Game Market 1983-Chapter 242: A Long Time Has Passed

How's your body feeling?

Well, it's strangely light.

With a bright smile, Tsubaki holding two fists looked more beautiful than ever.

An hour from now, the Tokyo Game Show's first edition was about to conclude with only the closing ceremony left.

While Nintendo didn't participate, the Tokyo Game Show, true to its name, had all its content centered around games, making it a meaningful event for both gamers and industry insiders, securing its place.

Though there were 88 game-related booths, about half were amateur clubs consisting of high school and college students. Among them, the work presented by 'Japanese Electronics Academy,' where I supervised, garnered significant popularity.

Without much expectation, we prepared only 500 titles, but they sold out in a blink. We had to resort to manually taking down the names of interested buyers...

The game they created was named 'Queen of Hearts.'

A parody fighting game using cute girl characters that brought to mind the Top of Fighter series from SMK, it captivated the audience as one girl wielded her pink handbag like a nunchaku.

Wow! So cute!

Is that... the Hasegawa Miyuki from 'Streets Without Me'?

Swinging her pink handbag like a staff, she caught the attention of passersby, who burst into excitement watching the gameplay footage.

Huh? And isn't that Kaori from 'Gift from the Gods'?

Brandishing her violin bow like a sword, she retreated a bit, then played musical notes with her violin.

What's this? What's up with this crazy character concept? Did the developers overdose on creativity or something?

Moreover, not only heroines from Pentagon but also those from Fox Soft's 'Throbbing Memorial' joined the chaotic battle, making it almost impossible to withstand the gameplay without opening wallets.

Are you selling this?

Suzuko nodded in response to a user staring blankly at the monitor on the first day of the show.

Yes, but 'Queen of Hearts' is a game made for Windows 95. Do you happen to have it?

Yes, I do! How much?

Thank you for purchasing our graduation project. The price for the title is 2000 yen.

Wow, that's so cheap. Give me two.

I'm sorry, but we are selling only one copy per person for our graduation project.

Oh... I wanted to keep one sealed, that's a shame.

Shortly after, as the initial goal of selling 250 titles was reached within just 20 minutes of the first day's sales, excited students rushed to the Pentagon booth to find me.

T-Teacher! 'Queen of Hearts' sold out! The one we made!

As I wiped off sweat with a handkerchief after wrapping up the Dragon Emblem conference and descended from the stage, I casually addressed my students.

Sold out already?

Yes? Oh, yes! It sold out within less than 30 minutes after sales started.

Amateur teams presented many shooting games at this Tokyo Game Show, likely because they were easier to create than other genres.

Once you set the trajectory of bullets based on the appearance of enemies, the rest was just setting the movements of the protagonist's craft. Hence, it might have been one of the easier genres to develop within a short period.

However, 'Queen of Hearts' from the Japanese Electronics Academy broke the mold of amateur works and showcased a fighting action game.

Of course, developing a fighting game with students wasn't easy.

Even with low-resolution pixel graphics, creating convincing motion graphics required high-level work, costing about 3 to 4 frames per technique.

But more than that, what made it tougher for the students was...

Teacher, how do we set the A.I. for enemy characters?

In fighting games, computer-controlled enemy characters often exhibit various reactions based on the player's actions.

For instance, in comparison to the Street Fighter series, whether they would block or dodge the player's projectile attack and then counterattack or retreat...

Adapting the A.I. to swiftly respond to the player's unpredictable actions was particularly challenging for the students.

It was an era where accumulating databases through playtesting during development was unimaginable...

So, I taught the students a simple A.I. setting frequently used in early fighting gamesusing timers and health bars.

Timers?

When the students first heard my explanation, they seemed puzzled.

In fact, the initial behavior patterns in early fighting games were controlled by these timers. Characters would decide when to aggressively attack or defend based on this timer.

If you look back at any fighting game, you'll hardly find characters rushing madly at the player right from the start of a battle. That's because developers typically set them to maintain a distance from the player character and adopt a defensive stance for the first 10 seconds of a match.

Before databases for player behavior patterns were established during development, developers manually adjusted patterns based on timers and remaining HP gauges, enhancing the game's realism.

Thanks to this, 'Queen of Hearts,' created by the Academy's students, had a fairly convincing fighting game structure at first glance.

Plus, with the appearance of characters from 'Streets Without Me,' 'Gift from the Gods,' and even Fujisaki Shiori from 'Throbbing Memorial' as a bonus character, the popularity of Queen of Hearts was perhaps already predetermined.

Though opinions about copyright issues arose due to the inclusion of Fujisaki Shiori from Fox Soft alongside Pentagon characters...

Since 'Queen of Hearts' was a game developed by a professional academy and students' amateur works, and it didn't necessarily damage Fox Soft's image, there were no major disputes or threats.

It wasn't particularly tailored to a specific console and was a Windows exclusive game, so the representative from Fox Soft reportedly smiled it off. Hearing this, I chuckled and praised my students.

---

On the second day of the gaming show, in the afternoon...

The 'Queen of Hearts' made by my students received the best amateur game award at the first Tokyo Game Show.

As I watched the students jump around happily, holding the trophy, I finally finished taking a group photo with them at the academy's booth and returned to the Pentagon booth.

Phew... quite a whirlwind.

Tsubaki, in her elegant violet costume, glanced at my wrinkled suit, amused by the students' enthusiasm.

You seem popular among the students.

Well, I'm an alright teacher, you know?

Just then, an announcement echoed in the hall, signaling the end of the Tokyo Game Show.

Outside the waiting room, voices of disappointed gamers could be heard.

Oh, it's over already?

Events like these should last for a week...

Exactly! How will I wait until next summer?

I felt like I missed out because I left midway through to buy Dragon Emblem yesterday...

Dragon Emblem was amazing, but did you see the new trailer from Capco?

Oh, with those zombies? The opening was mind-blowing...

Right? I was wondering what was up with that crouching scene, then bam! When that half-eaten face showed up, I thought I'd faint...

It feels like game graphics can't get any better than this anymore. How can they implement such horrific scenes?

Listening to the conversations of gamers who were quite knowledgeable about games, I found myself smiling.

Looks like everyone had a good time. I've heard so many sighs of excitement while in the waiting room...

Tsubaki glanced at me

with a gentle smile and said, Before that excitement turns into cheers, there's something I want to tell you, Junhyuk.

Huh? Me?

I want to talk about my illness during today's live performance.

What? Why all of a sudden? The doctor mentioned that your condition was gradually improving.

"Even if time progresses favorably, it will likely be next year at the earliest. Perhaps today marks my first and final appearance before my fans. I don't want to leave without a word to those who have cherished my songs."

In Tsukaki's gaze upon me, there was a firm resolve.

It seemed Tsukaki already knew that any words from me now would merely be superficial persuasion.

So, eventually, I responded with a small sigh, flashing a candid smile.

"Alright. I understand..."

- Following this, a congratulatory performance by the virtual idol for the Tokyo Game Show closing ceremony is set to take place at Odaiba Beach Park. Please check the pamphlet and move to the scheduled performance time as spectators. -

"Oh, it's about to start."

"Yeah, wasn't Erica supposed to be the first on stage?"

"Yeah, they should be done preparing by now."

"Shall we go then?"

&

The spectacular visuals of the next-gen console unveiled in the opening of Ridge Racer...

And the unexpected appearance of Capcom's 'Resident Monster' series, which caused a stir with its sudden release, along with Dragon Emblem, at this event after 'Valentine's Day,' signaled a resurgence of horror games in the gaming world.

Lastly, the concert prepared earlier in collaboration with Tokyo Game Show organizers Kishimoto and featuring the virtual idol was commencing, marking the end of all events.

"Indeed, the conclusion of events always involves music!"

As the event concluded, gamers poured out of Tokyo Big Sight towards the beach park upon hearing news of the virtual idol's concert.

Despite the early December chill, gamers didn't mind the cold.

"Erica, Azusa~~!!!"

"Tsukaki~~!!!"

"Sheryl~~!!!"

... Just before boarding the bus with Tsukaki to head to the event venue, as I watched people excitedly rushing, each shouting the names of their favorite game characters, a scene from the movie '28 Days Later' flashed in my mind, sending shivers down my spine.

"Oh? Sensei!"

Turning around at the familiar voice from behind, I saw my students running towards me.

"Oh~ Hey there~ How did you leave the booth like this..."

Approaching them with open arms and a warm smile...

"Whoa!! It's Tsukaki!!"

With footwork akin to a professional boxer, the students swiftly left my embrace and crowded around Tsukaki.

"Is it the Tsukaki from the virtual idol!?"

"Wow!! It's her, it's really her!!"

... As the students excitedly surrounded Tsukaki like eager puppies, Suzuko approached me, smiling brightly.

"You've worked hard, Sensei."

"Yeah, you've worked hard too."

"As you said, just a while ago, many gaming companies gave us lots of business cards, asking us to visit after graduation."

"Really? That's good. Seems like everyone's a bit less worried about getting a job now?"

"But in the end, after discussing with everyone, we decided to follow your advice, Sensei."

"To start our own third-party company, right?"

"Yes~ We've even named it already."

"Already? What did you name it?"

"LEVEL.3."

"."

"It's super cute for a game company title, isn't it?"

"Typically in RPG games, the level that somewhat matters for people is around 30, right? When are you planning to level up?"

"If Sensei continues to help us, it'll be fine, right?"

I chuckled at Suzuko, who sneakily grabbed my arm.

"Can we go to the concert on this bus too, Sensei!?"

"If you don't want to, you can choose not to, right?"

"Wow~!!"

A while later, after getting off at the concert venue with the students, I escorted Tsukaki towards the waiting room and glanced at the stage.

The giant screen under the night sky displayed the main title of the virtual idol.

For some reason, in the hands of the users gathered in front of the stage, there were brightly colored fluorescent sticks. As the bell signaling the start of the concert rang, the sticks began swaying so vigorously it made my head spin.

This concert progressed in the order of the singles' release by Erica, Sheryl, Azusa, and finally Tsukaki. People were excited to hear Tsukaki's voice directly, unlike the previous live battle where she had to greet through the screen.

But that enthusiasm was short-lived...

Quietly bringing the mic closer, Tsukaki, in her characteristic calm voice, began speaking.

"Today, right here... one of us four will be eliminated."

The high-spirited concert atmosphere suddenly sank.

The day they had announced in advance during the Tokyo Game Show event had finally arrived.

Analyzing the data collected so far, it seemed highly likely that Konno Azusa, who had made more mistakes compared to other voice actors and hadn't been the talk of the town, would be eliminated. However, her performance just moments ago had been undeniably top-notch.

Those who had cheered for Azusa wore disappointed expressions at Tsukaki's words.

However, astonishment washed over the faces of those gathered at the venue as Tsukaki continued speaking.

"And that one person is me."

>

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