Breaking Bricks

CBS's report brought previously unknown pirated games into the public eye.

Uh……

That's not entirely accurate either.

Firstly, the concept of pirated games existed ten years ago. Pong was not only the first video game that countless people encountered, but also the most famous pirated game in the history of video games, without exception.

Secondly, after three days of dissemination, at least a thousand pirated copies of the game have entered the market.

Although a few thousand copies are nothing compared to the tens of millions of players, Steve Ross chose a perfect time. The registration phase of the national tournament brought together countless people. At this moment, all it took was a spark, and those people would become the east wind, igniting everything.

So even without CBS's hype, many people already knew that there were new Pac-Man and Star Wars games.

And with CBS building momentum...

Almost instantly, those pirated new games became the most dazzling stars in the entire US!

Countless players flocked to the mall, eager to make a purchase.

However, they learned that the official channels that had been cooperating with Destiny Games had no stock.

Oh wait!

Those shopping malls not only lacked the goods, but they were also unaware that Destiny Game had released new products!

When this fact came to light, all the players who had sneaked into the store were dumbfounded!

If what the shopping mall said is true, then what did CBS report?

If what CBS said is false, then what games are being played on TV?

The strange message that came suddenly puzzled them.

While they were racking their brains trying to figure it out, someone suggested that his friend had the game cartridge and he could ask where his friend bought it.

This news attracted the attention of everyone present.

Although they had never met before, and although they did not know each other.

But at this moment, they became sworn brothers, with godparents as their godfather and godmother.

After a series of inquiries, the group arrived at the homes of the players who owned the cartridges.

Then they learned that the cartridges had actually been purchased from the arcade.

To be honest, when the location of the game console hall was revealed, many people sensed something was amiss.

As Destiny Games has stated multiple times, large shopping malls in various regions are their only partners, and the sales facts of the past few years have proven this point. When major shopping malls have no stock, it is impossible for other merchants to obtain goods as third parties.

but……

Compared to the dubious source of the goods, most people are more interested in the game.

So even though they knew something was amiss, they still flocked to the console room the cartridge owner had mentioned, because the higher-ups wanted to play. Then they learned that they were out of stock there too.

"Out of stock? Are they sold out?" Everyone asked, looking completely bewildered.

"No, no, no... it was confiscated..." The boss shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Confiscated?" This answer left the excited players somewhat confused.

Only after the shop owner explained did they realize that the game that CBS reported many people already owned was actually a pirated copy.

Those games were not produced by Destiny Games, nor were they authorized by Destiny Games. Therefore, when Destiny Games learned of this, they joined forces with law enforcement to confiscate them.

In other words, all the cassette tapes that exist in the world today are unique.

This fact caused the players present to frown.

"Oh! Sxxt! I didn't expect it to be a pirated copy."

Some people left the game room grumbling and cursing.

Those who remained at the scene were all filled with resentment.

"So, we can't buy it?" They still wanted to try.

"Uh... if the game of fate doesn't release them, then... it's highly likely..."

The boss nodded honestly.

"Oh my God!" A groan rang out from the crowd.

Although everyone already knows that there are no official sequels for Pac-Man and Star Wars, it doesn't matter, right? Because whether it's the CBS presentation or what they just saw with their own eyes, they can tell that the quality of the pirated games is still pretty good.

Since the game is of good quality, whether it's pirated or not is none of their business.

That's right.

The gamer community, or rather, human beings in general, are hypocritical.

When something affects one's own interests, any person will try every means to protect their own interests. But when something does not cause one physical pain, and can even bring one mental pleasure, will these things interfere with the interests of others?

What does that have to do with them?

So at this moment, they don't care at all whether "Ms. Pac-Man" and "Star Wars" are pirated; they just want to know where they can play them.

And when this emotion arises...

The arcade owner's eyes lit up immediately, and he said, "Even though those games are no longer available for purchase, it doesn't mean you can't get them. Game cartridges are distributed through copying, aren't they? It's just that Destiny games are more advanced, and ordinary people can't copy them."

"But once products that can pass the Jensen home console testing are available on the market, copying cartridges becomes incredibly easy, right?"

These words startled the players who were still gathered.

The next second, they understood what the boss meant.

"Boss, can you copy it?"

"I can't."

"Then what the hell are you talking about!"

"But... there's something that can..."

The boss took a box and a piece of paper out of the drawer.

"Fifteen US dollars a serving."

"You have to pay."

After the cartridge burning method for the game of Destiny appeared in North America.

Those players who owned pirated game cartridges became the coolest kids in the entire country!

My friends want to borrow it!

Players who heard the news came wanting to copy it!

This phenomenon was observed by Ethan Jones, who had been paying close attention to the matter.

After Michael Dyer presented him with the copying instructions and the copying cassette, Ethan glanced at it briefly, then handed it to his sister. Only after she had finished looking at it did he ask—

"How different are these things from our products?"

"Exactly the same." Evelyn's expression was extremely unpleasant.

"So, that means anyone who wants to can just copy our game?"

"Yes," Evelyn nodded vigorously, "This is a very tricky problem."

"We cannot release any new games until the problem is resolved."

Ethan nodded slightly at the straightforward answer.

But the next second, he laughed again.

"Oh—Evelyn—don't be so nervous—"

"No one will copy our game."

"???" Ethan's words made Evelyn frown.

"Why?" She couldn't figure it out.

Ethan shrugged and said, "Because our game has plenty of good stuff."

"After we simplified the Starry Night game..."

"Any cheap copy is pointless because the hardware is too expensive."

That's right!

When Ethan recalled the past and discovered that in his previous life, Steve Ross had directly disseminated Nintendo's cartridge copying method when fighting against Nintendo, he was actually a little nervous.

Because if an official game is maliciously spread.

Their revenue will then decline directly.

But after he checked the cost of the copy, he felt relieved.

The reason is simple: current memory chips are still very expensive.

When the cost of self-copying is only three to four dollars compared to the cost of direct purchase, no normal businessman would engage in this kind of business.

Therefore, before the price of memory chips is completely driven down by the Japanese, they have no need to worry about the game "Starry Night" being copied and spread indiscriminately by players.

As for games like Snake and Minesweeper?

Whether this kind of little game spreads or not is not important at all, right?

From the very beginning, Ethan never expected to make money from these games.

Since his intention was to give it away, if the players want it, then they can take it.

In addition, what will happen if players copy their own games in the future when hardware costs decrease? Ethan has already considered this question.

As long as a game can be sold normally for three years, piracy during the remaining time will not cause them any harm, as long as they keep abreast of the core pulse of technological development...

Then they will definitely be able to make their game last for three years.

Even if you don't make it through, it's not a big deal.

As long as they hold the patent for CDs, they can earn more from selling CDs than from playing games.

Therefore, after controlling the entire upstream and downstream of the ecosystem...

Once you broaden your perspective, you won't be bothered by even the smallest loss.

Moreover, you'll learn that offering something for free at the right time is the best form of promotion.

Competitive competitors simply have no room to survive.

"So you're not going to condemn these players?" Evelyn was surprised.

"They're stealing our things!" the girl emphasized.

"Oh—Eve—" Ethan drawled, "You need to understand one thing: games are a cultural product. The wider their reach, the more money we make."

"The players are our customers, so it's impossible for us to condemn them."

"Regardless of whether their actions are right or wrong."

"In my view, those moral issues are tolerable."

"What we need to eliminate are the businesses that profited from this."

"Because they are the culprits who infringe upon our interests."

Yes.

Ethan wasn't going to do what Bill Gates did and issue an open letter condemning players of pirated games as thieves, because he knew that piracy was something that could never be eradicated, and you couldn't expect everyone in the world to consciously abide by the current social rules.

In this situation, regardless of which merchant it is, they can only coexist peacefully with all players.

Of course, this doesn't mean Ethan will just let it go.

The only way to combat piracy is to shut down the profit-making businesses.

and so……

When pirated cartridges like "Pac-Man II" and "Star Wars" spread like wildfire across North America, Ethan also called in the All-American Broadcasting Company to do an interview with him.

"I am aware of the game piracy issue. In fact, we have been investigating this matter for the past few weeks. We want to know where the game came from, and I also want to know how they cracked our product. Since evidence collection takes time, we have not made this public. If it has caused any inconvenience to the public, I am deeply sorry."

"However, our investigation will not affect the current market. The reason why these games can spread so wildly is because people love us so much. So, as long as players play on their own, or if it is for learning and exchange without the purpose of profit, such as if you also want to make games and want to study how games are made, then our company will not hold you accountable."

"The only people or groups that we will truly target are two types of people or groups."

"The first category is those who maliciously crack our machines and seriously infringe upon our intellectual property rights; the second category is those who maliciously spread information and amplify our losses."

"right."

"You're right."

"CBS is also one of our targets for accountability."

"They spread false information before they had investigated the facts."

"This has created a huge obstacle to our company's efforts to protect our rights."

"Our lawyers have filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco District Court."

"Within two months at most, CBS will be in the dock..."

When Ethan's voice was broadcast on NBC to every corner of America, the people following the story all showed a variety of expressions.

Those who had a grudge against Ethan but hadn't acted because of their own interests revealed a playful smile.

"Let's start fighting!" Henry Ford loved watching the show.

The guy who had a grudge against Ethan but was powerless to resist looked excited.

"Is Ethan Jones declaring war on CBS?"

"Oh! This is truly a foolish thing to do!"

Thomas O'Neill has already envisioned Ethan's fate.

In his view, CBS, with its media power, could utterly discredit Ethan!

Those who allied with Ethan and were on the same side looked worried.

"Why do I feel like he's lost his mind?"

Steve Ballmer frowned as he looked at his friend.

After listening to the broadcast, Bill Gates frowned and shook his head, saying, "Ethan shouldn't have declared war on CBS, even if Steve Ross is the mastermind..."

Engaging in verbal battles with the media is actually a very unwise thing to do.

Ordinary people in this era may not feel it.

But for these bigwigs, they can already imagine the scenarios that people will witness in the future.

According to Bill Gates, when Ethan formally declared war on CBS, he was bound to face a storm of public backlash. But the truth is…

it's not true.

CBS simply stated its right to free speech during its evening news broadcast and indicated that it would respond positively and proactively to the lawsuit filed by Game of Fate.

And that's it.

This situation has left those who are following the matter somewhat puzzled.

They didn't understand why CBS was being so agreeable this time.

However, they quickly figured out the reason.

March 20th.

With the registration period for the second National Video Game Championship more than halfway over...

A new game has appeared on the Jensen home console platform.

As for its name...

The title is "Brick Breaker". (End of Chapter)