Ready Player One

Chapter 79 Ready Player One

In fact, when Ethan discovered that the walls of the office were covered with movie posters for "Amblin" and "Jaws," he already guessed who the guy working so hard in front of the "Snake Game" arcade machine was.

When the other party revealed his identity, Ethan smiled and extended his right hand to shake it firmly.

"Steven? Steven Spielberg?"

"Who is the hottest director in Hollywood right now?"

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

As they shook hands, Ethan was also somewhat emotional.

He felt that if he had thought more back then, if he had considered that MCA owned Universal Pictures, and if he had considered that Universal Pictures' most popular director at the time was Steven Spielberg, who made "Jaws", then he might have been able to guess who was helping him.

Because in his previous life, Spielberg was the world's number one player.

This is not only because he directed the movie "Ready Player One," but also because he fell in love with video games at their very inception. Most remarkably, from 1972 until 2023, when Ethan travels through time, Spielberg's passion for video games never waned. To many, this trendsetter is the king of the film industry, but in the eyes of numerous game developers, he has abandoned all that.

In his previous life, when Ethan was following the gaming industry, he saw reports of Spielberg going to the Shenmue launch event to ask Yu Suzuki for an autograph. He also heard that after the release of Metal Gear Solid, he praised Hideo Kojima, saying that if he were to make a movie, he would definitely become a top-notch director. He also knew that Ethan liked the story of BioShock and wanted to make it into a movie.

When this kind of love, which has lasted for decades, appears...

Ethan could then understand why this guy would tell him the secrets of the MCA without hesitation.

This behavior might seem crazy to others, but to him it's perfectly normal.

Because he has a deep love for video games.

"Oh, Ethan, you said you're glad to have met me?"

"certainly!"

"Hahaha—this is the best news I've heard all day!"

He laughed heartily, opened his arms, and gave Ethan a hug. Then, he put his hand on Ethan's shoulder and said excitedly:

"A few months ago, it must have been around April, Steve told me that Atari was going to release a new game."

"This game is unlike any other game on the market because it can be played by one person."

"Moreover, this game is very special because its difficulty increases as your skills improve."

"When I heard these things, it felt like there were two giant hands scratching at my heart."

"Because I really want to see what kind of game it is, where the difficulty increases as the player's skill improves!"

"You know, most games on the market these days are two-player games, and they're all about the same difficulty. Once you get the hang of it after playing a few times and figuring out the patterns, it gets boring!"

"So on the day it was released, I had someone buy one for me, and then..."

"And so I discovered a new world!"

Spielberg's eyes lit up.

Then, he frowned slightly and asked疑惑地问道, "What was I doing at that time?"

"Uh... I think I'm preparing for the release of 'Jaws'?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's it! My 'Jaws' was released this June! And your game came out this April!"

At this point, Spielberg raised his voice again, laughing loudly at Ethan: "Jaws is my most important film this year, and also the most-funded film I've ever made. For any director, when such a life-changing masterpiece is about to be released, they're bound to be very nervous, but I wasn't, because I've been playing your game! Playing 'Snake Game'!"

"Because it's so much fun! So much fun that I want to know how to make the snake's body fill the entire screen!"

"It's you! Your game helped me through the most stressful moment of my life!"

"Oh, Ethan! You know what? When Steve told me Atari was targeting you, I went straight to Sidney!"

"I even wanted to rush to Los Gatos and yell at Nolan! Because he's a thief!"

"He not only stole Professor Ralph Bell's 'Square,' but he also tried to steal your 'Snake Game'!"

"If Steve hadn't held me back, I definitely would have gone over and punched him twice!"

"but……"

"Thankfully, everything is back on track, right?"

"You're alright, oh—I'm so so happy!"

Ethan's head was throbbing from hearing those words, which came out like a Gatling gun.

At that moment, he didn't even know how many words Spielberg had just said.

Whether or not you heard the content clearly is no longer important.

When Spielberg patted his shoulder hard, struggling to hold back his tears of emotion...

Ethan already knew what he had to say.

"Oh Steven, I know you're happy, and to be honest, I'm happy right now too."

"Because I never imagined that the hottest Hollywood director right now would be my biggest fan."

All I want to say to you right now is thank you!

Thank you for liking my game!

"At the same time, I would like to add a suffix."

Ethan looked at Spielberg with a genuine smile and said, "I like your movies too."

Ethan isn't lying! In his past life, he grew up watching Spielberg's movies.

He will never forget the first time he watched Jurassic Park on a VCD player.

When the lifelike Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared, he, who was not very old, was stunned on the spot!

Because he simply couldn't understand how dinosaurs, which are already extinct creatures, could be filmed!

From then on, he began trying to find information about the director named Steven Spielberg on VCDs.

Uh, yes, those are pirated discs, pirated discs that came from Hong Kong.

Then, he found Indiana Jones, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the video store.

Then, as time went by, movies like Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal came into his view and became part of his growth.

To be honest, even as he's gotten older and his knowledge has broadened, Ethan is still deeply moved every time he watches a Spielberg film. He simply can't understand why there's a director in the world capable of handling such diverse film styles.

He was completely dumbfounded when he learned that Spielberg had also made Schindler's List in the same year he made Jurassic Park! Because the two films were simply two extremes of commercial and artistic expression!

It's perfectly understandable if a great creator makes films with vastly different styles at different stages of their life.

Because people's understanding of the world changes over time.

How could one switch back and forth between commerce and art in the same year?

This is insane...

It sounds like he's cheating!

Ethan didn't understand it back then, but now he feels that he might be fortunate enough to witness it all.

And all of this was brought to him by Steve Jobs...

Uh……

Steve Jobs?

and many more!

Why didn't this guy tell him beforehand that his friend at the MCA was Spielberg?

Thinking of this, Ethan suddenly turned his head and looked to the side with a fierce glint in his eyes.

At that moment, Jobs stood with his arms crossed, like an old father, watching his friend and his friend greet each other.

The sense of accomplishment from bringing together the king of one field with the king of another brought a smile to his face.

When he noticed Ethan suddenly turn his head and glare at him, he immediately asked curiously, "Ethan, is something wrong?"

Why are you looking at me like that?

"Why didn't you tell me before that the person who helped me was Steven?" Ethan asked directly.

"? 』

This question left Jobs looking bewildered. He asked in confusion, "You didn't ask that!"

"Can't you tell me if I didn't ask?"

"You didn't ask me why I said that!"

"Then don't say anything now. Once the company is established, we'll deduct a year's worth of your bonus."

"WTF?" Jobs exclaimed in surprise.

He had no idea what Ethan was up to this time.

When Spielberg, who was still confused, asked about his doubts, Ethan smiled and said, "Oh Steven, we're fine."

"I just think it's really going too far that Steve didn't tell me your identity beforehand."

"If I had known from the beginning that it was you who was helping me, I would definitely have come to you to express my gratitude after finishing the Mirova lawsuit."

Spielberg smiled and smiled when he heard these words.

"Oh, Ethan, don't be like that! You're being too kind!"

"I just did what I wanted to do."

Jobs rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with someone like Ethan who had suddenly fallen ill.

During the conversation, Spielberg's stomach suddenly rumbled.

Correspondingly, the hands of the wall clock, showing four o'clock in the afternoon, seemed somewhat out of place with Spielberg's belly.

The voice made him look embarrassed, and he said, "Oh~ I came to Universal Studios today and started playing games here because I felt like I could beat the game, but I ended up playing for several hours, so... I didn't eat lunch..."

He spread his hands.

"What a coincidence?" Spielberg's words reminded Ethan of what had just happened, and he sighed, "We left home around nine or ten in the morning, thinking we'd get here by two in the afternoon, grab a quick bite, and then find you. But I didn't expect Los Angeles to be so congested."

"We came directly here because we were worried you wouldn't be there."

"I'm really hungry right now. If you don't mind, shall we go out to eat together?"

"Oh—is that so? That's quite a coincidence." Spielberg nodded. "We can eat together, but we don't need to go out."

"We have a cafeteria at Global City. They should be preparing dinner there right now. We can just go there."

"Of course, if you want to eat out, that's fine too. I can take you to MK, which is Charlie Chaplin's favorite restaurant."

"Raymond (Chandler) used to frequent that store when he was alive."

"Their filet mignon and sole were absolutely fantastic!"

"Let's eat at the cafeteria today," Ethan said, making his choice.

He then added, "Of course, I mainly want to see the inside of your Global Stores. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Of course, no problem!" Spielberg, who wanted to have dinner with his idol, nodded decisively. "I'm in charge at Universal now."

But as he was about to lead the way, he suddenly stopped and said, "Ethan, before we go eat, can you grant me one wish?"

"What?"

"Could you give me an autograph? Just on this arcade machine."

"sure!"

Ethan took the marker and signed his name on the arcade machine.

He also wrote: On October 15, 1975, ______ officially opened to traffic, witnessed by Ethan Jones and ______.

After writing this sentence, he first handed the pen to Spielberg.

The other party readily accepted and signed their name in the blank space before formal customs clearance.

Then, Ethan gestured for Jobs to come over.

Let him put his name before those who witnessed it.

This situation filled Jobs with joy.

He didn't expect Ethan to be so accommodating.

It's worth noting that "Jaws" is currently the hottest movie, raking in seven million dollars in its opening week, making history. In just 59 days, it surpassed one hundred million dollars, becoming the first movie to break the one hundred million dollar mark since the birth of cinema!

Snake Game was equally impressive, with its sales of 15 million in six months generating hundreds of millions in game revenue!

How can he participate when the person who makes history leaves blank space on the game console?

Oh, Ethan—

"You're a real bro, you fucking awesome!"

Steve Jobs thought to himself.

Then he readily signed his name.

Note: ① Steve Jobs met the then-unknown Steven Spielberg when he was selling merchandise at Atari. Their relationship was very close because of games; so close that Spielberg facilitated Jobs' purchase of Pixar from Lucas. Ironically, Bill Gates also wanted to acquire Pixar, offering $45 million, but after Spielberg indicated Jobs wanted it, Lucas sold Pixar to Jobs for $10 million. ② Spielberg's love for games was indeed obsessive. In real life, he wrote a strategy guide for *Space Invaders*, with the first page stating, "I hope the reader of this book is a gamer." And when filming *E.T.*, he brought his *Donkey Kong* arcade machine to the set. In reality, he had a very good relationship with Atari. When Atari launched the 2600 home console, he even licensed his debut work, "Speed ​​Racer," to Atari, allowing Atari to turn the movie into a game.

(End of this chapter)