The second beta test of Spore Evolution had officially gone live.
Interest online was already at a fever pitch—major gaming studios closely monitored the situation, convinced some mysterious high-tech development team was behind the hyper-realistic virtual reality simulation. The sandbox's physics engine alone would require several supercomputers working in parallel to emulate a living world filled with infinite evolutionary possibilities.
Technical analysts online had already calculated the absurd cost of running such a game. To support merely one hundred concurrent players would require at least three supercomputers—meaning every thirty players shared a machine worth millions. At today's market prices, each beta slot theoretically consumed about $600,000 in computing resources—a staggering and almost unbelievable expense.
Yet rather than rush to monetize via subscriptions or paywalls, the developers behind Spore Evolution doubled down on their lavish approach. The beta had just expanded by fifty slots, theoretically adding two additional supercomputers into their infrastructure at an estimated $40 million. Such generosity immediately ignited a firestorm across the gaming world.
Within mere hours, a new forum post by user AutumnMountainSpeed went viral across Reddit and Discord:
"Hey fellow evolutionists—AutumnMountainSpeed here again! Here's a quick breakdown of the craziest, most hardcore update in gaming history:
First, they've expanded the beta by 50 more slots—insanely generous, considering analysts say each slot requires computational power equivalent to half a AAA game. Most devs milk their playerbase, yet here we have a studio throwing money at us!
Second, to qualify for a slot you now must submit an evolutionary biology essay. Seriously? You need to write a research paper to play a game? Are the devs secretly education enthusiasts in disguise?
Third, a ruthless 'bottom-20 elimination' system has been implemented. Underperform, and you're out—no slot is guaranteed. Study hard or lose your chance!
Lastly, an achievement system immortalizes your evolved species in the Evolution Chronicle and grants exclusive rewards.
This game is ridiculously hardcore yet absurdly generous. I'm off to grind evolutionary theory—I won't let my slot go!"
The thread instantly exploded with both excitement and panic. Players fiercely debated the new essay requirement—some eagerly embraced the opportunity to flex their academic knowledge, while others desperately scrambled to hire ghostwriters or frantically searched for papers to plagiarize. Beta slots, originally free, now commanded black-market prices of well over $100,000 each.
Across campuses worldwide, libraries suddenly overflowed with gamers frantically searching shelves for obscure evolutionary biology books—everything from Cambrian explosion studies to Triassic extinction research. Anything that could help craft an impressive essay was immediately checked out. Journalists quickly picked up on the unusual trend, and soon headlines proclaimed gaming communities were suddenly enthralled by scholarly research.
Parents around the globe smiled approvingly at articles titled "Learning Makes Me Happy," marveling as gaming guilds pivoted sharply toward academia. Meanwhile, Xu Zhi sat back, quietly observing the unfolding spectacle with deep satisfaction.
"Who knew this tiny sandbox experiment would ignite such a wildfire?" Xu Zhi mused to himself. "Each slot's computational value rivals the entire server infrastructure of a mid-tier MMORPG. Players are willingly paying hundreds of thousands just for a chance—that's profit even I wouldn't refuse."
By morning, Xu Zhi's inbox had already received nearly a thousand detailed evolutionary essays. Each submission meticulously proposed a unique species, complete with thorough evolutionary pathways and citations from respected scientific literature. Applicants passionately argued for their concepts' feasibility, displaying remarkable depth of understanding.
"Dear Dev Legend," began one standout proposal, "I've designed a novel bilaterally symmetrical amphibious creature optimized for survival in swamp ecosystems. Please grant me a beta slot to empirically validate this evolutionary hypothesis."
Xu Zhi leaned back comfortably, a slow smile spreading across his face. Last night's reunion had unexpectedly opened the perfect path forward: recruiting real-world expertise into his sandbox. By leveraging their intellect, he could engineer the next leap in evolutionary progress—all while players simply thought they were playing an exceptional game.