Felix looked at the screen.
He was watching Cecily, who had been frustrated earlier after dying in the game.
Now, she had jumped back in with renewed determination, while the viewers were still trying to figure out who had caused her earlier defeat.
They began cheering for Cecily as she played, and she was clearly in a better mood.
Her new best score was 623, beating her previous record of 507.
She celebrated her improvement with a big grin, proud that she had overcome her earlier mistake.
"Hmm, it's time to check how many active players there are now."
The viewer count had exceeded 500 and was still rising as people continued watching Cecily.
Nine out of ten were probably playing the game he had created by now.
It was free, after all. Who would say no to a free game?
[Game Creator Dashboard – Emotional Feedback Interface]
[Game Title: Subway Surfer]
[Active Players: 332]
"Oh? That's a lot more than I imagined," Felix murmured, eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the dashboard.
The number of active players had reached 332, which was more than he expected given that many viewers were still glued to Cecily's live stream.
"Probably some of the inactive ones are just watching the stream instead of playing," he guessed, leaning back slightly.
That made sense. His game was free, and the excitement around Cecily's gameplay was likely drawing in both players and spectators alike.
Then his attention shifted to the Emotional Feedback Interface, a feature that tracked how players were feeling in real time and converted those emotions into in-game coins.
[Emotional Feedback Results]
Anger: 55% → 183 players → +366 Coins
Joy: 35% → 116 players → +116 Coins
[Total Coins Gained: 482 Coins]
The system had broken it down automatically:
Anger was detected in 183 players, and since each angry player generated 2 coins, that brought in 366 coins.
Joy was felt by 116 players, each giving 1 coin, totaling 116 coins.
Together, those emotions had generated a total of 482 coins. It was a clever feedback loop, the stronger and more engaged the emotions, the more rewards he earned.
Felix gave a small nod of approval.
"Not bad."
"Looks like frustration really is profitable."
Anger and joy were the two most frequently triggered emotions among players.
Anger usually spiked when players kept dying and were forced to restart.
Many of them only realized after multiple attempts that the game's speed increased the longer they ran, making it harder to react.
Some frustrated players even complained, saying the system was unfair. That the character should be allowed to stop or slow down instead of running endlessly.
But Felix had no intention of changing that.
That's the core mechanic of the game.
In fact, he had already reduced the difficulty to make it more manageable.
Unlike traditional screen tap games, this one was played in a holographic environment, where physical reflexes and real time movement made things more intense.
If anything, it was already easier than what he originally designed.
Joy, on the other hand, was triggered when players beat their previous high scores.
There was a surge of happiness whenever someone saw a new record appear on the screen while playing Subway Surfer, especially after failing so many times.
The emotional highs and lows were part of the fun, and now, also part of the game's reward system.
Felix originally had 70 coins, but now his total had increased to 552. Even so, there were still no games available for purchase within that coin range.
One of the few options he could afford was Stardew Valley, but he figured players wouldn't be very interested in farming games just yet. Especially since he planned to shift his future creations and animations toward more modern themes.
Instead, he decided to finally create Temple Run, which he had been putting off.
It would be a waste not to move forward with it, especially since he had already purchased the rights to develop it.
Now was the time to bring it to life.
He logged into GameStar CreatorNet, the developer hub on the platform, and selected the category for his new game.
This time, he chose Horror, planning to make the game rated 13+, unlike Subway Surfer, which was rated for all ages.
He knew this choice might reduce the number of players, but in an interstellar environment, even elderly users were known to enjoy immersive holographic games.
He didn't hesitate to change the rating to 13+. Quality and concept mattered more than broad appeal.
He was especially curious to see if he could recreate the Demonic Monkey, the terrifying creature that chases the player throughout the original Temple Run game.
Felix decided he would start by designing the monster first, then move on to building the environment around it.
Inside the fully white holographic developer space, Felix focused his mind and began shaping the image of a large, black, beast-like creature, glowing red eyes, razor sharp claws, and jagged teeth.
He couldn't just copy the old art style of the original Temple Run, since it looked outdated.
Instead, he decided both the environment and the monster would have a realistic, highly detailed design.
Now he stood beside the creature he had just created using psychic controls, a technique for shaping objects and features within the development system.
Felix felt much more comfortable with the process.
By now it felt as natural as drinking water, though it still took hours since realism demanded far more detail compared to the cartoonish Subway Surfer he had made before.
"It really looks like the one I imagined. This is great. I wonder how players will react when they see it?" he muttered to himself, circling the creature.
The monster stood taller than his avatar, a massive shadowy beast with a hulking frame. Curious, Felix hovered upward until he was face to face with it, eye to eye.
Looking at it from this angle… it actually looked a little cute?
The monster had a skeletal head, with a tongue that moved like a dog's lolling out, twitching slightly, almost playfully.
Despite its intimidating size, the creature looked surprisingly well behaved.
It was massive, towering over Felix, yet it stood calmly, watching him with glowing red eyes.
Curious, Felix reached out and gently patted its head.
To his surprise, the creature nestled into his palm, like a tame animal seeking affection.