Three Legends of "Three Kingdoms Killing" of Post-80s College Students

If you are a young man, and have never heard of or played Kill of the Three Kingdoms, you will be regarded as outdated by your peers. A desktop game named "Three Kingdoms Kill" seems to be popular among college students and white-collar workers overnight. "If I'm not playing Three Kingdoms Kill, I'm on my way to play Three Kingdoms Kill. This "unplugged" game is not an online game. It is more low-carbon, healthy and nostalgic. Three or five friends sit face to face to enhance communication in the fierce game. A new way of life and leisure is welcome. ...

If you pay attention, there are many leisure places like coffee shops and teahouses around you-board game bars and board game shops. According to incomplete statistics, in September 2009, there were 370 board game shops in Shanghai, and in February of that year, the number jumped to 730. There are at least 1 0,000 board game shops in Shanghai this year. A board game industry chain has been formed all over the country. ...

This change benefited from China's first original board game, Kill of the Three Kingdoms. The insiders made no secret of their appreciation for it: "Because it promoted the rapid expansion of the board game players in China, the global board game toy industry began to seriously consider the demands of the China market and players." This conclusion is not exaggerated. In 2006, there were only two or three hundred board game players in Beijing, and by 2009, there were as many as four million active users.

Three post-80s college students created this miracle: Du Bin, Kai Huang and Li You.

The military commanders in the "Three Kingdoms Kill" card are all based on the story of the Three Kingdoms. There are four identities of the players in Kill of the Three Kingdoms: master, loyal minister, anti-thief and traitor. Each player plays a different warrior, and each warrior will be given different skills.

Distraction and Attention —— The Birth of Killing the Three Kingdoms

[Kai Huang said that he likes to be absent-minded, and when he is absent-minded, he habitually doodles. In the third grade, he simulated a game called Game King, and drew more than 1000 cards, from which he learned kung fu on paper. ]

In an office building in Beijing's East Fourth Ring Road, Kai Huang, a tall and thin man, sat in front of a reporter. His maturity and steadiness were inconsistent with his age of 24. He smiled and said, "Many people say I look like a 34-year-old.". Graduated from China Communication University for more than one year, majoring in video game design, and has been the chief designer of Beijing Tourism-Private Day Tour Card Board Game Culture Development Co., Ltd. ..

An ordinary deck of cards costs 2 yuan money, but a set of "Three Kingdoms Kill" cards can be sold to 39 yuan. It was Kai Huang who achieved this value leap. However, this jump was "walked" by distraction.

"There are generally three ways for the birth of a creative product: one is to like it since childhood, the other is to have an epiphany, and the third is to touch the scene." Kai Huang said that the birth of Killing the Three Kingdoms is the intersection of these three ways. Kai Huang likes playing games since he was a child. He had his own computer in the sixth grade, but his parents wouldn't let him play video games. So he had no choice but to talk on paper, play the game by hand, make rules, draw troops, and fight with dice and cards to see if the game could go on.

Kai Huang said that he likes to be absent-minded. Whether in class or reviewing his lessons at home, he will habitually doodle when he is absent-minded. In the third grade, I simulated a game called Game King and drew more than 1000 cards. "In fact, there is no technical content, just a little patience, but the kung fu on paper may have been practiced at that time."

Although his academic performance fluctuated because of his absent-mindedness, Kai Huang was successfully admitted to high school with the highest score in the whole school. When applying for a major in the college entrance examination, Kai Huang found that China Communication University had set up a new major called "Interactive Art", which was actually video game design. In 2004, online games in China just became popular, but many parents turned pale when they heard the news of online games. Perhaps it is to avoid this risk that professional names become "so artistic". But for Kai Huang, this major helped him find a home from his childhood hobbies. In 2004, Kai Huang successfully entered the Communication University of China from Fujian, becoming the first batch of students majoring in video games in China.

"Our students are still experimental." Kai Huang said that he learned many things in college, from planning to art to mathematics. Kai Huang, a freshman, has just come into contact with a board game with a history of 50 or 60 years abroad. In addition, the "killing game" was very popular in China at that time, and Kai Huang had his own idea: to design an unplugged game so that people could communicate face to face, instead of staring at the screen with a mouse like a video game.

As for how to "have an epiphany", with the idea of using the characters of the Three Kingdoms as game characters, Kai Huang said that it is hard to say for himself, because inspiration is always hard to ponder. But he liked the story of the Three Kingdoms since he was a child, and he was familiar with Romance of the Three Kingdoms and History of the Three Kingdoms. The story of the Three Kingdoms is definitely a good theme for the game.

Huang Kai, who is still a sophomore, spent one night borrowing a picture of a Japanese game called "Three Kingdoms Warriors" and recreating the game with a computer. He formulated the rules of the game according to the characters of the Three Kingdoms. The next day I took it to the print shop and printed it out. This is the original "embryo" of the "Three Kingdoms Kill" card. In the next three years, this set of cards was constantly revised, from the redesign of the picture to the revision of the rules of the game.

Players of Kill of Three Kingdoms have four identities: master, loyal minister, anti-thief and traitor. Each player plays a different military commander, who is endowed with different skills. Huang Kai taught his classmates to play first. I didn't expect it to be very popular, and the card became in short supply. In order to see the effect of "Three Kingdoms Kill" in a wider range, Kai Huang and his partner, Li You, an animation major, began to sell "Three Kingdoms Kill" through Taobao. They don't intend to sell many sets, they just want to try. I sold one set at first and made another. Speaking of this, Kai Huang smiled and recalled: "Generally, buyers order, and we have to do it now, so we have to tell buyers to wait a week before delivery." The original "Three Kingdoms Kill" was sold in 79 yuan, but the production efficiency was higher, and it was reduced to 69 yuan.

Kai Huang himself likes playing games, but Kai Huang said, "I am different from ordinary players. I don't play games with the mentality of playing games, but I want to do it. Therefore, I spend much more time playing games than I do myself. "

I still like distractions as much as I did in middle school, but Kai Huang is very persistent about his favorite things.

One thousand and one-the business of killing in the Three Kingdoms

["I may be the1000th person or the 100 1 person who knows board games best in China, which is not important, but I am the first person to dig out its value." Du Bin said. ]

If Kai Huang hadn't met Du Bin, The Kill of Three Kingdoms wouldn't have such a big market, maybe it was just a niche game, maybe it would die.

In 2006, Du Bin, a doctoral student majoring in computer science in Tsinghua University, learned about the very popular desktop games abroad from friends in Sweden, and wanted to see if there were any similar products in China. A search on the Internet really sold, so Du Bin became the eighth or ninth customer of Kai Huang's "Three Kingdoms Kill" card.

"I may be the1000th or1kloc-0/th person in China who knows about board games, which is not important, but I am the first person to dig out its value." Du Bin said. After playing "Three Kingdoms Kill" for a period of time, Du Bin took the initiative to find Kai Huang and said that "Three Kingdoms Kill" would definitely sell well. Let's set up a company specializing in board games.

In fact, Du Bin faced three choices when he graduated. First, I went to IBM, a famous foreign company, as a research and development personnel. Four years' experience as an IBM intern makes Du Bin "senior" than ordinary regular employees; The second is to choose high-growth startups; The third is to start a "Three Kingdoms Kill" project. Perhaps out of the adventure and enthusiasm for the "first", Tsinghua Computer high flyers Du Bin took a "side door" and chose a different entrepreneurial road from his classmates.

However, it is not easy to be the first. Before the company was formally established, we should try to find a way to sell in small quantities. The first batch of "Three Kingdoms Kill" cards has 5000 sets, which are basically hand-made. You have to go to the inkjet shop to spray the picture, then stick it on the cardboard and cut it into cards with the card cutter. "In fact, this kind of work should be done by the old lady of the neighborhood Committee, and the workload is quite large." Du Bin said that the mother was pulled to cut the card, although she did not understand her son. Sometimes there is a contradiction between the two, and my mother says, "I haven't cut it for you yet!" " "I don't blame my mother for being angry, because no one could believe that the card could be sold at that time.

The hardest thing about starting a business is marketing. At that time, Kai Huang and Li You were still students. They were busy perfecting their products, and the task of marketing fell to Du Bin. "The channels in Beijing are basically' dead' by my family." Du Bin said that many things have to be put down before they can be done. At that time, Du Bin rented a private house in the south of Beijing, which also served as an office and warehouse. He often runs to the freight yard of the South Fifth Ring Road. No matter what clothes he wears, he has to pull his own scooter and carry the goods box by box.

However, Du Bin will still encounter a lot of embarrassment. "How can a doctor in Tsinghua sell cards?" This problem first came from family members, and later extended to workers in the business card printing factory. "Chatting with them, when you know your identity, people will be surprised and ask such questions." Du Bin said frankly that in the most difficult times, he also wavered and questioned his choice.

Why are some people more educated and less able to do many things? Du Bin raised such a question for himself. "That's because the idea is at work and I don't think this is what I should do. You must break through this concept before you can stick to what you like. "

With the expansion of channels and word-of-mouth, more and more people play Kill of the Three Kingdoms. At the end of 2007, Du Bin, Kai Huang and Li You jointly invested 50,000 yuan to set up a board game studio. Half a year later, the company attracted senior players of Kill the Three Kingdoms, Jin and Yin Long, who have accumulated more than ten years' experience in the game industry, and the core entrepreneurial team was expanded to five people. In June, 2008, China's first board game company, Beijing Tourism-Private Day Tour Card Board Game Culture Development Co., Ltd., was formally established.

The growth of the company continues the legend. In less than two years, the company has grown to sixty or seventy people, and attracted the investment of Shanda Group, which is responsible for developing the online game of "Kill the Three Kingdoms". Nowadays, the sales volume of "Kill the Three Kingdoms" cards has exceeded10 million sets, and the company's turnover in 2009 has reached10 million yuan. Card board games have also developed games such as "breaking eggs" and "blessing the gods" for different players.

Surprisingly, Killing the Three Kingdoms has promoted the development of board game shops, and the board game industry chain is taking shape. Du Bin said, just like when cafes, tea bars and water bars first appeared, people didn't go there for coffee or tea, but needed to get together with friends to meet the needs of emotional communication. "It doesn't matter who you play what game with, what matters is who you play with." Therefore, board games are very popular in first-tier cities, and everyone needs to get out of the network and return to the original game.

"It can be said that" Kill of the Three Kingdoms "is the cornerstone of the board game industry in China, which opened the market and played a pioneering role. Without the' Three Kingdoms Kill', board games will be delayed for one or two years or replaced by other products. " Du Bin said that the audience of Three Kingdoms Kill has occupied 80%-90% of board game users in China. Before the Three Kingdoms Kill appeared, there were only two or three hundred board game users in Beijing. Now, there are as many as four million online active users.

How can a single spark start a prairie fire —— The future of Three Kingdoms Kill

[Will "Three Kingdoms Kill" be a flash in the pan? Du Bin said that China board games had two short-lived booms before, both of which failed because of a single product fight and were squeezed out of the market. "Three Kingdoms Kill" will draw lessons and drive the industry towards maturity and standardization. ]

What Du Bin didn't expect was that "Three Kingdoms Kill" entrepreneurship was like kindling. A single spark can start a prairie fire, and the fire "ignites" more entrepreneurial stories. Xiaotian, the general agent of Three Kingdoms in Zhejiang, is one of them.

Ying, born in 1988, is a 2006 student majoring in information management in Zhejiang University. He will graduate in a few months. Unlike his classmates who are busy looking for a job, he has been starting a business for two years. In 2008, after playing Three Kingdoms Kill for three or four months, Xiaotian sent an email to Du Bin, hoping to promote Three Kingdoms Kill in Zhejiang. With his clear promotion ideas, this young man won the position of general agent in Zhejiang and became the only student among the 33 general agents of Kill of the Three Kingdoms in China.

Xiaotian began to choose the campus of Zhejiang University for promotion, and then extended to the surrounding streets and newsstands. More than 30 newsstands in Hangzhou were "captured" by Xiaotian and began to sell "Three Kingdoms Kill". Seeing good sales, Xiaotian went to book companies and chain stores to convince them with previous achievements. Later, eight cities in Zhejiang, including Lishui, Shaoxing and Jiaxing, were visited by Xiaotian. At present, Xiaotian has 450 agents, and the sales volume of Kill of Three Kingdoms in Zhejiang ranks fourth in China.

In the first half of 2008, I should borrow some money from my family and use the proceeds from stock trading to open a board game shop in the north gate of Zhejiang University in partnership with my classmates. Xiaotian is very confident about the future of board games. He believes that the truly mature era of board games should be five to eight years later, that is, after these players have the next generation, board games will become family games like foreign countries. However, Xiaotian also has its own concerns: from the current board game industry, there is no mature operating model, and the service is not comparable to similar leisure places; As far as board game products are concerned, except "Kill of Three Kingdoms", other products can't be accepted by the market, and they don't have a player base, so market accumulation needs a process. I hope there will be more people who specialize in board games in the future and enrich the product line.

Xiaotian's worry is not unreasonable. Since the appearance of Kill of the Three Kingdoms, many shanzhai versions of Kill of the Water Margin and Kill of the Westward Journey have flooded the market, but only touched the surface of board games. "In fact, behind the game's character skills is a mathematical model, which requires strong logical ability. After the product is developed, it needs to be tested repeatedly, taking into account every extreme situation. This is a very torturous process. " Li You, who is now the director of board game products, said.

Will "Three Kingdoms Kill" be a flash in the pan? Du Bin said that before, China board games had two short history of prosperity and development: one was strong chess, which was quickly replaced by video games; Once in the magic party, it was quickly replaced by online games. The reason for the two failures is that a single product fought without the help of the developing information industry, thus being squeezed out of the market. Du Bin said that "Killing the Three Kingdoms" will learn from it and form an industry with the help of the Internet, so that the board game industry and the Internet can drive each other and complement each other. Du Bin said that the domestic table game market is just emerging, and he hopes to make joint efforts with board game practitioners and players to form a healthy and sunny board game industry in China. Not many people know how to design board games at present. "However, we always treat how to design with an open mind, hoping to push the industry towards maturity and standardization." Du Bin said that Youka board game recently held a "designer club" to train professional board game designers, and designers from Wuhan and Sichuan came.

For college students' entrepreneurship, Du Bin contributed three personal experiences. First, be diligent in thinking, broaden your horizons and form the habit of analyzing problems. No matter what you see, you should think about the aspects close to your own industry and why others will succeed. Kaixin.com, for example, has no technical barriers, but it is very creative. Second, we should turn ideas into actions. No matter how small the idea is, don't stop doing it because it is too small. Do it bit by bit, from point to surface. Third, you should have a sense of risk control, let experienced people join your entrepreneurial team, don't start a business as soon as you graduate, but work for a few years before starting a business, and accumulate practical experience in starting a business at work.