Speaker Who Planned to Roast MiHoYo's 'Gacha Conditioning' at Peking University Game Conference Goes MIA — Audience Member Calls Out His Absence Live

A speaker who was supposed to be the star attraction at a Peking University game studies conference ghosted the entire event — and the audience didn't even spare his absence from roasting.

Scholar Cao Tianming was slated to give a presentation with keywords like "pay to win" and "player loyalty conditioning" in the description — an obvious shot at gacha monetization in popular mobile games. But when his slot came up, the man was nowhere to be found. Straight-up no-show.

The most dramatic moment came during the Q&A session. An audience member stood up and asked point-blank: "Is Professor Cao not coming? I think his topic is full of arrogance and prejudice." The man wasn't there, but his content sure was — just not in the way he'd planned. The original poster lamented: "Bro really chickened out."

NGA's comment section erupted instantly. A top-voted reply cut straight to the point: "How are you gonna bail now? Wasn't this topic supposed to be the best part of the whole conference?" Another user quipped philosophically: "The man's absence is itself part of the presentation." Others joined in: "Everyone was watching, and you just... ran?"

As for why he bailed, the comments split into wildly different theories. Some blamed the "xianqu" (a derogatory term for miHoYo's most toxic stans) and their notorious cyberbullying tactics. One extreme take claimed he got doxxed and "threatened by the company's goons." But someone immediately clapped back: "This Cao Tianming guy literally posted his own photo and real name on his registration — he doxxed himself. So the 'company goon' was... himself?"

The real damage came from the academic background check. A curious netizen looked up the journal Games and Culture where Cao supposedly published, and the screenshot revealed it has a rather... questionable reputation in academic circles. Comments roasted it as "a journal people only publish in to pad their CVs for graduation or promotions — who actually flexes with that?" Another jabbed: "Using 'pay to win' in your intro is peak cringe — even you know you're just clout-chasing with half-baked takes."

Someone even offered what they called 'textbook PR risk management' advice: "He shouldn't have named the company directly. Not only could fanboys dox you, but you might actually get sued. Should've titled it 'Embracing the Sunk Cost Prison: Player Loyalty and Conditioning in Modern Games.'"

Floor 6 was absolutely ruthless: "I said from the start this was a gimmick — a no-name from a no-name school, what ivory tower wisdom could he possibly spit?" The comment got flagged by moderators, but the sentiment clearly resonated with a large chunk of the community.

As of the post going up, Cao Tianming still hadn't publicly addressed his no-show. The only thing certain is this: while the man never arrived, the drama surrounding him turned out to be ten times more entertaining than any speech could've been. As one commenter perfectly summarized: "He didn't show up, but the presentation was still精彩 (brilliant)."