Chapter 77: The Progress of Arcades

It didn't bother him what others thought. His goal was to make money, and Home Alone's ongoing success had stunned the big studios. For other Christmas releases, Home Alone was a disaster. Those films failed at the box office and were pulled unless limited by the number of copies. They'd have flopped otherwise. "Is this a comedy?" they complained. "Give us our money back," they demanded. Imitating William White wasn't easy. Without a suitable plot, comedy alone would be problematic. Audiences would compare. Whether it was Police Academy or Home Alone, they truly crushed that era's comedy films. If the audience hadn't seen those two films, they might have accepted others. But with comparisons, the outcome was predictable. Fortunately, these movies were just testing the waters, with small investments. Even if the audience didn't react well, the loss wouldn't be significant; they might even have some profit. In the short term, it seemed the losses weren't great. But they lost audience trust, which wasn't something recoverable quickly. Even if their future movies were good, many would still judge with tinted glasses. Without a few decent films, several companies might be doomed. Now, it seemed that simply copying wasn't the solution; they had to put effort into the script. And those damned actors, how could they make a comedy depressing? That, for crying out loud, was no easy feat. Their starting point was flawed. Each of them wanted to use a few million to scrap up hundreds of millions in box office returns. Their dreams were great, but reality was stark. Someone else's success couldn't just be copied. Even if they pulled out Police Academy, it wouldn't work. William White's success was a fluke without reference value. The first to try something new is a hero, the second just a hungry man. There were many successful movies. Why don't you go imitate Star Wars? Movie audiences were delighted, and especially loved those family-friendly moments. The villains didn't seem all that evil anymore; their stupidity had reached the sky. "I'll be back!" William White shamelessly borrowed this line, and from then on, it took on a different meaning. Many movies ended with this phrase. ... Book fans were a bit troubled. Even though the ending wasn't bad, the plot was too dark. Were all the people in prison actually good? William White's books were enjoyable but didn't leave readers feeling happy. All the plots were driven by conflict. In the end, even the warden met his demise by his own hand. In some sense, it was more satisfying when villains faced justice. But William White just didn't do things that way, pushing the idea that criminals don't believe in the law. Executions weren't common. Usually, unless it was premeditated murder, it mostly ended in life imprisonment. The warden's crimes could have allowed him to live, but he chose to end his own life. This had a big impact on readers, as it wasn't easy to achieve. Humans, by nature, desire to survive. Forrest Gump wasn't even worth mentioning. Although the fool kept overcoming the odds, he lost the thing he treasured the most. The story from start to finish tormented the heroine, a beautiful and kind woman, and how could he just write her off like that? Readers didn't know how much darkness the author had, but their own darkness was now overwhelming. Most importantly, the novel's era was depicted too well. Readers felt a strong sense of immersion and couldn't accept the ending, no matter what. Thankfully, though Shawshank Redemption was dark, it didn't have an overly heartbreaking plot. Readers were petrified of this author, and if another tragedy concluded it, they might have been utterly depressed. Readers who watched his films couldn't understand it; his movies were full of sunshine and innocence, matching his age perfectly. They couldn't understand the extreme differences. One thing was clear, William White was definitely a genius. His handling of words was very skilled, always able to touch readers' hearts without them realizing it, making their emotions follow the plot's ups and downs. This was an art of language, and William White had clearly mastered the knack for it. He wasn't some sudden genius. His classmates and friends could attest to that. If it weren't for his eccentric personality, he might have graduated college already. His professors didn't think there was much more they could teach him. His studies at school were more like reinforcing some knowledge. For such a prodigious talent, other writers could only stay silent in awe. He wrote books just for fun. If it hadn't been for someone provoking him, Shawshank Redemption might not have hit the shelves so quickly. ... When William White arrived at the temporary game console workshop, he didn't need to go in. It was surely buzzing inside. As Fulton opened the door, it was indeed quite chaotic. Not only were a group of engineers playing, but some cowboys and kids from the farms were also having fun. These things had already received patent applications, and the farm's environment was quite closed off. Even if a few words leaked out, it wouldn't matter much, since the launch event was approaching anyway. The outsiders would find out sooner or later. Though William White was a farm owner, he was a friendly person. The kids loved to joke around with him, and the cowboys were even more nonchalant. Their relationship was more like a family. The game consoles needed testing. With these rugged testers, future usage shouldn't encounter major problems. "What's the use of a computer?" Fulton didn't quite understand, but he knew the thing could definitely make money. Throw it in a bar or a mall, and kids would play it. Even if you set up a place specifically for game consoles, people would come. It was coin-operated, didn't need much management, and all it required was electricity and a venue. With enough foot traffic, the profits could be huge. Anyone with any need, even if they're not blind, would definitely buy a few units. Every movie theater putting in ten consoles wouldn't be too much, right? How many theaters are there in North America? Don't Europeans play games? There were billions in sales there; just thinking about it could drive someone crazy. "Young master, it's tough to produce these things. Are we going OEM this time?" The stuff was good, but production faced some issues, and in America, they couldn't deliver on time. "Yes, just like those adapter cards, let's charge a 10% licensing fee. If it's our own order, the profits are naturally higher." William White was also helpless with these things. The Japanese had mixed feelings about William White. Though his adapter card only charged 5%, all the risk and costs were on them. As the patent holder, he had a steady profit, come rain or shine. Some clients even preferred to order directly from White Software, making those profits even scarier, like robbery. As the number of microcomputers increased, the market grew larger. The Japanese didn't dare make trouble. After all, he kept launching new products. If they wanted to make money, they better stick to their agreement. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.