For the first time, seven virtual reality games are included in the national e-sports competition. (Photo provided to China Daily)
Zhang co-founded The Choice, a room-escape chain, in 2011. The company has a dozen branches in big cities in China, providing a role-playing game in which people are trapped in a sealed room and have to solve puzzles within a period of time to escape.
"Even in cities with a large population like Beijing, the branch has to change its theme every several months to maintain its appeal to customers," says Zhang.
With the help of virtual reality technology, changing themes won't require physical renovation.
Tan says that cooperation between his company and The Choice is under way.
In May, The Choice opened its first virtual reality experience center in U-Town Mall in Chaoyang district, Beijing.
In an area of 300 square meters, people come in to shoot enemies, slash zombies, fly helicopters, and race cars, spending half an hour on average for a cost around 100 yuan.
If one wants to buy a virtual reality device, the cost ranges around 3,000 to 7,000 yuan ($430 to $1,000).
"There are now around 4,000 VR experience centers around the country," says Zhang, "and the famous director Zhang Yimou invested in one that just opened in Beijing's Wangfujing in November."
But the rapid expansion of the virtual reality market had cooled down a little bit by the end of 2016.
The lack of good content still keeps virtual reality games from becoming more popular among the public.
After the first months, there have been fewer people coming into The Choice's VR experience center. According to a survey done by The Choice, only 15 percent of customers are satisfied with their VR experience.
