There are many simple balls.
But not every ball is popular, nor has everyone played them. Balls that are too obscure, most people probably wonât be interested in.
This is also Chen Baâs consideration.
With the golden trio of gun, car, and ball, there can be many choices within the ball category. The more famous ones are basketball, soccer, volleyball, table tennis, and so on.
Unfortunately...
These ball sports are too specialized and competitive. Just understanding the various professional rules might take ten days to half a month.
If you want to use these popular ball sports as material to create a game, at least two or three years, or even three to five years of data collection and groundwork is needed in the early stage.
Other ball games are the same.
So, when Lu mentioned the word "ball," he thought: Is there a ball that is simple and understandable, highly familiar, and one that most people have played or heard of?
"Do glass balls count as a sport?"
"Depends on how you think about it!"
Chen Ba explained: "In theory, itâs also a form of competitive sport, just that everyone thinks itâs childish and it hasnât gained recognition."
Actually, thereâs no need to get tangled up in this.
Whether glass balls or marbles count as a ball sport? Broadly speaking, they really do! If someone thinks they donât, then donât associate with or label them as ball sports!
After all, weâre making games, not hosting the Olympics, so who cares if this counts as an official sport or not?
"Thatâs one way to think about it."
Lu scratched his head and said, "Marbles and glass balls do have a wide popular base; it feels like kids from the 90s and even 00s have played them."
"00s maybe not..."
"My nephew is from the 00s, his childhood toys were all kinds of cool toys. You talk about marbles or jump ropes, he really didnât have them," Zhong Shengwei refuted.
Chen Ba waved his hand: "Thatâs not important. Whatâs important is that many people have played these things."
Itâs a special product of that era.
Only kids from back then would be interested in this stuff. Nowadays, kids are glued to their phones playing games, who would still play with glass marbles?
"Youâre right about that..."
Lu nodded: "Maybe among 90s kids, some havenât played marbles, but itâs enough if most have."
Itâs impossible for everyone to have played.
But as long as half have played, thatâs already a very scary number. Besides, given the popularity of marbles and glass balls back then, itâs definitely more than half.
"Going for a nostalgic route?"
Yang Dong couldnât help but reminisce: "Donât say, if there really was a nostalgic game based on marbles and glass balls, Iâd probably play it."
Donât ask why.
If you ask, the answer is to honor the lost childhood. In an age where thereâs pressure from both parents and kids, hide in a quiet room, light a cigarette, turn on the computer, and revisit the carefree days of youth.
Play the card of nostalgia...
Yang Dong still remembers he was the marble prince in school, his magical marble skills left him with pockets bulging with marbles every time he went home.
His mom washed his clothes and found a big handful of glass marbles in his pocket, thinking he bought them, he almost got beaten.
Luckily he proved with facts that he didnât buy them, he actually won them, so... the beating was a bit lighter!
"You got beaten even though you won?"
"My mom doesnât care if you won or bought them, if I donât study well and play these every day, Iâm getting beaten!" Yang Dong said with a bitter smile.
"Then you were better off, at least you won."
Chen Baâs face darkened, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, and he said painfully: "I was miserable back then, spent allowance on marbles and lost them, then got beaten by my dad when I came home."
Nothing was more painful in childhood.
If you won, came home with a big pocket of trophies and still got beaten, it wouldnât be so heartbreaking.
But the key is...
Left home with a pocket full of glass marbles, returned empty-handed, and still canât escape a beating, thatâs really a double blow to the heart and body.
"Hahaha!"
Everyone laughed.
If it were childhood, everyone would love to play with Ba. After all, who wouldnât like that generous classmate who always gifted marbles?
"Whatâs there to laugh about?"
"Though Iâm bad at marbles, I can jump ropes! Can you do that?"
Chen Ba said proudly: "Remember back then, there werenât many girls in my class better at jumping ropes than me."
"You can do that too?"
Lu was shocked, never imagining Ba had hidden such skill, totally refreshing his perception.
How could a boy be terrible at marbles but jump ropes better than girls?
"Actually, itâs okay, I could jump then but have long forgotten now."
Yang Dong admitted he was also good at jumping ropes back then, even got to know a bunch of gal pals who always called him to jump ropes together.
"So itâs just me and Lu who canât?"
Zhong Shengwei joked: "So, Dong, you were this awesome back in the day, mixed well among boys and girls, surely a campus sensation!"
"Kind of."
Yang Dong lamented: "Back then I was somewhat a sensation, thinking about it, it was one of my few shining moments in life."
Both boys and girls gathered around!
Since growing up, how long has it been since enjoying such spotlight? The older you grow, the more lonely and desolate you feel, instead reminiscing about your younger self.