Different from some western countries, people in China have different views on electronic games. Although some people agree that games are good if moderated, it is common that many people, especially parents, think those games are dangerous for the young. Children should stay away from them.
So maybe we can say Jing Rui is lucky in this case. He likes playing games very much, but his family has little limitation on him playing them. In addition, his major is related with game producing. So in April 2012, Jing Rui received his friends’ invitation and started his life with games producing in Nanjing.
It is very common for those graduates to work in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, for they are considered to be the most developed cities in China. Staying in Nanjing means Jing Rui may lose some opportunities, but he prefers to work with friends. “We have only 6 people, but the dreams about gaming are the same, so the atmosphere of working is relaxing. I feel happy and I don’t have much pressure. If you work in some big game companies, things will be different,” Jing Rui said. “I can get considerable income now, so my family and my girlfriend have no objection to my work. But my mother-in-law thinks I’d better get a steady job like being a civil servant. I’m considering about it.”
The time of work is flexible for Jing Rui. He is the engineer of this group, and his work is to figure out what kind of games will be interesting. Every week they have a discussion about the week’s work, and decide what function should be added next. Usually by the end of a month, the game will have a big new version. They will test the game they made, and consider what their next move should be. In the past 3 years, Jing Rui and his friends have produced some games, one of which once became a big success. “The number of the players has reached 10 million,” he said, “We are trying to produce more successful games to attract investment, and then we can develop more easily. You know, money matters most for those who run business by themselves.”
Compared with Jing Rui, the gaming life of Naughty, a 19-year-old professional game player, is more difficult. Professional game players work with partners, like a soccer team. They go to participate in various levels of competition. Winners will win medals and bonuses in return. However, they have to practice every day even if it is a holiday. Since the number of competitors is increasing, the pressure on their shoulders is increasing too.
“Once your performance is unsatisfactory, your skill will be doubted. Your teammates will be unhappy with you. And no matter how sad you are, you just can’t speak out. The only thing you can do is to practice, to make yourself stronger, avoiding the fate of being eliminated,” said Naughty. According to his comments on the Internet, he said, “Merely a dream is not enough. You will be eliminated without good performance anyway.”
Recently I got the news that Jing Rui has decided to be a civil servant. Although the income will be lower than being a game producer, the work will be steadier, like his mother-in-law said. I can’t say whether working in the game industry is easy or difficult. Jing Rui has already found his dream, while Naughty is still fighting for his future. The only thing I can do is to wish them good luck, and wish they can finally live a life that their hearts want them to live.
