Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

Saturday, 9 November 2001.

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

Inside one of the ministry's meeting rooms, Denzo Goto sat across from Keisuke Adachihara with several reports spread across the table between them.

Denzo served as an assistant within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, while Keisuke held a far more senior position and had spent several exhausting years dealing with the rapidly changing relationship between technology, entertainment, education, and Japanese youth culture.

Normally, their meetings involved school budgets, sports development, cultural programmes, or ZAGE's increasingly enormous influence over Japanese entertainment.

Today, however, the main subject was much smaller.

At least physically.

The AKAI Black Berry Z01.

Denzo looked down at the newest report and sighed heavily. "ZAGE again."

Keisuke raised one eyebrow. "What did they do this time?"

"They improved the economy."

Keisuke stared at him. "That sounds terrible."

"You know what I mean."

Denzo pushed the report across the table. It contained surveys from schools, universities, offices, public-transportation operators, and several local governments. Nearly all of them described the same growing problem.

People were becoming addicted to their Black Berry phones.

Students secretly exchanged messages beneath their desks. Office workers checked ZAGE Forum during meetings. Commuters watched videos through the YouTube application while standing inside crowded trains. Teenagers stayed awake late at night chatting through BBM, downloading games, reading forums, or arguing with strangers about ZEPS 4.

A growing number of pedestrians had even begun walking while staring entirely at their screens.

Denzo tapped the report. "The Black Berry Z01 improved communications, helped businesses, created jobs, expanded mobile internet use, and elevated several Japanese industries. Wonderful. Fantastic. Another miracle from ZAGE."

He sighed again.

"But now people cannot stop looking at the damn thing."

Keisuke leaned back in his chair. "That is not entirely ZAGE's fault."

"I know."

"People can become addicted to almost anything."

"I know."

"Television. Games. Gambling. Shopping. Work."

Denzo's expression became tired. "Keisuke-san, agreeing with my point while defending the company is not helping."

Keisuke chuckled. "I'm only being fair."

Denzo picked up another document. "Schools are reporting that students exchange BBM messages during lessons. Several teachers confiscated phones, but the parents complained because they wanted to contact their children."

"That is understandable."

"University students are watching YouTube instead of listening to lectures."

"That happened before with sleeping."

"Office workers are opening ZAGE Forum during work."

Keisuke glanced away.

Denzo narrowed his eyes. "You do that too, don't you?"

"No."

"Keisuke-san."

"Only during unimportant meetings."

"Every meeting becomes unimportant when you don't want to attend it."

Keisuke crossed his arms. "That is a management problem."

Denzo stared at him for several seconds before deciding not to continue that argument.

He looked down at the Black Berry Z01 resting beside his reports. Even he had purchased one. The device made it much easier to contact ministry officials, review messages, read documents, and follow urgent news without returning to his office.

Unfortunately, that convenience had also changed his habits.

The previous night, Denzo had intended to check one short message before sleeping. Somehow, he ended up spending almost an hour reading an argument between ZAGE_WARRIOR_01 and XBOX_EMPEROR about whether ZEPS 4 existed.

He still did not understand why he had continued reading.

Neither man knew anything.

The argument had eventually become a discussion about employment, grocery stores, and roofs.

Denzo sighed and turned the phone face down.

"The device is too convenient," he admitted. "That is the problem."

Keisuke nodded reluctantly. "Yes."

"The Black Berry was supposed to be expensive."

"It is expensive."

"Then why does everyone seem to have one?"

Keisuke pointed toward another financial report. "Because the economy is growing. Salaries are improving in several sectors, AKAI offers payment plans, and telecommunications companies subsidise part of the cost through contracts."

He paused. "Also, people really want them."

Denzo looked through the numbers.

The Black Berry Z01 had become a status symbol, a business tool, a communication device, a camera, a music player, a portable video platform, a gaming system, and a gateway to the internet.

For many people, owning one device replaced several separate products.

The price remained high, but the value felt greater than the cost.

Denzo rubbed his forehead. "It can access BBM, ZAGE Forum, YouTube, email, the internet, music, videos, games, and photographs from almost anywhere."

"Yes."

"And AKAI somehow placed all of that inside something people can carry in one hand."

"Yes."

Denzo stared toward the ceiling. "How did they even make this?"

Keisuke gave a tired laugh. "Zaboru."

Denzo looked back at him.

Keisuke continued, "Whenever the answer seems unreasonable, it is usually Zaboru."

"That man really does not know how to stop innovating."

"No."

"I would honestly love it if he stopped for one year."

Keisuke nodded. "The economy would probably panic."

Denzo sighed. "That is the irritating part. I want to complain about ZAGE, but every time I examine the full report, they have created more benefits than problems."

Black Berry manufacturing had strengthened Japanese electronics companies. Telecommunications investment had accelerated. Software developers were creating mobile applications. Small businesses used BBM to communicate with customers. Emergency services had begun testing faster mobile-information systems.

Even schools were discovering useful possibilities.

Teachers could distribute digital announcements. Students could access educational videos. Parents could receive immediate messages during emergencies. Universities were already experimenting with mobile learning materials.

The same device causing distraction could also improve education.

That made the government's response much more complicated.

They could not simply ban it.

Keisuke picked up the Black Berry beside him and looked at the screen.

A new message had arrived from his granddaughter.

She had sent him a photograph of a drawing she made at school.

Keisuke's expression immediately softened.

Denzo noticed. "Your granddaughter?"

"Yes."

"What did she send?"

Keisuke proudly turned the screen toward him. "She drew our family."

Denzo examined the picture. One figure was much larger than everyone else and had grey hair drawn in several violent directions.

"That one is you?"

"Yes."

"Why do you look like an angry sea urchin?"

Keisuke frowned. "It is artistic."

Denzo chuckled.

Keisuke looked at the image again and sighed with unexpected warmth. "This is why people love these phones. Before, I would have needed to wait until I visited her. Now she can send something immediately."

He placed the device back on the table.

"The technology is not evil, Denzo."

"I never said it was."

"But?"

"But people need boundaries."

Denzo opened another report.

A twelve-year-old student had stayed awake until nearly three in the morning exchanging BBM messages. Several teenagers admitted checking their phones repeatedly because they feared missing messages from friends. Some users became anxious when their batteries were low or when they entered areas with weak connections.

Teachers had also reported a new kind of social pressure.

Students who did not own Black Berry devices sometimes felt excluded from group conversations. Friends organised activities through BBM, shared photographs, and created private groups that left other students outside.

The phone was no longer only a product.

It was becoming part of social identity.

Denzo spoke more seriously. "This is developing faster than our regulations and education can follow."

Keisuke stopped joking.

"That is true."

"We cannot respond only after children become exhausted, distracted, or socially isolated."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Usage guidance in schools. Public education for parents. Research into sleep, attention, and technology habits. Perhaps optional time-management tools built into the device."

Keisuke nodded slowly.

"Schools should also create clear rules," Denzo continued. "Not total bans. That would only create conflict. But phones should remain silent during lessons unless a teacher specifically allows them."

"Reasonable."

"Parents need to understand that giving a child a communication device does not mean allowing unlimited use throughout the night."

"Also reasonable."

Denzo looked suspiciously toward him. "You're agreeing too easily."

"I am old, not stupid."

"That remains under investigation."

Keisuke ignored him.

He picked up the report and scanned several pages before groaning.

"Still, let's speak with Zaboru."

Denzo looked defeated immediately. "I knew you would say that."

"He designed the damn thing."

"AKAI designed it."

Keisuke stared at him.

Denzo sighed. "Fine. Zaboru designed the impossible part and AKAI made it real."

"He might already have ideas."

"He always has ideas. That is part of the problem."

Keisuke laughed. "True."

Denzo leaned back and crossed his arms. "He will tease us."

"Definitely."

"He already thinks the government is too slow."

"We are too slow."

"You are not supposed to agree with him before the meeting."

"I have worked in government long enough to recognise reality."

Denzo looked toward the mountain of reports on the table. "Sometimes I feel pathetic. Whenever a new technological problem appears, we ask Zaboru for help solving something his company created."

Keisuke shook his head. "That is not pathetic."

"It feels pathetic."

"Technology companies understand their systems better than ministries do. Our responsibility is not to pretend we know everything. Our responsibility is to protect society while allowing useful innovation to continue."

Denzo studied him.

"That was surprisingly sensible."

Keisuke frowned. "I am a minister."

"You were complaining about work ten minutes ago."

"I can be wise and exhausted at the same time."

Denzo chuckled.

Keisuke looked around the meeting room, then sighed deeply.

"Thank God my term ends next year."

"You have said that almost every week."

"Because I mean it."

"You might be asked to remain."

"I will refuse."

"They might pressure you."

"I will hide."

"You are a public official."

"I will hide publicly."

Denzo stared at him.

Keisuke continued with complete seriousness. "I want to stop attending ministry meetings. I want to play with my granddaughter, eat food without reading reports, and spend an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing."

"You would become bored after three days."

"Then I will become bored peacefully."

Denzo shook his head. "You really are strange."

"I am old."

"You are not that old."

"I feel old as shit."

Denzo glanced toward the door, checking whether anyone else had heard him. "Keisuke-san, please remember that you are inside a government building."

"That is why I feel old."

The room became quiet again.

After several moments, Denzo returned to the subject that had complicated their relationship with ZAGE for years.

"Zaboru does not like the government very much."

Keisuke snorted. "He does not like being controlled."

"We helped him."

"We helped him because what he created provided tremendous benefits to Japan."

Keisuke began counting them on his fingers.

"ZAGE created enormous employment. It strengthened technology, games, animation, sports, education, and entertainment. ZAGE foundations support cancer patients, fund hospitals, discover athletic talent, provide scholarships, and rebuild damaged communities."

He leaned forward.

"We did not support Zaboru out of charity. Japan benefited from him."

Denzo nodded reluctantly.

Keisuke's expression became more reflective.

"The problem is that we also kept trying to tell him what he was allowed to create."

"You personally supported some of that pressure."

Keisuke's face reddened slightly. "I know."

"You complained about Fallout."

"It involved nuclear devastation."

"It was fictional."

"I know that now."

"You complained about Fallout 2."

"I was being consistent."

"You complained about Wolfenstein."

"That game contained uncomfortable history."

"It showed Nazis as villains."

"I said I know!"

Denzo struggled not to laugh.

Keisuke folded his arms defensively. "Medal of Honor also showed parts of Japan's wartime history that many officials did not want discussed."

"And you pressured him again."

"Yes."

"And now you are surprised that he dislikes government interference."

Keisuke stared at the table.

"Well… I don't want to pressure him anymore."

Denzo smiled faintly. "How generous."

Keisuke pointed at him. "Listen. I was wrong. They are video games. Fiction can discuss history, war, nuclear weapons, fascism, and national mistakes. Hiding uncomfortable subjects does not erase them."

Denzo became more serious.

"That is a large change from you."

"I am capable of learning."

"Slowly."

"Still learning."

Keisuke picked up his Black Berry again and looked at his granddaughter's drawing.

"Perhaps that is why we should speak with Zaboru honestly this time. Not accuse him. Not demand that AKAI cripple the device. We should explain the reports and ask whether he can help people use the technology more responsibly."

Denzo nodded.

"We could propose optional usage reminders," he said. "Perhaps parents could set nighttime communication limits for younger users."

"Schools could activate a lesson mode."

"A mode that blocks games, videos, and forum access during school hours?"

"Not completely," Keisuke replied. "Emergency communication should remain available."

Denzo began writing the ideas down.

"Battery reports could also show how much time users spend in each application."

Keisuke frowned. "Would people really want to know?"

"They should."

"I would rather not discover how much time I spend reading forum arguments."

Denzo slowly looked up. "You read them too."

Keisuke remained silent.

"Which thread?"

Keisuke looked away. "The ZEPS 4 discussion."

"With XBOX_EMPEROR?"

"And ZAGE_WARRIOR_01."

Denzo stared at him.

Keisuke sighed. "It was difficult to stop reading."

"That is exactly the problem!"

"I know!"

The two men looked at each other.

Then both looked down at their Black Berry phones resting on the table.

Neither spoke for several seconds.

Denzo finally turned his device face down again.

"We definitely need that meeting."

Keisuke nodded solemnly. "As soon as possible."

Denzo opened his scheduling book. "I'll contact ZAGE Tower and request an official discussion."

"Do not make it sound like we are blaming him."

"I know."

"And prepare yourself."

"For what?"

Keisuke's expression became grim.

"Zaboru will realise that both of us are addicted too."

Denzo slowly looked toward his phone again.

A notification light was blinking.

He resisted for nearly three seconds before turning it over.

Keisuke watched him open the message.

"Sigh…"

Denzo looked embarrassed. "It might have been important."

"Was it?"

"No. Someone replied to my forum comment."

Keisuke raised one eyebrow. "You have an account?"

"That is irrelevant."

"What is your username?"

"That is classified government information."

Keisuke began laughing.

Denzo closed the forum and placed the phone inside his coat pocket.

"Anyway, I will arrange the meeting."

"Good."

"Let us hope Zaboru has a solution."

"He usually does."

Denzo sighed as he collected the reports.

"I still feel pathetic."

Keisuke slowly stood from his chair, his knees making a faint cracking sound.

He froze.

Denzo looked at him.

Keisuke straightened himself with as much dignity as possible.

"I am definitely getting old as shit."

This time, Denzo could no longer stop himself from laughing.

To be continued.

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