Building a Gaming Empire In 1984

Sitting in front of the computer, Ethan didn't begin writing code right away.

He suddenly realized that his tech seemed to be incomplete.

Scrolling technology sounded simple, but actually implementing it required knowledge spanning both software and hardware, even involving direct manipulation of video memory and system memory.

His improved Programming attribute had indeed brought him significant benefits.

The implementation methods for gameplay mechanics would naturally appear in his mind.

But when it came to things he hadn't mastered, it was of no help at all.

"Looks like I still need to do some research."

Ethan scratched his head and decided to skip that part for now.

He focused on implementing the gameplay first and planned to visit the university library tomorrow to look up the relevant materials.

It wasn't until evening that Sam angrily shoved open his door and plopped down on the bed.

"That damn old bastard!"

"He's asking a thousand bucks per machine for that pile of electronic junk!"

It took listening to Sam rant for quite a while before Ethan finally figured out what had happened.

"He insists that all the machines have to be bought as a package deal? Otherwise, he won't rent the place?"

"Exactly! It's outrageous! A thousand dollars per machine! Add a little more and you could buy a brand new one!"

Although the arcade on the corner wasn't large, at that price, they'd have to spend over ten thousand dollars to acquire both the venue and the equipment.

That was well beyond Sam's budget.

Ethan frowned. That price was definitely unreasonable.

The arcade had gone bankrupt after being caught in the fallout of the Atari crash. The owner should be eager to sell right now.

The guy had probably taken one look at Sam's easygoing, money burning personality and decided to pressure him instead.

"Take me there."

...

"Mr. Ethan, I already explained the situation very clearly to Mr. Sam."

Only a single flickering light illuminated the arcade. The owner was an older man who forced a sincere looking smile onto his face.

"Just look at these machines. I spent a fortune ordering them back in the day. They're only a little old.

Selling them for a thousand each is already a loss for me."

"Boss, can't you lower the price a bit? I really need this place."

Every word out of Sam's mouth made Ethan's vision darken. He wanted nothing more than to stuff a rag into the man's mouth.

Ethan smiled politely on the surface but snorted inwardly.

The guy sounded sincere, but there wasn't a single truthful sentence in what he was saying.

The problem was that his expression and demeanor were so convincing that Sam was being completely taken in.

Ethan looked toward a Pac-Man cabinet in the corner and silently activated his scanning ability.

The dense cluster of red highlights nearly flashbanged him.

Something in that condition belonged in a junkyard, yet the man actually dared to price it at a thousand dollars.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Who would've thought that the machine Sam had bought for $800 was actually one of the better units in the entire arcade?

"Boss, can we power it on and take a look? If it works, buying the machines together wouldn't be a problem. After all, we'll need arcade cabinets once we open for business."

Ethan pointed at the machine in front of him while looking at the owner, silently praying that Sam would keep his mouth shut.

"Mr. Ethan, as you can see, I haven't had a chance to clean this place for quite some time. This machine has gathered quite a bit of dust.

I'd suggest cleaning it first before powering it on to avoid a short circuit damaging something."

Then he turned toward Sam and continued.

"There's no need to worry about quality, Mr. Sam. You should know very well that the machine I sold you before didn't have any major issues, right?

At most there were a few loose pins. A two-minute fix."

Sam nodded thoughtfully, clearly being persuaded.

That machine really hadn't had any major problems. If all of them were in similar condition...

He gritted his teeth. If necessary, he'd buy them all and shoulder some extra debt. In the worst case scenario, he could repair the machines and sell them to recover part of the cost.

Ethan immediately sensed disaster approaching. He quickly pressed a hand onto Sam's shoulder, signaling him to stay quiet.

Then he pointed toward a Xevious cabinet and a Space Invaders cabinet nearby.

"Boss, these two are actually in pretty good condition. A thousand dollars each is indeed a fair price."

From his perspective, these two machines had the fewest highlighted problem areas, and all of them were insignificant components.

"However..." Ethan pointed at the Pac-Man machine again. "This one is in terrible shape, isn't it? The RAM is completely dead, and there are multiple areas of corrosion on the circuit board. There's no way it still works."

The owner's expression froze slightly, and his half closed eyes opened a little wider.

Damn.

He'd run into an expert.

When dealing with Sam, he'd thought he was finally about to make a huge profit.

Who would've guessed there was an actual professional standing behind him?

This guy had incredibly sharp eyes. He'd only glanced at the machine a few times and had already accurately identified the damage.

Now things were troublesome.

"Ahaha..." He let out an awkward laugh.

"That machine's been sitting in the corner. Maybe the humidity got to it. How about this? I'll only charge you for the monitor on that one."

Ethan nodded lightly and walked over to another machine covered in highlighted warnings.

"What about this one? Why does it look like the CPU has been pried out entirely?"

"..."

The owner still wore the same smile, but he was nearly grinding his teeth into powder.

Where the hell had this bastard come from?

Things had been going perfectly with Sam. A little more pressure and the deal would've been done.

Now the price negotiations were falling apart, yet he desperately needed to get rid of these damned machines.

That cursed Atari crash had cleaved the industry's confidence in half. He'd originally thought the cold winter would pass quickly, but no matter how long he waited, things never improved.

If this continued, his machines would only become more worthless.

Wait a few more years for some impossible revival?

Dream on.

Video games were dead. Cutting his losses and getting out as soon as possible was the only sensible choice.

But he was also unwilling to practically give everything away for free.

"These two seem desperate to rent the arcade. Maybe I still have a chance to squeeze something out of them."

His only remaining hope was the eagerness Sam had revealed.

"Mr. Ethan, that price is honestly rather difficult for me to accept. Perhaps the two of you should ask around elsewhere."

"Hey, don't do that. We can still negotiate the pri…. " Sam began anxiously, thinking they could simply meet in the middle.

But Ethan, now completely speechless, pressed him down once again.

"Forget it, Sam. At worst, we'll just rent an empty storefront and order a batch of new machines from Mr. Meyer. It won't cost that much more."

Sam froze.

The name Meyer sounded familiar. It seemed to be that Jewish guy Ethan had mentioned before, the one who wanted to buy their arcade machines.

He was about to say something else when he turned and saw Ethan smiling at him.

For some reason, a chill suddenly ran down his spine.

"Oh… You're right. That's actually a great idea."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt Ethan pulling him toward the exit.

"Gentlemen, wait!"

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