Competitive World Game Operations: Gamers are still on the watch

This is the 9th year that Daocai has entered the game industry. In the past 8 years, from the perspective of an industry person, he has seen the rise of mobile games, the popularity of shooter games and card games, and the suspension and recovery of version numbers, and these changes have also affected him at all times. Standing at the operation post at the end of the game industry chain, Daocai needs to have extensive contact with user players. In this process, on the one hand, he tries his best to provide better game services for players; on the other hand, he draws nourishment from players.

Witness the change from page to mobile

These days, Daocai is participating in a competitive mobile game project, and it is expected to launch a new version during May Day. As the head of the company's operations, Daocai's work includes version operation, event operation and channel operation. Due to the approaching deadline, Dao Cai has recently often stayed in the unit from 10 am to 10 pm.

In 2014, Daocai, who was about to graduate from mathematics, wanted to enter the Internet industry, but mistakenly entered a company that specializes in web games, thus stepping into the game industry. At that time, the domestic mobile game field had just started.

This is Daocai's 9th year working in the game industry. In the past 8 years, he has worked in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, from the field of page games to the field of mobile games, witnessing the development and changes of the domestic game industry in recent years.

"When I first entered the industry, domestic browser games were particularly popular, mobile games were just starting out, at that time, companies in Guangzhou and Shenzhen were basically doing browser games, and Beijing was mainly some old big manufacturers. Since 2014, many companies have begun to transform into mobile games. In 2016, the types of games made by established manufacturers were mainly MMOs (massively multiplayer online games). In 2017, "PUBG" from overseas was particularly popular, so the Chinese began to study shooting games. After 2018, card games began to occupy a part of the market. In August last year, the issuance of version numbers was suspended, and many companies began to work on overseas layouts. ”

Become friends with user players

Although it was a mistake to hit the line, Dao Cai was a game enthusiast and a senior player before entering the industry. During college, the five people in the dormitory would "open the black" together on weekends, playing games such as dotas and League of Legends. If there are no other restrictions, you can play all day long. Now, Daocai still uses his lunch break and after work time to play some competitive games and cultivation games, but while enjoying it, he will play these games with the purpose of competitive research. If he focuses on one game, he may spend up to 3 hours a day on the game.

Dao Cai believes that games can release stress and harvest happiness. In addition, games are a social medium, and people can do a lot of communication when playing games together to promote and maintain feelings.

As a game operation, one of the key points in the work is to deal with user players and understand the player's experience and opinions. Daocai shared that once when their team was testing a game, they recruited a group of core players, and they would "open the black" with the core players and exchange game experiences with each other. One of the players always gave them loyal feedback and suggestions that helped them a lot. Later, the player developed into offline friends with them and traveled with them to Yunnan.

In Daocai's observation, these core players have usually played a wide variety of games and played for longer than others. After extensive and in-depth contact with the game, they have a strong willingness to express their views and are therefore more engaged in discussions. In addition, most of them love the other games of these game companies, are willing to "generate electricity for love", and do their best to propose their own improvement plan for the game.

Dao Cai recalled that there was once a core player who, after participating in the test, applied for an internship position in their company and became an intern of their company. The positive interaction with the player into friendship is one of the pleasures that Daocai feels at work.

Under the New Deal, game companies do subtraction

Today, there are still many people who scoff at online games. Daocai's parents also can't fully understand their son's work, "When it comes to games, many people think it is something that hurts children. Dao Cai said. When he came home every New Year and needed to introduce his job to relatives, he often used the phrase "working in an Internet company" to avoid misunderstandings.

Dao Cai also understood their "incomprehension." He says well-made games can be appreciated as art, but for some people with poor self-control, some games are easy for them to indulge in and tend to cost them a lot of money.

In June 2021, the revised Law on the Protection of Minors came into effect, stipulating in the form of legislation that minors need real-name authentication to enter games. Subsequently, on August 30, the "Notice on Further Strict Management and Effectively Preventing Minors from Addicted to Online Games", which is known as "the strictest anti-addiction in history", was released, clarifying that all online game companies can only provide 1 hour of online game services to minors from 20:00 to 21:00 every day on Fridays, Saturdays and statutory holidays, and may not provide online game services to minors in any form at other times. As a game practitioner and a person involved in providing online game services, Daocai does not think that these new policies are bad news for him, "From my personal point of view, I think this is very good." Dao Cai said.

Dao Cai observed that in such a policy background, many game companies are "doing subtraction". "The games players will play are actually limited, and it is better for game companies to choose to develop in these major areas." Dao Cai said.

There are more opportunities for the version number to reopen

Dao found that in the current industry background, the game category is being refined. "For example, planning and operating two positions, they are directly linked to the product, then in the future, when the unit is recruiting, it may depend on whether the candidate is familiar with the corresponding game category, rather than recruiting people from the general direction as before."

Regarding the resumption of the release of the version in April this year, Dao Cai said: "From the perspective of players, they have new games to play; from the perspective of people in the industry, there are more opportunities, especially operations." So, of course, I am very happy that the version number is issued. He explained that the operation position belongs to the downstream of the industry, and the new game only involves the operation work after obtaining the version number, so when there is no new version number, the opportunity for the operation post is actually much less than other positions.

In addition to being happy, Daocai also knows that there are still many uncertainties in the industry. "Everyone is still waiting and seeing if there will be a new version next month, and how many new versions there will be." Dao Cai said.

Wen Jing, a reporter of this newspaper

Intern reporter Gu Xiaoxiao

Courtesy photo/Interviewee Coordinator/Yu Meiying