Chapter 634 Salute to All Genuine Users (No Charge for This Chapter)

Qiu Hong sighed softly, and continued: "The closed and unique operating system that comes with home consoles is a strong protection for the copyright of stand-alone games. Although it will be cracked, this line of defense has become a major force for foreign games The guarantee of the factory's profitability."

"No matter how online games develop, overseas, stand-alone games account for more than 60% of the market, surpassing online games; while in our domestic market around 2001, this proportion is about zero."

"The lack of home consoles has created a proliferation of piracy, and booming piracy has destroyed the single-player game market."

"People who haven't experienced that era have no idea how bad the stand-alone game market was at that time. Simply put, the stand-alone game was so bad that even if the price was reduced to 15 yuan, players would still choose the 6 yuan pirated version."

"At that time, domestic games were just in their infancy, and because of cultural barriers, they basically couldn't be sold overseas, so they could only die in the domestic market."

"Before that, many domestic stand-alone games were priced at tens of dollars and could be sold with good profits; but in just one or two years, genuine games had to fight price wars with pirated games. To fight against piracy, the retail price was reduced to 18 yuan, and even a batch was given away with the magazine, but it still didn’t help.”

"The reduction in the game price did not achieve the effect of small profits but quick turnover. On the contrary, it greatly reduced the revenue. With the reduction in revenue, the production cost can only be reduced, and the quality of the game will also decrease."

"In addition, individual junk companies have developed a lot of junk games, seriously overdrawing the enthusiasm of a small number of genuine game supporters, and eventually turned into an endless loop. Domestic stand-alone games are equated with poor quality."

"When the 18 yuan genuine game still can't beat the 6 yuan pirated game, all this is doomed, no matter how hard you struggle, it will not help. The tide of online games, on the contrary, has given game producers like me a way out , so that I can make online games and stay in the game industry. Otherwise, maybe I will find an Internet company and be a product manager.”

"So, on the contrary, stand-alone games did not die because of online games, but because of piracy. Online games, on the contrary, are a life-saving straw for these manufacturers."

Pei Qian was silent for a long time, and said: "But if the product is good enough, someone will still pay for it, right? I heard that there are 3A masterpieces abroad, but there are no anti-piracy measures."

Qiu Hong nodded: "Yes, Mr. Ma, you are right, that's it, absolutely correct."

"The only question is, what is 'good enough'?"

"Can you achieve the same level of 3A games as foreign manufacturers? Or, among domestic manufacturers, be one of the best?"

"That means that only if you reach the top 1% of the entire industry, can you be considered good enough and have enough people to be moved by you and pay for you."

"Some people say that piracy will expand the potential market share. First, this statement is bullshit, and second, even if it is true, it will only have a small effect on the top 1% of the industry."

"If you can achieve a monopoly like a computer operating system, then maybe piracy can help you fight competitors and maintain market share."

"However, how many companies can achieve the top 1%? How many companies can achieve monopoly?"

"Is there any company born to be a big company, a monopoly company?"

"The remaining 99%, let them die?"

"It is meaningless to talk about the top 1% of an industry. How many people can be the top 1% in their field? If someone tells you now that in your industry, only the top 1% can be recognized and live If you go on, and the remaining 99% can only starve to death, will you stay in this industry?"

"An industry leader like He An, who has made many successful stand-alone games, didn't he also switch to online games? When the tower base dies, the entire market will shrink in an all-round way. How will one or two companies on the top of the tower change? What about the whole market?"

"So, a healthy industry should be like a pyramid or an iceberg. The tip of the tower or the part of the iceberg above the sea is the top 1% to enjoy the glory, while the base of the tower, or the iceberg under the water, they are a cornerstone of the industry’s existence.”

"How can the spire exist when the base of the tower no longer exists?"

"So, whether the top 1% live well or not will not determine how the industry is doing. What really determines the survival of the industry is whether the bottom and middle classes can survive."

"It's an endless loop:"

"Manufacturer: I need you to buy genuine copies in order to develop games better!"

"Player: Then you give us the top experience first! If you are the top, we will give up piracy and buy genuine ones!"

"Manufacturer: But you have to reject piracy first and pay first before we can provide a better experience!"

"Player: Then you have to give us the top experience first, then we will reject piracy!"

"So the manufacturers had no choice but to make online games."

"This is the market, the choice that players vote with their feet. Players said that we only need to accept online games, only pirated single games, and not genuine single games. Therefore, as everyone wishes, genuine single games will die."

"For players, the concept of 'only paying for something good enough' is not a problem and should not be criticized, but the premise is that this is a healthy and orderly market."

"If the market itself is full of unfair competition, then 'only pay for what is good enough' means that except for 1% of top content producers, the remaining 99% of ordinary content producers will be unfairly Those who compete and those who break the rules of the market will be killed."

"Just like now, many video creators have worked hard for three days to make a video, which is copied and pasted by some people and directly stolen. You need three days, he only needs one second. How can you compete with him? If the audience Without this awareness, I feel that the content is the same anyway. I watched the same content from the person who pirated the video. Who cares about your original author. Then do you think how many video authors, except for the top people, can truly stay?"

"So, thanks to the establishment of ESRO's official platform in 2006, without it, the domestic stand-alone game market will still be a desert until now, with no grass growing."

"Even if there are one or two single seedlings, they are just a flash in the pan and will never grow into a towering tree."

"Because no one really cares about it."

Qiu Hong took a sip of coffee with a sad expression on his face.

Pei Qian was silent for a moment, and asked, "Then... since the living environment of domestic stand-alone games has improved again in 2006, why don't you stick to your dream and continue to come back to make stand-alone games?"

Qiu Hong smiled self-deprecatingly: "Because I gave up my dream."

"Remember what I said at the beginning? Holding on to your dreams is the biggest failure factor."

"I made a stand-alone game when I first entered the industry. I developed it for nearly two years, and persisted for more than two months without salary. In the end, no one even knew its name."

"So I gave up my dream and made a krypton gold online game with the theme of Xianxia. This game allowed me to get a project bonus of 1 million a year, which can be said to be a success."

"So, what is my dream, does it matter? Does anyone care? For whom am I holding on to this dream? If holding on to my dream makes me drink cold water and eat instant noodles every day, and give up my dream so that I can live a good life A worry-free life and the attention of tens of thousands of players, why should I insist on it?"

"So from then on, I made up my mind that I would only make krypton gold games, and my goal is to make more money. As for the great mission of revitalizing stand-alone games? What does it have to do with me? Even the players themselves I don't even care, who am I sticking to?"

"In fact, among all the game makers who entered the industry at the same time as me and at the initial stage, which one didn't have a dream?"

"But these people who were at the same time as me, who persisted in their dreams, have left this industry. Only those who give up their dreams like me can survive."

"Mr. Ma, you may feel that my experience is not applicable to this era."

"Because domestic stand-alone games are getting better and better, there is no piracy now, and more and more people are paying for domestic stand-alone games."

"But the truth remains the same. Between dreams and reality, only a very small number of people can have both. The vast majority of people can only make a cruel choice: either give up their dreams, or be taught by reality to be a man."

"President Ma, these are my last words from the bottom of my heart."

"It's not for everyone, maybe it's right, maybe it's not. But anyway, I hope it inspires you."

Pei Qian took a sip of coffee and didn't speak for a long time.

Because this topic is indeed a bit heavy.

Pei Qian really didn't know the relationship between ESRO's official platform, the extinction of piracy, and the normal development of stand-alone games in the world. Only now did he know that it was because of the establishment of ESRO's official platform and strict control over piracy that the domestic stand-alone game market was saved, and the domestic stand-alone game market became more popular. This world is different from the world in my memory.

A tiny difference makes a world of difference.

Qiu Hong said that without the official ESRO platform, domestic games would be a desert until today.

Pei Qian knew very well that what he said was right.

Because of all this, it was truly staged in my own memory.

But precisely because of this, Pei Qian felt that he should say something.

The current environment can already be said to be heaven. The reason why Qiu Hong felt that he was in hell was only because he had never seen the real hell.

Pei Qian thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Qiu, I know that it is impossible for people to truly empathize with each other. Many people can see it because they have not experienced the pain. Therefore, many times, I advise others to be magnanimous. It’s all a matter of being struck by lightning.”

"But I still want to say a few words to you, can I?"

Qiu Hong nodded: "Of course, Mr. Ma, we are bosom friends, so it doesn't matter if you say so."

Pei Qian said seriously: "I know, it's painful to give but not get what you deserve. Everyone will feel angry when your efforts are plagiarized. The world is full of unfairness. Sometimes you can't even tell the difference. In the end who is right and who is wrong, not every disaster can find a responsible person."

"There is a creed in life that not everyone can adhere to, but everyone knows it is right. This sentence is called: But do good deeds, don't ask about the future."

"President Qiu, don't let the tragedy of the times become your personal tragedy."

Qiu Hong read the last sentence repeatedly and remained silent.

After a long time, he raised his head: "Mr. Ma, it's really good that you can think like this."

"thanks."