The father nodded, “Yeah, because Nini’s friends have been playing Minecraft, she wanted to try it out after hearing from them. I’ve looked it up online and found that it’s a building game, so it’s probably suitable for children, but we don’t have a VR gaming pod at home. So we thought we’d try our luck at your experience store and see if she can try the game out.
Chen Mo understood the situation now. From the way the father dressed, he was probably an average working class and didn’t look like the gaming type, and was reluctant to buy a VR gaming pod.
But Minecraft could only be played in VR gaming pods, so the father thought he’d bring his daughter to the experience store to try it out.
From the looks of it, they got here via public transport or by train, and seemed to live quite far away.
“There’s a VR gaming pod on the second floor, follow me,” offered Chen Mo.
The father was happily surprised, “Really? Thank you so much!”
Nini’s frown was also turned upside down.
Chen Mo could tell that Nini was quite mature for her age, but still enjoyed fun and games like other kids of her age.
Chen Mo brought the pair to his office on the second floor.
The father was a bit hesitant, “Is this your office? Is this alright?”
Chen Mo smiled, “It’s fine. Come, take a seat, I’ll pour you a glass of water.”
Chen Mo had the father sit on the single sofa and poured him a glass of water.
Nini stood beside him obediently, but had her eyes glued to the gaming pod.
Chen Mo kneeled down as said to Nini, “Nini you can play Minecraft in the VR gaming pod, but remember, you’ll only be able to play for an hour alright?”
Nini nodded vigorously.
Chen Mo smiled, “Come, I’ll help you do some adjustments.”
Nini walked to the VR pod with a spring in her step before laying down in it.
Chen Mo did some minor adjustments to allow for a better experience for a girl like her.
Such gaming pods allowed minors to use them, but because of how tiring VR games were, their playtime needed to be strictly monitored. It was recommended to keep their playtime within an hour, and definitely not over two hours.
Moreover, because many VR games had gore or violence, many VR internet cafes banned minors just like regular cafes, even under adult supervision.
Therefore, if minors wanted to play VR games, their only hope was their VR gaming pod at home.
As Nini didn’t have on at home, her dad decided to bring her to the experience store.
Chen Mo said to Nini through the little window in the VR gaming pod, “Nini, it’s starting soon. Do you see that icon? Select that to enter the game.”
VR gaming pods had a sober mode and a fully immersed mode. The fully immersed mode provided a better experience but didn’t suit minors as well, so Chen Mo decided to have Nini play in the sober mode.
Chen Mo used a cable to stream the gameplay onto his laptop, then placed the laptop in front of the father.
“Thanks so much!” The father was really happy to watch Nini play.
After going through the tutorial, Nini excitedly entered creative mode. Evidently it was something she talked about with her friends.
Nini found a piece of flat land and started building a house.
They could tell from the computer that Nini was playing as a princess in a dress, placing down pieces of wood seriously.
First she arranged a square on the ground before placing down a second layer.
After a short pause, Nini found a place to insert a door.
Nini couldn’t reach the top anymore when she was up to the fourth layer, but evidently she wanted to build more.
This stopped Nini for a bit, but she soon managed to solve the problem by placing a piece of wood underneath her to build the fourth layer.
Then Nini moved to the inside of the house to build the roof.
The inside of the house was completely dark after building the roof. Nini punched a few holes on the side of the walls and replaced them with class.
The father had a huge smile on his face watching Nini’s each and every movement.
There were a few times that Nini encountered a problem, but the father held himself back to not help her, allowing her to figure out her own problems.
Soon, the hour was up.
Nini’s building resembled a house. It was completely made of wood, had doors, windows and a bed. Nini even added some decor on the root and added a supporting beam to make it look better.
Of course, the house looked hideous as an adult, but it was something a twelve year old would take a lot of effort to make.
Chen Mo knocked on the VR gaming pod, “Nini, time’s up!”
“Okay!”
Although she didn’t want to leave, Nini took one last look at her build before quitting the game.
Nini was still really excited as she exited the gaming pod as she ran to her father, “Papa I built a beautiful house in game!”
The father had a smile on his face as he patted her head, “Yeah, papa saw everything. Nini’s a great builder, you’ll be a great architect when you grow up!”
Nini was still a bit unsatisfied, “If I had a bit more time, I’ll make the house look even better!”
The father smiled, “Nini, it’s time for us to go.”
Nini nodded and stood by her father’s side.
The father said to Chen Mo, “Thanks for today. The kid has been telling me all about Minecraft on the way here. She’d be sad for a long time if she didn’t get to play today.”
Chen Mo smiled, “It’s nothing, it’s my honour to have people like you who like my game.”
“Thanks for having us.”
“Alright, I’ll walk you out.”
Chen Mo walked the pair downstairs to the entrance of the experience store.
“Hold onto this for now, it has the mobile version of Minecraft installed on it,” Chen Mo handed a tablet to the father.
The father was shocked and quickly declined, “We can’t take that! Moreover, it’s already a lot to have taken up so much of your time, how could I accept gifts like these from you?”
“This is a present for Nini. Moreover, Minecraft will release on Mobile and PC soon, before that happens, Nini can hold onto this tablet. You guys can return this when the PC and mobile version is released.
Nini obviously really wanted it but she didn’t say anything and stared at her father.
The father couldn’t help but give in, “Thank you so much, I’ll return it in due time.”
Chen Mo handed the tablet to Nini, “Remember to listen to your dad and don’t spend too much time on it, alright?”
Nini grabbed the tablet and held onto it like a baby, “Yep, understood!”