Chen Mo nodded, "Yep, I know that. However, there aren't many people making horror games in China. Although horror games aren't a mass market game, they are the most immersive and can fill in the gap in the market. "
Qiao Hua pushed his glasses and fell into deep thought.
Chen Mo continued, "Minister Qiao, this game will definitely be categorized. Just like Diablo, only adults can play it.
"Moreover, we'll need to check the player's condition before they enter the game. People with heart disease or similar conditions can't play it. We'll also need to monitor the player's health throughout the game and disconnect if anything goes wrong.
"Currently, there are some VR horror games overseas. The relevant settings and safety measures are more complete. If we follow this standard, there won't be any major problems."
Qiao Hua sighed, "Yes, I know that. However, the Game Committee's stance is to not encourage games that are overly violent and gory as there's a certain amount of risk involved and it might affect the player's psyche.
"Of course, we all know that the effects are minimal. It's just like watching a horror movie, no one will go crazy enough to kill or harm people. From a personal perspective, I think we can try this, but you'll need to come up with an excuse to convince Chairman Zhang. "
Chen Mo gave it some thought, "I do have an excuse."
Qiao Hua was interested, "Let's hear it."
Chen Mo gave a simple explanation of his thoughts.
Qiao Hua furrowed his eyebrows, "That sounds like a good idea. It's a good reason, but it's hard to say if it'll convince Chairman Zhang, but you can try. "
"Wait here, I'll ask Chairman Zhang. I'll call you in a bit."
Qiao Hua quickly left the office to look for Chairman Zhang Zhongxiang.
The situation in the parallel world was different to his previous world as the censorship was a lot more relaxed. Moreover, the Game Committee didn't have an absolute standard for what games could and couldn't be approved. It was up to the chairman, Zhang Zhongxiang, to decide if a horror game like Outlast could be approved and allowed to be played by players.
Qiao Hua returned about half an hour later.
"Come with me, Chairman Zhang is waiting for you. You only have 20 minutes to think about your words. If you can't pass this time, you probably won't have another chance in the future, "said Qiao Hua.
"I understand, Minister Qiao." Chen Mo followed.
Qiao Hua led Chen Mo to Chairman Zhang Zhongxiang's office, and invited Chen Mo in after knocking on the door.
Zhang Zhongxiang was reading the concept manuscript in his office.
Seeing Chen Mo come in, he pointed at the seat in front of the desk, "Sit."
Chen Mo sat down and carefully observed Zhang Zhongxiang's expression.
Zhang Zhongxiang frowned. It seemed that he also had doubts about this concept draft.
Chen Mo caressed the virtual bracelet on his left wrist with his right hand, silently selected the item and used it.
Zhang Zhongxiang coughed and said, "Chen Mo, I've finished reading your concept manuscript. The game was a horror game with large amounts of blood and violence. According to the Game Committee's stance, games like this shouldn't be approved. This is because this kind of game will have a certain impact on the players' mental health when they are immersed in such a state. "
Chen Mo said, "Chairman Zhang, I don't think that's necessarily the case. First of all, as an adult, their values are already set. A healthy person would be scared when experiencing a horror movie, game, or even haunted house.
"Currently, horror movies and haunted houses exist in our country. This means that as long as you can control the intensity of the experience, there won't be any harm.
"Currently, the foreign horror games have very mature protection mechanisms for players. Moreover, there are so many horror games released every year, and I've never heard of players suddenly dying or being stimulated to harm society. Therefore, the impact is actually not that serious. In other words, the impact can be completely avoided. "
Zhang Zhongxiang frowned, "The main thing is that there's not much positive content in horror games. It's hard to convince the more traditional and conservative members of the Game Committee."
Chen Mo asked back, "Chairman, do you think 'criticism' counts as positive content?"
Zhang Zhongxiang was shocked, "Criticism?"
Chen Mo nodded, "Yep, just like how an essay criticizes the ugly truth."
Zhang Zhongxiang gave it some thought, "Probably."
Chen Mo continued, "Outlast has a spiritual core, and its spiritual core is criticism. In this game, the main character is a journalist with a sense of justice, investigating a mental hospital and exposing the crimes within.
"And the mental hospital is actually a place controlled by the government to conduct horrific experiments. These foreign financial groups disregard the lives of patients for the sake of profit, breaking the law as they please. There are even people in the upper echelons that are protecting them.
"Players will play the role of a righteous reporter, exposing the evil activities of the large financial groups. This in itself is a criticism of the ugly truth, as well as a kind of exposure to the seemingly beautiful and false image of the foreign countries."
Zhang Zhongxiang blinked, suddenly feeling that what Chen Mo said made sense.
Indeed, if the story of Outlast had been set in China, it would not have passed the censors. There was no doubt about it.
But what if it was set overseas? It did seem like a criticism and a revelation.
Zhang Zhongxiang gave it some thought, "But this is a completely fictional story."
Chen Mo explained, "Chairman, art comes from life, but it's above life. In the history of the world, there haven't been many genocides and exterminations like this one. The Auschwitz concentration camp was a hell on earth that was far scarier than what was shown in this game. The concentration camp still exists, reminding people to always remember that I'm making a game to question human nature. Isn't that a positive and positive thing to do? "
Zhang Zhongxiang was speechless.
He flipped open the design concept for Outlast and looked through it from start to finish.
After a long silence, Zhang Zhongxiang finally nodded, "Alright, the game will pass the censorship for now. However, you have to remember that the game's background can't be changed. It has to take place overseas. Also, you have to make sure the VR equipment is set up properly to ensure that the game doesn't have any negative effects on the players.
"If the players strongly protest, the game will be taken off the shelves. You won't be able to escape responsibility if it has a negative impact on society, do you understand?"
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