SJTU SEIEE Graduate Spotlight

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“ACG”，对于大多数80、90后们来说并不陌生，动画(Animation)、漫画(Comic)、游戏(Game)，承载了太多成长的记忆。“技术宅”，对于交大电院的学生来说，更是一个再熟悉不过的词，这或许就是很多人的生活状态。
"ACG," for most people born in the 1980s and 1990s, is not unfamiliar. It stands for Animation, Comic, and Game, carrying many memories of our growth. "Tech Otaku," for students at the School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, is an even more familiar term, perhaps reflecting the lifestyle of many people.

或许大多数人都认为这两个词和理想、成功没什么关系，但就有那么一群技术宅男，热爱着ACG，并凭借着这份热爱，走上了创业之路。 “新新创业达人”季军以及上海市大学生科技创业基金会的天使基金资助，出道不久的他们已然硕果累累。他们，就是以交大计算机系的研究生为主力成员的“米哈游”游戏开发团队。日前，记者走近了这个凭借热情和代码触摸理想的团队，采访了主要成员刘伟。
Perhaps most people think that these two terms have little to do with ideals and success. However, there is a group of tech geeks who have a passion for ACG and have embarked on the path of entrepreneurship fueled by this passion. The "Xinxin Entrepreneurship Talent" third place winner and the angel fund support from the Shanghai Student Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation have already yielded impressive results for them shortly after their debut. They are the game development team of "miHoYo," primarily composed of graduate students from the Computer Science department at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Recently, a journalist approached this team, driven by their passion and the touch of code, to interview the main member, Liu Wei.

宅男、技术、创业
Otaku, Technology, [and] Entrepreneurship

团队最初的四个人都是交大电院09级的研究生，在本科共同完成大作业的时候就已经相互认识了。那时，大家的精力还都是在学习上，各自打算着读研、出国。
The initial four members of the team were all graduate students from the 2009 class of the School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They had already become acquainted with each other while working on a joint project during their undergraduate studies. At that time, their focus was primarily on academics, and they were considering pursuing further studies or studying abroad.

到了研究生阶段，有了更多自由时间的他们聚到一起，尝试着做一些感兴趣的事情。前期，他们的一个项目，主打free writing的开源文学社区，日后在中科院技术创新大赛中获奖，为他们赢得了20万的奖学金。
During their graduate studies, they had more free time, so they came together to explore some of their shared interests. In the early stages, they worked on a project that focused on a free writing open-source literary community. This project later won an award in the Technical Innovation Competition at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, earning them a scholarship of 200,000 RMB.

后来，他们开发了一个基于Misato的引擎，拥有非常好的物理渲染效果和性能，在业界被称赞为“达到了2.5D的效果”。再后来，他们和盛大公司合作开发了“泡泡英雄”，出色的表现甚至让盛大萌生了收购他们的团队的想法。但是，经过一番思考和挣扎，他们还是拒绝了盛大的橄榄枝，决心走自己的原创道路。
Later on, they developed an engine based on Misato, which had excellent physics rendering effects and performance. It was praised in the industry for achieving a "2.5D effect." They collaborated with Shanda Interactive Entertainment to develop *Bubble Hero*, and their outstanding performance even sparked the idea of Shanda acquiring their team. However, after careful consideration and struggle, they decided to decline Shanda's offer and pursue their own path of original content creation.

2011年，他们致力于原创iOS游戏的创作，并推出了自己的第一款iPhone平台的游戏——Fly me 2 the moon。这是一款典型的萌系美少女游戏，集敏捷飞行动作解谜闯关于一体，有着独一无二的操作方式。9月30日发布，没有经过任何宣传，到了11月已有了3000的下载量。团队跟发行商签订商业协议，上线三天之后，在苹果应用商店首页就得到日本区、美国区的推荐。
In 2011, they dedicated themselves to creating original iOS games and released their first game on the iPhone platform, called *FlyMe2theMoon*. It was a typical moe-style game featuring cute girls, combining agile flying, puzzle-solving, and level-crossing elements, with a unique gameplay experience. It was released on September 30th without any promotion, and by November, it had reached 3,000 downloads. The team signed a commercial agreement with a publisher, and three days after its release, it was featured on the front page of the Apple App Store in the Japanese and American regions.

昨天、今天和明天
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

其实，“宅男们”的创业路并不像成绩所反映的那样顺利。最初的一年里，没有赞助，最多的时候一周要工作七天，一天工作十几个小时，再加上程序一般都是在深夜写出来的，刘伟笑称，那时过的是美国时间。“或许很多人认为，成功都要经历很多困难的，但其实（这一路走来真的没有那么辛苦，”刘伟如是说，“有了兴趣，奋斗的日子也可以很充实的。”
In reality, the entrepreneurial journey of these "otaku" guys was not as smooth as their achievements might suggest. In the first year, they had no sponsorship, and at most, they worked seven days a week, often for more than ten hours a day. Additionally, they would typically write code late into the night, leading Liu Wei to joke that they were living on American time. "Perhaps many people believe that success requires going through many difficulties, but in reality, this journey wasn't that hard," Liu Wei said. "With interest, even the days of hard work can be fulfilling."

当然，他也意识到，“米哈游”一直都将主要精力放在技术上，基本没遇到过经营上的问题，每次团队扩充，他们认可的都是志同道合的高技术人才，“至少水平和我们一样，甚至是比我们强”。提到未来的发展，刘伟透露，其实他们还有一个“很浪漫主义的梦想”，那就是填补国内ACG领域的空缺，打造国内同人游戏品牌。尽管现在已经得到了天使基金的投资，但是刘伟和他的团队并没有任何松懈。的确，“宅”文化和ACG产业在中国还是一个比较小众的概念，当然，随着80、90后们逐渐走向社会，ACG产业也会更多地为人们所熟知和重视，“我们开发的萌系美少女游戏肯定比团购、订餐之类的项目靠谱多了啊。”
Of course, Liu Wei also recognized that "miHoYo" had always focused primarily on technology and had rarely encountered operational issues. Every time the team expanded, they sought like-minded high-tech talents who were at least on par with them, if not stronger. When asked about future development, Liu Wei revealed that they actually had a "very romantic dream," which was to fill the gap in the domestic ACG field and create a domestic indie game brand. Despite already receiving investment from angel funds, Liu Wei and his team did not slack off. Indeed, "otaku" culture and the ACG industry are still relatively niche concepts in China. However, as the post-1980s and post-1990s generations gradually enter society, the ACG industry will become more well-known and valued. "The moe-style girl games we develop are definitely more reliable than group-buying or food delivery projects, right?" Liu Wei remarked.

感谢、感动、感想
Grateful, Moved, [and] Impressed

回首走过的三年，刘伟也是感慨良多。“很感谢当初帮助我们、体谅我们的导师，还有那些给予我们鼓励和支持的同学们”。当然，刘伟也没有忘记自己的父母，虽然他至今都没和父母说清楚自己做的是什么游戏，但是他们依旧毫不动摇地支持儿子去追求自己的爱好，做自己想做的事情。“有梦想是好事，但还要有追求梦想的勇气和信心，无论成功还是失败，（梦想）都是值得我们去付出去拼搏的。”
Looking back on the past three years, Liu Wei is filled with emotions. "I am very grateful to our mentors who helped us and understood us, as well as those classmates who gave us encouragement and support." Of course, Liu Wei hasn't forgotten his parents. Although he hasn't clearly explained to them what kind of game he is making, they continue to unwaveringly support their son in pursuing his interests and doing what he loves. "Having a dream is a good thing, but it also takes courage and confidence to pursue that dream. Whether we succeed or fail, pursuing our dreams is always worth the effort and struggle."

这就是刘伟，这就是“米哈游”们。他们是技术牛人，但还追着动漫新番；他们为了作品而不遗余力，却对过去的成绩淡然处之。相信他们能在这条创业的路上越走越远，给中国带来一个最绚烂的二次元世界。
This is Liu Wei, this is "miHoYo". They are tech geniuses, but they still chase after the latest anime series. They spare no effort for their creations, yet they remain indifferent to their past achievements. I believe they will continue to go further on this entrepreneurial path and bring China the most splendid second dimension world.

### English Version

> With code in the left hand, passion in the right, Tech Otakus can save the world.
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> As I look back at my past years when trying to start up miHoYo, I realize the most important thing I have learned is that we should have the courage to follow our heart and intuition since they somehow already know what we truly want to become.
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> I am grateful to my mentors for their help and understand, and also to my classmates for their encouragement and support. And surely, my thanks also goes to my parents who never waver in their support for me although up to now I haven’t got the chance to articulate the game I’m working on to them. With their reassuring support and trust, I can pursue my dream and do things my way.
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> Having a dream is a good thing, perhaps the best thing, but that’s just not enough. The courage and the faith in pursuit of one's dreams are absolutely indispensable. Whatever the outcome of all the effort and hard work is, feats or failure, the dream is just worth it. My most valuable gains in these two and a half years as a postgraduate at SJTU are that I have found my dream and retrieved passion to actualize it. I want to express my most sincere thanks to SJTU for providing such a good platform to our team. Wish SJTU a bright future.
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> SJTU-ers, never lose your dreams!
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