North America, Canada. Alberta, Edmonton.
Greg Zeschuk was a young Canadian man from a wealthy family that owned a beer business, allowing him to spend money freely.
Born in 1969, Greg was still only seventeen years old. Unlike the stereotypical nerd, he looked somewhat intimidating.
In the late 1990s, he co-founded a company called BioWare with a few partners.
The games developed by this company included Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect.
Yes, all of them were role-playing games.
Dragon Age was a real-time action RPG, and Mass Effect was a shooter RPG, but at their core, they were all role-playing games.
Of course, Greg had no idea he would become such a prominent figure in the future. In fact, he wasn't even thinking about starting a company. Greg simply wanted to get into university and study medicine. Pharmaceutical representatives in the United States made a fortune.
Today, Greg went home promptly after school as usual, then drove his father's pickup truck to the nearest arcade.
Greg's family owned both an MS and an FC. The developers had only prohibited retailers from selling both consoles simultaneously, not players from owning both. Thanks to this, Greg had played games from both systems.
In terms of games, Greg still found Sonic more fun.
However, compared to Sonic, he actually preferred Mario more.
A mustachioed middle-aged man was far more relatable than an alien hedgehog!
When Greg arrived, he saw his boss, dressed in denim overalls, struggling to carry a arcade cabinet with an assistant.
Greg had no intention of helping and stood by, hands in his pockets, watching from a distance.
Only after they set down the arcade cabinet did Greg approach.
"A new arcade machine?"
"Yeah." The boss wiped his sweat. "It's Sega Corporation's new release, Demon Tower. Developed by Atlas—the same company that made Sonic."
"Oh—" Greg drawled, nodding.
He remembered now.
He might not have remembered "Sega" or "Atlas," but mention "Sonic" and Greg immediately recalled it.
Greg quickly exchanged his money for game coins, casually pocketing them in his shirt, and sat down at the newly powered-on arcade machine.
"So, what's this game?"
"Don't know," the Boss replied bluntly. "Those Sega guys told me it's supposed to be pretty good. It came out in Japan two weeks ago, and we're getting it here two weeks later."
Greg scoffed inwardly.
What do the Japanese even know about games? Except for Atlas and Nintendo.
He casually inserted a coin and leaned in to read the game rules posted on the machine.
The premise was simple: defeat monsters, climb a tower, reach the top.
Greg felt a sudden realization.
This seems pretty straightforward!
As soon as he entered the game, the rich, fantasy-inspired soundtrack made Greg sit up straight.
I need to sit up and take this seriously!
"Pretty impressive, actually. This composer used a lot of string instruments. It sounds like you're in a medieval tavern. So, is this me?"
He looked at the character he controlled on the screen. No matter how he looked at it, the character didn't seem like a fighter.
After a series of reckless charges, Greg's character was quickly killed by a monster due to low health.
He wasn't surprised at all and casually inserted another game coin to continue playing.
Greg knew very well that deaths were common during the early exploration and development phases of the game.
As the game progressed, Greg gradually became immersed in it.
The various small monsters—skeleton soldiers, zombies, slimes—and his continuously upgrading equipment and abilities gave him a sense of playing a tabletop RPG.
He loved games like Dungeons & Dragons the most!
The feeling of embodying a unique character and exploring the world was truly magical, drawing him in completely.
"Damn it! I just reached the tenth floor and died! Why is this game so hard? Why are Japanese developers so cruel?!"
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Greg reached for another game coin, but when he checked his pocket, he realized he was out.
The Boss kindly reminded him, "Greg, it's getting late. If you don't go home soon and your father can't find his car when he needs it, he'll come over and beat you up!"
"Just a little longer! Don't rush me—I'm almost there! I've figured out the patterns now, almost got the hang of it. I've completely mastered the game's rules. Give me a bit more time."
Greg raised his hand and bought another game coin, this time stashing it in his pocket to play slowly.
The game had no map, but some areas required scrolling. Fully immersed, Greg borrowed paper and a pen from the Boss. He began drawing maps, documenting item effects, and noting monster configurations as he played.
The roar of an engine outside suddenly jolted Greg awake. He dashed out to see his old father had driven the pickup truck away.
"Dad!" Greg cried, his short legs pumping as he chased after the vanishing vehicle. "Wait for me! I'm not even in the car yet! Damn it! You old bastard!"
Realizing he couldn't catch the pickup, Greg bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"Forget it," he muttered, turning back to the game hall. "I'll just keep playing."
Completely absorbed by the Demon Tower's exploratory nature, Greg's pocket bulged with scribbled notes.
It was late when Greg finally rode home with the game hall Boss. In this sparsely populated corner of Canada, the two families were distant relatives.
Even on the way home, Greg continued to review his notes, calculating the values needed to clear the game.
Greg's game coins might be running low. He figured he'd invite a few more classmates over tomorrow and use their coins to play!
Of course, Greg was a generous soul—he'd share the cheat codes with his classmates.
But cheat codes cost money.
He touched the slip of paper in his pocket, feeling a mix of emotions.
What a kindhearted soul I am!
There's a type of game that's notoriously hardcore, so difficult it practically punishes players. Yet Americans love being challenged.
Just like Dark Souls, Kingdom Hearts, and Demon's Souls, which first gained popularity in Europe and North America.
These maliciously difficult games, designed to torment players, paradoxically enjoy deep affection from North American gamers.
Even without Kobayashi Tetsu's Sonic golden statue or interactive puzzles, they genuinely relish torturing themselves!
Greg wasn't alone. On the day of the arcade game's release, countless players like him immersed themselves in exploration and repeatedly spent their game coins.
According to statistics, Japan consumed 800,000 game coins that day.
Across North America, players spent approximately 2,960,000 game coins. After Sonic, World War II sealed its legendary status!
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon