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Borrowing an auditorium from Stanford turned out to be surprisingly easy — after all, Kismet Games' support plan had been personally approved by President Fred Terman.
With that connection, borrowing an auditorium was trivial. Honestly, if Ethan had asked them to raise a memorial tower for a former U.S. president just to host the event… well, that probably wouldn't fly.
But none of that really mattered, because Stanford went above and beyond: instead of a lecture hall, they offered Ethan the Stanford Memorial Church for his launch event.
According to the school, "the memorial church and the name 'kismet' go together nicely."
When Ethan heard. The Memorial Church had been built by Mrs. Stanford to honor her late husband. Although it was open to the public, it was rarely used for commercial events. Weddings, funerals, award ceremonies, honorary speeches — yes.
A game company's product launch? It felt… absurd. But Evelyn had no objections.
On the morning of April 11, as she helped Ethan with his tie, she said:
"I've already reported the game build to Professor Vinton and President Fred. They were both impressed by the AI system. In fact, they liked the use of AI in the game so much that using the Memorial Church for the launch was their idea."
"So that's it?" Ethan finally relaxed. He turned toward the mirror. The man staring back at him — black suit, red tie — looked sharper than Tom Cruise. And yet, Ethan still felt uneasy.
"Can I just change into a plaid shirt and jeans?" he muttered.
Wearing formal clothes felt weird. Why should a game developer have to wear a suit to a press conference? he thought. Aren't tech guys supposed to be casual and free-spirited?
Especially this red tie…If I show up in New York like this, won't a real estate agent think I'm… never mind. But Evelyn immediately vetoed the idea.
"No!" she said firmly, clutching the tie. "I can let you clown around and joke any other day, but not today.
Today, you have to be serious. There will be a lot of outsiders attending — not just our own people."
And Evelyn wasn't exaggerating. After she submitted the completed game, the invitation list for the Pac-Man press conference began to look like something out of mythology — a veritable List with big names appearing one after another.
At first, Ethan just wanted to invite a few close friends — people like Steven Spielberg and his father Arnold Spielberg, who had helped him — so they could witness the birth of Pac-Man with their own eyes. He wanted to show them that their help had not been in vain, that Ethan Jones was capable of creating an epoch-making work. Then he'd invite a few media outlets to report on the event, and that would be the end of the conference.
As for actual sales? Well, that would rely on the media coverage.
Once the press released their articles, curious businessmen would naturally come knocking. At the same time, Ethan planned to organize local promotions. When those were backed by wide media exposure, the sales process would be far more efficient than quietly trying to sell machines one by one.
That would be the real time for negotiations. But now? When Ethan drove his beloved Dino 246 GTS, with Evelyn in the passenger seat, to Stanford's Memorial Church and entered the backstage area to prepare, company administrator Damio Dean immediately handed him the latest attendee list.
"Steven Spielberg's father brought an extra person today?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah," Damio Dean nodded. "That's his friend from when he worked at General Electric. He's also the director of the invention of GE's first computer — Homer Oldfield.
He came because he has a good relationship with Mr. Spielberg, and he's also a friend of President Fred Terman. He even worked at the Stanford Research Institute twenty years ago. Although that was a long time ago, when he heard that his old friend had discovered an era-changing game, he decided he had to come see it for himself."
"I see… he's a big boss" Ethan muttered to himself.
"And Professor Ralph Bear brought more people too?" Ethan asked again.
"Yes. After hearing our game presentation, Professor Bear decided to bring his friends to witness history. They're all the inventors of the original Brown Box — the prototype of the Magnavox Odyssey."
"I see… that's a whole group of heavy hitters…" Ethan mentally noted.
"Wait… Steve Wozniak's father came too?" Ethan said, spotting another name.
"Yes!" Damio Dean reported. "Mr. Wozniak's father also came. Not only that, but after arriving, he even greeted Principal Fred Terman. I heard he originally worked on missile propulsion systems at the Stanford Research Institute."
"…Wow. You all really have amazing fathers," Ethan said, half-envious.
Then his eyes drifted farther down the list. "Wait — William Hewlett? David Packard? They're here too?"
"Yes," Damio Dean explained. "Professors Hewlett and Packard happened to be in California. They donated the Terman Engineering Center that our school is building and came back to review last year's engineering audit report. Since the timing was perfect, they decided to stop by and see what kind of project Principal Fred Terman was personally interested in — after decades."
"…," Ethan was completely speechless. "What is this? No, seriously, what is this lineup? What kind of guest list is this for a game conference?"
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But at the same time, he understood. Most of these people weren't just here for Pac-Man. They were here to see what kind of "AI" could be made with modern civilian technology.
AI as a concept wasn't new to them. In fact, Ethan believed that if these people really wanted to write AI code, they would probably do a better job than Evelyn and Woz. But history was a merciless meat grinder.
At any given moment, countless people all over the world are struck by the same inspiration. But only when inspiration meets technology at the right time can it ignite into something brilliant.
And whoever is the first to make that combination happen will be the one to stand at the crest of the wave.
"Oh… looks like I was right not to choose Space Invaders…"
As the gears of fate turned, Ethan felt this was exactly where he was meant to be.
He pursed his lips to hold back a smile, trying to suppress the giddy excitement rising in his chest.
But just as he was thinking everything would now be smooth sailing — that all he needed to do was introduce the game to these industry titans — he reached the entrance to the venue and suddenly felt his throat go dry.
Even after living two lives, he had never experienced something like this. He had never spoken in public — let alone in front of so many influential people. This strange sensation made him nervous.
"Damn it… how does Steve Jobs have nerves of steel?"
Ethan suddenly thought of the hippie. He clearly remembered Jobs' last presentation of Snake in front of hundreds of people.
Not only was he not afraid, but he was buzzing with energy, interacting with the audience the whole time.
That kind of freedom really made Ethan envious.
Ethan turned around — and almost laugh out loud. The usually cocky guy standing there looked oddly formal today.
"Wow Ethan you look handsome today" Jobs said first, wearing a suit with his long hair draped over his shoulders.
"Why are you here?" Ethan was genuinely surprised.
"Came to see you, of course!" Jobs grinned. "You're about to go on stage, right? I wanted to check in."
"What the— You're not here to see me make a fool of myself, are you?" Ethan immediately felt suspicious.
"…Oh come on! Am I that bad?" Jobs rolled his eyes. "I thought you might be nervous, so I came to give you a boost!"
Then he put a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Listen, don't be nervous, man. Speaking in public is actually pretty simple.
When you're on stage, all eyes are on you. That's what makes people nervous — they're afraid they'll say something wrong, mispronounce something, embarrass themselves. Because deep down, they want to present the most perfect version of themselves.
But that's the trap that makes most people freeze up."
"WTF? You're not here just to see me make a fool of myself, are you?" Ethan felt something was off.
"…Oh, come on! Am I that bad?" Jobs rolled his eyes. "I thought you might be nervous, so I came to give you a pep talk!"
He placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry, man. Giving a speech is actually a very simple art.
When you stand on stage, everyone's eyes are on you. That's when most people start panicking — they're scared they'll say something wrong, stumble over their words, and embarrass themselves in front of the whole room. Deep down, they just want to present the perfect version of themselves.
But that's exactly what makes people freeze up."
Jobs shrugged casually and continued. "To overcome it, the trick is simple. I'm not going to tell you to calm down and speak slowly. I'm telling you that it's fine to be nervous — just break everything into short sentences.
You don't have to sound like you're giving a speech at the U.N. Just use simple words. Even if the people sitting below are all elites, you just need to clearly express what you mean.
For example — instead of saying: 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the new product launch of Kismet Game.'
Split it up into: 'Good morning.' 'Gentlemen and ladies.' 'Welcome.'
'Welcome to the new product launch of Kismet Game.'
See? One long sentence becomes three or four short ones. Doesn't that already feel easier to say?"
Ethan gave it a try— and realized it actually did make him feel less nervous.
But when he asked Jobs how he knew this trick, Jobs said:
"I just made it up."
"…What?"
"I've never actually been nervous about this sort of thing."
"Oh! Shit! Get out of here!" Ethan nearly kicked him right there on the spot. "You were just bluffing!"
But strangely enough, after Jobs' antics, Ethan really did feel more relaxed.
And before leaving, Jobs finally said something genuinely helpful:
"Ethan! The whole point of a speech is to let the audience hear what they want to hear.
If you don't know what to say — just show off your product. If your product is strong enough, it will cover up all the flaws in your speech.
And one last thing — even though today is a game launch, think of it as a celebration. These people aren't here just to watch you talk, they're here to acknowledge the results of what you've built. Got it?"
Ethan blinked at him, then broke into a smile.
"Got it."
He had to admit — Jobs was right about that last part. When ten o'clock finally came, Ethan stepped into the auditorium at Julis Noble's signal.
The carved arches and stained glass of the seventeenth-century Spanish-style Memorial Church loomed above him, glowing in the morning light. Below, forty-some shadowy silhouettes turned to face him.
Friends, all of them — or at least, that's what he told himself to calm his nerves. He took a breath, raised the microphone, and let go of his anxiety.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the new product launch of Kismet Game."
Although he had written a full manuscript for this speech, he suddenly felt he didn't need it anymore.
Just like Jobs said — a speech is really just about a few simple points.
"First of all, thank you.
Thank you to Stanford University for your support, and to President Fred Terman for your help. Because of your generosity, our company has been able to enjoy such an excellent R&D environment."
In the audience, Stanford's elderly president, whom Ethan had never met in person, nodded slightly, a warm smile appearing on his round cheeks.
Ethan didn't know what that gesture meant, but he could tell the old man was pleased.
"Thank you to Professor Ralph Bear for his generosity, and to Mr. Arnold Spielberg for his selflessness. Without your help, our company might never have been able to continue making games…"
The two elderly gentlemen whose names had just been called smiled warmly, raised their hands in acknowledgment, and then looked around the room, exchanging kind smiles with those nearby. Their happiness seemed to come straight from the heart.
"Thank you to Mr. Chuck Peddle and the MOS 6502 team for your persistence and hard work. Without the CPU you provided, we would never have been able to complete this game..."
Chuck Peddle, clearly the most enthusiastic person in the room at that moment, stood up, clasped his hands together, and shouted back to Ethan:
"I want to thank you too, Ethan! Thank you for your support! Thank you for using my chip!"
His words triggered a round of warm applause throughout the hall. Everyone present understood exactly what that meant.
Although personal microcomputers had not yet seen explosive growth in shipments, after half a year of word-of-mouth, the entire scientific and engineering community already knew that the MOS 6502 was the cheapest and most practical CPU on the market.
And the man who had truly made such affordable chips popular — was Ethan Jones and nodding in return, Ethan continued:
"Thank you, Professor Vinton Cerf. Under your teaching, my sister has learned a great deal about computers. Without your guidance, we would have faced countless technical roadblocks while making this game.
Thanks also to Steve Wozniak — without your help, the development of this game would have taken far longer. And to his colleague, Steve Jobs, whose Apple Computer has been an important R&D tool for us..."
As Ethan read out the names, he could feel the audience's mood warming. People were smiling at him and nodding appreciatively toward the professors and industry pioneers being recognized.
Even though many of the attendees didn't personally know Ethan, that didn't matter — most of them were there as friends of friends, and in front of friends, a name is worth more than any title.
And why was that? Very simple — anyone sitting here today had already achieved financial freedom. Well… except Steve Jobs.
(Tsk. That was my oversight — didn't dodge that bullet...)
After the thanks, it was naturally time to introduce the new product.
The atmosphere wasn't as rowdy as it had been at Atari events. Unless the audience was truly shocked, he couldn't expect loud interactions or cheers.
But that didn't matter — Ethan had absolute confidence in his game.
"The product we are launching today is called Pac-Man, and its inspiration came from Snake.
When Snake was released, we received feedback from players saying that the snake eating food alone on a flat screen felt lonely — the empty map looked too desolate.
So, we made a change. We turned the snake into a little man, and the blank map into a maze.
The goal is simple — eat all the food in the maze.
When the player clears one maze, they move on to the next one — and keep eating.
To borrow the words of the Los Angeles Times, this game preserves the greed in human nature."
Ethan smiled slyly. "But what can I say? I'm greedy too — I want every one of my works to be a hit.
Oh, and speaking of greed — there's someone here today who's even greedier than I am. His name is Steven Spielberg. When I called him the other day, he told me that his next film would definitely be a blockbuster.
He said he would use his film to teach those who look down on him what a real movie is."
Ethan paused there, letting the words sink in.
"Hahaha…"
As Ethan expected, the room suddenly erupted in laughter.
Applause followed almost instantly. Fred Terman, seated in the front row, seized the moment. He asked for a microphone and said with a warm smile:
"Oh, Ethan, I think there's something wrong with what you just said — because everyone sitting here is greedy.
I've lived here for seventy years. I've watched Stanford grow from nothing into what it is today, yet I still hope this place can become even better. Isn't that greed?
David and Bill may no longer manage HP's daily affairs, but they still hope HP will become a century-old company. Isn't that greed?
I've heard about Professor Chuck Peddle — he wants computers to be affordable for the public. Isn't that greed?
And Professor Ralph Baer, who is here with us today, would rather let you make games without charging royalties just to bring more happiness to the public. Isn't that the purest form of greed?"
At this point, the old principal's voice rose, and the audience erupted into another wave of laughter and applause.
Then came a chorus of matching jokes from the floor: "Ethan, Fred is right — only greedy people succeed!" said Homer Oldfield, computer director at General Electric, who was sitting next to Arnold Spielberg.
"Who doesn't want to leave their name in history?" the MOS developers sitting near Chuck Peddle laughed.
"If the pursuit of excellence is greed, then we at HP are happy to be greedy to death!" boomed David Packard, the founder of HP.
When the room finally quieted down, Fred Terman concluded with a smile:
"So, Ethan, I've always thought your Snake game was a brilliant idea — simple, but perfectly in line with human nature. And I don't think today's game will disappoint us either..."
The seventy-six-year-old man fell silent, and all eyes turned to Ethan.
Without hesitation, Ethan picked up the thread: "As Principal Fred just said — and as all of you have confirmed — today's game is even greedier. Because I want its name to be heard all over the world."
With that, he pulled the curtain away, revealing the Pac-Man machine.
The audience leaned forward as an arcade cabinet appeared before them — four colorful ghosts chasing a yellow character on the panel artwork.
"The concept of our game is simple," Ethan explained.
"The player controls the little yellow fellow, trying to survive by eating all the pellets in the maze.
But they are not alone — four guardians live in this maze, and they work tirelessly to protect their home.
This red ghost has a terrible temper. I call it Persistence — because once it spots the player, it will chase them relentlessly until it drives them out.
This pink ghost is a mischievous girl. I call it Precognition — because she will rush ahead to where the player is heading and set up an ambush.
This blue ghost is the strategist. I call it Containment — because it teams up with the red ghost to pincer the player.
And this orange ghost is the most neutral — the embodiment of human unpredictability. I call it Undisciplined, because it won't attack unless truly provoked."
Ethan pointed at each ghost on the machine as he spoke. With every description, the audience grew quieter, their smiles fading into serious, intent expressions.
Everyone knew they were witnessing something important — a glimpse into the future of artificial intelligence in games.
When Ethan finished, the tech veterans in the room all narrowed their eyes thoughtfully.
Ethan knew at once: the moment was right. He powered on the arcade machine.
For easier demonstration, the cabinet had been fitted with an external controller.
The screen lit up, and within moments the first level began. Under Ethan's control, the yellow Pac-Man shot out of the center room and began gobbling pellets along the maze's paths.
After about ten pellets, the red ghost suddenly sprang to life — and began its relentless pursuit.
No matter which direction Pac-Man ran, the red ghost followed with unwavering determination.
Not only that — the red ghost's speed increases as the number of pellets on the field decreases.
When one-fifth of the pellets were gone, its relentless chase felt like a raging bull charging straight at Pac-Man!
The algorithm might be simple to code, but its effect was incredibly powerful.
A voice from the guest table called out in admiration — and just as the audience was about to agree, the pink ghost appeared.
The moment she spawned, she ran straight toward the player. But unlike the red ghost, she didn't simply chase him — she tried to cut him off.
And every time Pac-Man changed direction, she immediately repositioned herself to ambush him more effectively.
The most shocking part—The pink ghost actually took a detour.
That's right! When a wall blocked the path between her and Pac-Man, she didn't freeze — she followed Pac-Man's direction and chose a detour route to get ahead of him!
At first, people didn't notice anything unusual. But when the red ghost drove Pac-Man straight toward the pink ghost's position, the precision of the ambush stunned everyone present.
"Oh!!! This algorithm is something else!"
"This isn't just a simple chase! The red ghost's algorithm and the pink ghost's algorithm are overlapping!"
Just as the guests were marveling at the pink ghost's intelligence — impressed that this level of real-time calculation was running smoothly on the CPU —
Pac-Man ate two-fifths of the pellets on the map.
Then—The blue ghost came out of the ghost house.
And instantly became the star of the show. Because this ghost used vector calculations to flank the player — coming in from the opposite side of the red ghost to set up a perfect pincer attack.
The moment the pincer trap triggered, everyone's faces turned serious.
"This… this is no longer just scripted behavior."
When the blue ghost ignored the path taken by the pink ghost and instead moved to another junction to intercept Pac-Man, the entire room fell into stunned silence.
The three ghosts were now acting together, like a hunting team. Even the seasoned scientists and engineers in the audience couldn't hide their amazement:
"Oh my god! How long did it take you to write this algorithm?"
"When we talk about artificial intelligence, we always emphasize learning ability — but why has no one thought of games as the perfect demonstration?"
"This isn't just a game — you could publish a paper on this! Your game could be used as a teaching tool in top engineering schools. What is machine logic? What is artificial intelligence? We may not be able to turn machines into brains yet, but this pursuit logic is one of the clearest, most elegant demonstrations of machine reasoning I've ever seen!"
Even as the discussion erupted, Ethan didn't stop. Because the orange ghost — the one that best represents human nature — was about to enter the maze.
And when it did, the audience suddenly understood what Ethan meant.
Once Pac-Man entered its detection range, it acted like an employee under the watchful eye of a boss — suddenly "working hard," chasing with determination.
But if Pac-Man left its range, the orange ghost started "slacking off" — wandering lazily, just like an employee whose boss had stepped out of the office.
And if Pac-Man entered its range too many times in quick succession, the orange ghost would switch into a state of hyper-aggression — as if suffering from PTSD — going into an all-out pursuit frenzy as revenge for being disturbed too many times!
After the player had managed to escape its pursuit for a while, the orange ghost casually went back to "fishing" again.
When this vivid, almost lifelike display appeared on the arcade screen…
Even though the more than forty people present had been mentally prepared, they were still taken aback.
This was a real application of AI technology in games!
"Yes, we all have the ability to code something like this… but none of us ever had this kind of inspiration," someone murmured.
Principal Fred Terman, who had already seen the effect in advance, made the final call with a satisfied smile.
He stood up, trembling slightly, and walked to the arcade machine to watch the AI's performance up close.
When the first person steps forward, the second soon follows.
Ralph Baer practically jumped to the machine. Watching Ethan's precise controller inputs and the seamless pursuit patterns of the four ghosts, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Oh, Ethan—was this special algorithm your gift to me?"
"Your game is fantastic! It makes me feel that the best decision I ever made in my life was becoming a consultant for your company!"
And when there's a second person, a third, fourth, and fifth soon follow.
Despite the many prominent figures in attendance, Steven Spielberg was not shy—he rushed right up to Ethan's side.
"Oh! Fxxk! I've never seen a game like this in my life! This is incredible!"
His eyes were sparkling with excitement, and then he practically begged, "Oh Ethan… my good brother… let me try it!"
The next second, he suddenly remembered something.
"That's right! You promised to give me an arcade machine before! Is this one mine? Can I take it with me later?"
Before Ethan could respond, a loud voice cut out.
"Oh, Steven—calm down!"
It was Arnold Spielberg.
But Steven wouldn't calm down. "Calm down? This game is amazing! How can I calm down?"
He ignored his father and kept nudging Ethan with his shoulder, trying to snatch the external controller from him.
Ethan was left speechless at the sight. But since the game demonstration was already over, he no longer insisted and handed the controller over to Spielberg.
When he turned back toward the guest seats… He saw two figures still sitting, frozen in place, staring blankly ahead.
Their stunned expressions made Ethan chuckle. He took a slight detour, walked up behind them, and suddenly opened his arms, hugging them both at once.
Then he smiled and said, "Nolan, I haven't seen you for half a year—how have you been? You came all the way here to see my game. What do you think?"
Yes — one of the two was none other than Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari.
Nolan's eyes went wide. He slowly turned his head, eyes glistening with shock.
"G-Great…" he said with difficulty, his voice hoarse.
"Thank you," Ethan replied with an easy smile and a nod.
Then he turned to the man beside him. "This gentleman from Midway… what do you think?"
The old man in the white suit After a long silence, he finally managed to say, "Very… very good… truly excellent."
"Thank you." Ethan's eyes narrowed with satisfaction.
He patted both of them on the shoulders, smiling broadly.
"If the two of you like it, then that is the greatest honor for me."
He gave a slight bow, then turned and walked away with effortless grace.
That dashing figure made both men clench their fists. But a moment later, they slumped slightly, their spines arching as if weighed down.
Because they knew where they were — this was Stanford.
And they knew very well —
They couldn't afford to offend any of the special guests present today.