Chapter 31
We are the winners!
Chapter 31 We are the winners! (Please continue reading)
In fact, when Steve Jobs said that all arcade machines on the market had unpredictable timing issues, Ethan Jones already knew that today's orders would be wild.
Whether a game is fun or not is the players' business; whether a game makes money is the business of the developers.
Why have claw machines been popular for a hundred years?
That's because this machine's money-making model is all about quick and easy profits!
One coin toss, and the game will be over in thirty seconds at most.
That controllable pleasure makes businesses feel good.
Video games of this era couldn't even achieve fuzzy control, let alone precise time control.
So when Steve Jobs stated that the maximum playtime for Snake was a controllable 90 seconds, a shorter service at the same price would be a free lunch for businesses!
From that moment on, Ethan knew that those guys who wanted to make money would definitely buy the machine to test the waters.
But after he gazed at the bustling sales scene...
Overjoyed, he went to the side of the stage and gestured to Steve Jobs.
The other party understood and turned off the microphone.
"You gave me a good introduction. I was really interested." Ethan handed him an unopened bottle of spring water.
"Thank you." Jobs took it and gulped down a mouthful.
Unfortunately, no matter how clear and cold the mountain spring water was, it couldn't dampen the joy on his face.
"You know, Ethan, I was actually very nervous before I went on stage. When I recommended myself, I never imagined that so many people would come. I was thinking that it would be great if half of the seats were filled. Although we set the time for 10 o'clock, these guys are in the nighttime entertainment business, so whether they can even get up in the morning is a question."
Jobs laughed and said, "But for some reason, after I turned on the microphone, I suddenly calmed down. The 'bang bang bang' sound of the microphone made me feel like this was my world. Although they showed impatience with me at first, I still introduced everything to them at my own pace."
"Oh~ that means you're great~ you're a natural orator~" Ethan said with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.
However, his words made Steve Jobs shake his head and say, "Born? No, no, no, not born."
"I actually wrote a script for today's presentation in advance."
"Really?" Ethan turned his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Your explanation just now wasn't Nolan's intention?"
"Of course not!"
Jobs raised his voice and shook his head vigorously. "If I'm going to be the speaker, then naturally I won't let anyone else write the lyrics for me! Everything I just said was written by my own hand! I don't know if you like it, but I like it very much!"
"Because I believe that the most important thing in promoting a product to clients is to make them understand its selling points. Perhaps for us, the selling point of 'Snake Game' is that it's fun, but for our clients, its advantage is that it can make money quickly!"
"You know what Ethan's favorite question was when I was pitching games with Nolan and the others? They always asked, 'Can this game make money?' and 'How long will it take me to break even?' Damn it! We're selling games, not gambling equipment!"
"Therefore, in preparing today's presentation, I focused on their biggest concern: profitability. They don't care if the game is fun! They just want to know if the game will motivate people to play!"
"Hahaha~" Ethan Jones burst into laughter.
Steve Jobs's resentful look was actually quite cute.
Of course, Ethan had to admit that this guy had indeed grasped the pain point that bosses cared about most. So, he patted Jobs on the shoulder and praised him, "Oh, Steve, you're going to be a very successful product manager in the future."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ethan realized he'd misspoke. So he quickly corrected himself, "No, no, no, I misspoke. You are already one."
"Thanks."
Jobs clearly didn't take Ethan's words seriously, raising his bottle of mineral water as a gesture, showing no intention of pursuing the matter further.
Just as they were about to continue their conversation, customers who found themselves unable to squeeze into the office to place orders flooded in.
"Steve, it's too slow over there! Can you help me register?"
"I've been supporting you guys since 'Pong,' you absolutely have to save me a machine this time!"
"Oh, Steve! You should recognize me, right? John! It's me, John! I run the billiards hall in San Jose! I need two! Give me two!"
"Okay, okay, everyone, please wait a moment, I'll register you right away."
Since business had already come knocking on his door, he naturally couldn't refuse.
At first, they only surrounded Steve Jobs, but later, impatient, they didn't even spare Ethan Jones.
There's nothing we can do about it; he just looks more like a staff member.
Faced with the insane demands of these benefactors, Ethan naturally did his best to satisfy them. By noon, when he saw the last person off, he was already soaked to the bone and felt his legs go weak, with not a drop of water left in his body.
But when he arrived at Nolan Bushnell's office, the mountain of orders gave him a second spring in his life.
"Three hundred and thirteen units! Three hundred and thirteen units! We sold three hundred and thirteen units in just one morning!"
Nolan Bushnell waved his calculator and shouted, "Twelve hundred dollars a unit! That's a whopping three hundred and seventy thousand! I've never sold so many machines at once in my entire life!"
"More importantly, these eighty-odd businesses are concentrated in the San Francisco and San Jose area!"
"To the north, there's Sacramento! To the south, there's Los Angeles and San Diego! We haven't sold these places yet!"
"We're going to be rich! We're going to be rich this time!"
Nolan Bushnell tossed the calculator high into the air.
Even if it falls to the ground, I don't care.
At the same time, he leaped onto the desk like the Hulk, clenched his fists and dropped them, then threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha! So what if Mirohua punishes us?"
"We can still make money!"
"As for the reason..."
At this point, he extended his right hand toward Ethan.
Ethan, equally delighted, also stepped onto the table using a chair.
As he appeared, Nolan Bushnell laughed and shouted—
"Because that idiot Milova delivered Ethan Jones right to our doorstep!"
"Ethan! — Jones! —"
"He is the biggest winner today!"
Nolan grabbed Ethan's wrist and lifted him up sharply.
In that instant, feeling the moment had arrived, Ethan shouted, "We are the winners!!!"
This scene drew cheers from the crowd.
Wow~~~~
"yeah!!!"
"We are the winners!——"
The next second, there was a muffled "thump!"
A shower of hops began to fall in Nolan's office.
I don't know which idiot opened a bottle of champagne.
(End of this chapter)