memorized, adapting it from the previous year's template. He didn't care if his words overlapped; he was the first to speak.
"Thank you! It's an honor to have won first place in this Science Fiction contest. I'm very excited to be here right now..."
Alex's speech was met with thunderous applause, but Mark Stone, who was sitting next to Alex, had a slightly awkward expression. 'How could this acceptance speech be so similar to mine?'
After all the game designers finished their speeches on stage, each with their certificates and medals in hand, and posing for a photo in front of the game department staff, the event was practically over.
After leaving the department, the reporters waiting at the door suddenly surrounded them. However, media attention was mainly focused on Alex, along with Mark Stone from NetDragon's Firebird Studio. After all, they were the only ones who generated more buzz.
"Alex, what do you think about winning first prize?"
"Alex, do you have plans for new games after To the Moon? Will it be another touching game like To the Moon?"
A barrage of journalists flooded the room with questions. Obviously, everyone remained restrained, and since it wasn't an exclusive interview, Alex's answers were generally accepted by any publication; it just depended on who could write the article fastest.
"Winning first prize was incredibly unexpected and surprising. I never expected the judges to be so optimistic about To the Moon. Winning this first prize also puts a lot of pressure on me. I plan to continue contributing to the video game industry in the future..."
The surrounding media were visibly annoyed by Alex's long speech.
'How can such a young designer speak so formally? There isn't a single explosive point!'
But Alex's next words only increased their frustration.
"As for the new game, I still have no idea. I can't say if it will be a touching game, but I personally enjoy developing these kinds of games. After all, I have always considered myself a 'love warrior'."
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