Chapter 110 Chen Bainian's Vision: From Producer to Builder

Chapter 110 Chen Bainian's Vision: From Producer to Builder

As Chen Bainian walked toward the general manager's office, his mind began to rapidly process the relevant information.

In 2015, even within the gaming industry, not many people knew anything about GICA, this startup organization.

On the contrary, people may have heard of Zhou Lihui's island games.

This is a game company that started by developing its own games, and it released two minor hit games in its early years.

In recent years, however, it has also begun to shift towards game publishing, focusing on helping small and medium-sized development teams in China solve problems such as game licenses, launch, and operation.

However, in the future, CIGA's core event, indiePlay, will grow into the most influential and credible event in the domestic independent game industry.

The GameJam program they promote will be launched in multiple cities across China, becoming the starting point for many game developers' dreams and a stage to showcase their creativity.

Although Chen Bainian did not work in the development of independent games in his previous life, he had great respect for Zhou Lihui, who persisted in cultivating and trying to build an ecosystem during the desert period of independent games.

Pushing open the door to the general manager's office, Chen Bainian saw a man of about thirty-five or thirty-six years old sitting on the sofa, looking around the empty office.

Hearing the door open, Zhou Lihui stood up.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou, I've heard so much about you." Chen Bainian stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Mr. Chen, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've long admired your name." Zhou Lihui smiled sincerely and shook hands. "I apologize for the intrusion."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two sat down on the sofa.

Without much formality, Zhou Lihui went straight to the point, introducing CIGA's current situation, philosophy, and goals:

The team comprises independent game developers in China, who build a communication platform and organize events to allow outstanding works and teams to be seen by more people.

At the end, Zhou Lihui said sincerely, "Therefore, on behalf of CIGA, I sincerely invite Changshou Games to join the alliance."

"It would be our honor." Chen Bainian nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Promoting the development of the domestic independent game ecosystem is something he is happy to see and is willing to contribute to.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Lihui's eyes, clearly not expecting Chen Bainian to agree so readily.

He continued, "This July, we plan to hold the first indiePlay Independent Game Carnival in Haicheng, and we hope to invite you to participate with 'Getting Over It' and 'Potato Survivor'."

"No problem, our colleagues can handle the specific details later." Chen Bainian readily agreed to this as well.

Participating in exhibitions is an opportunity to showcase yourself to the outside world and to exchange ideas with peers.

"There's a third thing," Zhou Lihui said, his tone becoming more serious. "CIGA is pushing for GameJam to be launched in major cities across the country, and we hope to set up a site in Lin'an as well. However, this requires an influential local team to take the lead, and we very much hope that Changshou Games can take on this role."

Chen Bainian pondered for a moment, then smiled and took over the conversation: "CIGA is willing to build a platform for independent developers..."

Providing opportunities is especially valuable in the current domestic environment.

He paused briefly before continuing, "To be honest, Mr. Zhou, I had considered this from the very beginning of Changshou Games. Once the team was established, I thought we would try to incubate small teams with ideas internally and support them in pursuing the projects they truly wanted to do."

This is not just empty talk, but our company culture and long-term vision for Changshou Games, and it is also the content written at the very beginning of our company's employee handbook.

Therefore, externally, we will also try to participate in these kinds of things that promote industry development in different ways.

A fun game can only generate temporary popularity.

However, a healthy and well-developed industry ecosystem can retain more talented developers and enable them to create more great games.

This is beneficial to everyone, including the long-term development of our long-lasting games.

The surprise in Zhou Lihui's eyes deepened.

He clearly hadn't expected that this young man, only twenty-four years old, after achieving success with his first project, would have already transcended his own product and delved into the level of industry development.

He then gave an appreciative smile: "It's truly rare for Mr. Chen to have such insight. And about the Game Jam in Lin'an—"

Chen Bainian nodded and said earnestly, "We are very willing to support you. However, President Zhou, our Changshou Games team is still small, and our main focus is on projects. We lack experience and sufficient resources for the implementation of large-scale events."

However, if the focus is on brand support, experience sharing, and providing crucial support at key moments, with CIGA and experienced partners taking the lead in execution, resource allocation, and coordination, then I believe we can contribute as co-initiators.

Zhou Lihui immediately responded cheerfully: "That's exactly what we hope for! What we need is the appeal and exemplary role of the Longevity Game in Lin'an."

At the execution level, CIGA will work with other local partners to take full responsibility.

With the support of your long-standing reputation in games, the launch and influence of GameJam in Lin'an will surely be much smoother.

"Then it's settled. I look forward to a smooth collaboration with CIGA. Our colleagues can continue to work on the specific details later." Chen Bainian smiled and extended his hand.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Chen!" Zhou Lihui smiled sincerely and shook hands firmly.

After finishing their business, Zhou Lihui, accompanied by Chen Bainian, gave a brief tour of Changshou Games' office area.

In the open-plan office area, everyone who had finished the morning meeting had already gotten down to their work.

Although Changshou Games was not large in scale, the atmosphere of focus on creation that was unique to the young team left a deep impression on Zhou Lihui.

Before leaving, Zhou Lihui asked Chen Bainian for a copy of the employee handbook he had just mentioned, which recorded the company culture and long-term vision of Changshou Games.

Not long after Zhou Lihui left, Qin Ming from the park's management committee also came to see him.

As soon as Chen Bainian welcomed him into the general manager's office, he couldn't wait to say, "Little Chen, I'm here to tell you some good news."

Zhejiang TV is planning to do a special report on young entrepreneurs in the province on May Fourth, and is currently soliciting case studies.

Our park also has a quota for recommendations.

I think you and your long-lived games perfectly fit the requirements.

Your team's age structure, as well as the current achievements and influence of the two projects, are all very representative.

So, we reported you to the authorities.

After initial communication, the provincial TV station is very interested and should send someone to conduct a brief interview tomorrow.