บท 30: Chapter 30: Release
May 1, 1975, was a Thursday.
For the United States, this day held no significance because the internationally recognized Labor Day fell on the first Monday of September each year.
As for the reason?
Chicago knew.
On this morning, Ethan Jones arrived at the Magnavox Los Gatos factory, and unlike the bustling production scene he had witnessed before, the vibrant assembly line was nowhere to be seen. Instead, uniformed receptionists replaced them.
On the factory grounds, a wooden stage had been set up, facing neatly arranged folding chairs numbering close to a hundred.
Although the setup resembled a drive-in theater, it was highly practical.
Ethan's position was in the center of the front row. To his left was Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, and on his other side was the previously encountered Don Valentine.
Despite their warm greetings, after a brief exchange, everyone went their separate ways.
Don Valentine engaged in whispered conversations with familiar friends, while Nolan Bushnell displayed a smiling face, welcoming the arriving guests. As for Ethan Jones, he stood with folded arms, surveying his surroundings.
Perhaps due to the absence of centralized sales channels in this era, the invited guests were genuinely representatives from various industries. Those in suits likely controlled bowling alleys, those with bell-bottom pants probably owned dance halls, and those adorned in vibrant attire with a beautiful woman by their side were likely associated with bar and nightlife businesses.
The gathering of diverse individuals made Ethan find it quite interesting. As the clock approached ten o'clock, the majority of the attendees had arrived. Nolan Bushnell surveyed the scene, satisfied with an attendance rate of over eighty percent. After gesturing towards Steve Jobs at the edge of the stage, Nolan received a nod, and the appointed hippie cleared his throat, tapping the microphone.
The rhythmic sound caught everyone's attention.
As the buzz of noise subsided, Steve Jobs smiled and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Atari new product launch event in May 1975. I am your host, Steve Jobs."
At this point, he paused, his face displaying a rehearsed smile.
And in the audience...
Apart from the customary applause, there were shouts:
"Steve! Hurry up and introduce the product! I'm getting sleepy!"
"Yeah! Hurry up! I need to go to the store this afternoon!"
"Hey hey hey, Steve, why are you guys doing things like those big corporations now, even hosting new product launch events? If I remember correctly, two years ago, Nolan used to drive a pickup truck, carrying game consoles, and selling them to us one by one! And he guaranteed delivery within three days after placing an order. And now... your service has regressed into the Pacific Ocean! Don't you think so?"
"Hahaha~"
"Yeah~"
"Regressed!"
The uproarious laughter reflected the diverse crowd.
Perhaps because he had seen it all before, Steve Jobs wasn't disturbed by this. Instead, he raised the microphone and said, "Alright~ I know you're all busy. Some of you rushed over right after closing your shops, and others need to leave early for the afternoon opening. So, I won't waste your time. I'll go straight into introducing our company's new product."
With that, he pointed everyone's attention to the massive object beside him.
It was a machine wrapped in red fabric.
Steve Jobs pulled hard, revealing a dark green figure in front of everyone.
Unlike the rough casing Ethan had crafted before, under Atari's transformation, a fierce green snake with bared fangs adorned the machine's top. Beneath the graffiti was a game name painted in yellow, "Snake Game."
The information-packed display firmly grasped everyone's attention.
Steve Jobs took advantage of the silent moment and loudly proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, just by looking at this design, I think you should be able to guess that Atari's new game this time is related to snakes."
"But, let me tell you here, while you may guess the game's protagonist, you absolutely cannot guess the game content."
At this point, Steve Jobs raised his voice, lifted his right hand, and pointed dramatically.
"Because it's different from all the game consoles on the market!"
"Now, all the game consoles on the market have a common problem: we don't control the customers' gaming time. I believe everyone here, whether it's our Atari's 'Pong' or other companies' games, can only maximize profits by limiting the number of plays customers get!"
"But even so, we often find ourselves in awkward situations."
"Take 'Pong,' for example. A customer inserts a quarter coin, plays ten rounds with a friend on the game machine. If both are skilled, engaging in back-and-forth, they might occupy a machine for half an hour or even more."
"But now..."
"This situation no longer exists!"
"Snake Game" has greatly optimized this issue because, after paying a quarter, most customers can only play on this machine for a few minutes! Seconds! Even..."
"Seconds!"
At this point, Steve Jobs paused, and the venue erupted into endless excitement.
"Wow~ Is it true?"
"Seconds? Playing for a few seconds with a quarter? How is that possible?"
"Oh! Sxxt! I want to see the demonstration! Quickly! Show me the demonstration!"
"Dxmn! If it can really achieve this level, it's definitely a miracle!"
The entertainment merchants who had expressed dissatisfaction earlier were now craning their necks.
In this situation, Steve Jobs on the stage smiled.
Bending down, he turned on the power for "Snake Game," and then, with a swift motion, inserted a coin into the machine without doing anything else.
Under the gaze of everyone, the small snake in the game interface collided with the wall from left to right, dying in just eight seconds.
This fact caught everyone's attention!
They wanted to say something, but Steve Jobs inserted another coin faster this time. Under his control, the snake in the game interface took only five seconds to collide with itself, declaring its demise.
This novel way of dying widened the eyes of the onlookers!
And when Jobs inserted the coin for the third time, spending about thirty seconds devouring the ten fruits on the screen during the demonstration, the sudden acceleration of the game speed caused the snake on the screen to once again collide with the boundaries.
This outcome made the invited merchants' breaths quicken because it seemed like they had grasped the selling point of this game!
As they stared at the machine, eager to learn more, Steve Jobs raised the microphone and said, "I believe you all have understood."
"The gameplay of 'Snake Game' is actually very simple. Customers will control a snake moving forward, gaining game points by eating white dots on the screen. The game doesn't have a true sense of success, only endless deaths, as the snake cannot touch the boundaries or its own body. However, with each food eaten, its body will lengthen, and the playing space will decrease accordingly. Every ten foods eaten will increase its speed, making it more challenging to control."
"According to the designer's plan, the maximum survival time for customers in the first stage is forty-five seconds, thirty seconds in the second stage, fifteen seconds in the third stage, and in the fourth stage..."
At this point, Steve Jobs laughed, "Sorry, I can't get past that stage either."
"So, up to now, our theoretical maximum game time is ninety seconds!"
"Theoretical maximum number of plays in an hour is forty times!"
"Theoretical maximum daily income is two hundred and forty dollars!"
The resounding words left the invited merchants stunned. They stared incredulously at the game machine on stage, their eyes filled with skepticism and greed.
"Making up to two hundred and forty dollars in a day? What kind of business is this?"
"This is making more money than dealing drugs!"
Of course, there were also doubts.
"I don't believe it! Your data is too exaggerated!"
A guy with a duckbill cap suddenly spoke, "Your previous 'Pong' game was a nationwide hit! Now, I bet there's no one in the country who hasn't heard of 'Pong'! But even so, when 'Pong' was popular, the daily income was only fifty to sixty dollars! And now, with this 'Snake Game' you're claiming it can make up to two hundred and forty dollars in a day? Excuse me, but I don't believe this data!"
Such words triggered nods from the crowd.
"Yeah, your data is too unrealistic!"
"A quick game ending is good for us, but what about the customers? What if they play a couple of rounds and then quit?"
"Is this game really fun? Can it keep customers inserting coins?"
The hall was filled with skepticism, and Steve Jobs smiled.
He gestured towards the guy who spoke up, "Sir, you can come up and try it yourself."
With such an invitation, the strong man wouldn't hesitate. He stepped forward, took out a coin, and started playing.
At the same time, he loudly said, "I don't believe it. A game that's so easy to play can attract people?"
Although he had just watched Steve Jobs' demonstration, watching and playing were two different things. Eyes told him he understood, but hands...
"MFxxk!"
He inserted three coins, and the strong man didn't last a minute.
The bright 'Game Over' seemed like a mocking smile, ridiculing his incompetence!
This fact made him wave his right hand! And just when everyone thought he was going to smash the machine, he stomped his foot and said, "How much for one?"
"Twelve hundred dollars," Steve Jobs said with a smug smile.
"I have two stores, give me two!"
"Sure, please register over there."
While it's said the first to eat crabs is the smart one, the first one only sparks curiosity in others.
The second one eating crabs is the one who gathers a crowd.
And when the third and fourth guys appeared one after another...
The atmosphere on the scene became extremely enthusiastic! The game 'Snake' seemed to have endless charm!
It was easy to pick up, giving people the illusion that anyone could excel at it!
After experiencing it, the progressively increasing difficulty was more like a seductive temptress, enticing people to keep going!
Occasional failures made people think they were careless!
After inserting coins again, the crisp sound of the bell was the best interpretation of falling into the abyss!
Every person who took the stage for inspection couldn't last three rounds against 'Snake.'
Then they waved checks, wanting to order machines!
Initially, Steve Jobs orderly guided these bosses to place orders.
But when the logistics personnel said the prepared quantity was almost sold out, the latecomers rushed into the Atari office like a swarm, wanting to grab the last shares!
"I want two! Right away!"
"Three! Any chance for three? I can write a check now!"
"Fancy! I have three pool halls! Reserve six for me!"
"You guys are a bunch of poor folks! You're buying too few! Ten! I want ten! Tonight!"
"Don't push! Don't push! Leave one for me! Leave one for me!"
Watching the chaotic scene and listening to the wildly passionate voices, Ethan, sitting calmly, revealed a satisfied smile.
He knew, in this world, no one could resist 'Snake.'
No one!
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