Compared to arcade machines, rent a little over a thousand dollars for a storefront was practically pocket change.
Under Ethan's almost terrifying fault-detection ability, the owner had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept their offer, packaging all those battered arcade machines together and selling them at scrap value.
When they returned home, not only had the line in front of the machine not gotten shorter, but several unfamiliar faces had joined it.
Ethan clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, thank you very much for supporting the first-day trial operation of our Tetris.
However, I still need to perform further adjustments and optimization on the machine."
Between the lines, the meaning was clear.
He was asking everyone to leave.
After spending the entire day here, many people already knew that Ethan and Sam were the owners of the machine.
But that didn't mean they could accept this!
"No! Sir, it's only six o'clock!" The loudest protest naturally came from the second person in line.
He was just about to get his turn, and suddenly, bam, no more playing. Who could accept that?
"At least keep it running until midnight! No, ten o'clock would be fine too! Please, just let me play one round! I'll do anything!"
"That's right, sir! I can pay extra!"
Ethan raised a hand, signaling everyone to calm down.
Letting the machine run for another night would indeed bring in quite a bit more money.
But he was getting a little nervous.
Judging by the situation, several people had already brought bags of snacks and drinks. Some had even brought picnic mats.
If he let them keep playing, he personally wouldn't mind.
The IRS, however, might come knocking on his door.
If that issue ended up being scrutinized and they slapped him with a charge of operating a business without a license, he'd have nowhere to cry.
"Everyone, I never expected you all to enjoy our new game this much. Please don't worry, I'm only making some simple adjustments. You can come back next weekend.
We've already rented the arcade on the street corner, and we'll be counting on everyone's support when we officially open."
After much persuasion, they finally managed to send the crowd away.
The two of them let out a long sigh of relief and carried the arcade machine back inside.
Sam skillfully pulled out the heavy coin box and sat cross-legged on the floor, happily counting the earnings.
But the further he counted, the stiffer his smile became.
Not because they'd earned too little.
But because they'd earned too much.
Far too much!
"O-One..." His hands were actually trembling as he added everything together. "One hundred and twenty-five dollars and fifty cents! My God!"
This had surpassed every record he knew.
It was a genuine blockbuster hit with absolutely no room for debate.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"This is only the beginning. Once we make it big, we're heading into the home console market."
Hearing Sam's cry of shock, Ethan casually tossed out another grand dream.
For someone who had witnessed the terrifying spending power of the future gaming industry, this amount of money was honestly insignificant.
If something like Steam existed in this era, who knew how much money this game could make?
It was impossible to even imagine.
Selling copies was the right path.
"Sam, think about it. If you come across a game you really love, how many copies would you buy?"
"As many as possible!"
Sam was a hardcore gaming enthusiast.
He had even bought multiple copies of the absolute disaster that was E.T.
Ethan snapped his fingers.
"Exactly."
As the famous Japanese philosopher Izumi Konata once said.
"In my opinion, you need at least three copies."
"One for permanent preservation, stored safely in a dedicated case."
"Another for occasional viewing and appreciation."
"And the last one for lending to friends."
Every home console owner was a sales terminal, scattered across every street, every city, every corner of the world.
Of course, it was still too early to think about that.
For now, his focus should remain on arcade machines.
...
The next day.
Sam got up early and headed straight to the arcade.
He needed to handle all the complicated rental and operating procedures.
And, of course, clean the place.
As for Ethan, his class schedule differed from Sam's.
He also left early and headed to school.
"That concludes today's lecture."
Just as Ethan was about to completely zone out, the long class finally ended.
Ever since obtaining the skill that significantly improved his efficiency at learning programming languages, the material covered in class had become difficult to hold his interest.
The only reason he hadn't skipped class was because the balding professor, despite still being relatively young, absolutely loved taking attendance.
Coming back to his senses, Ethan looked at the words Scrolling Technology that he had scribbled repeatedly across his notebook and came up with a plan.
Leaving the classroom, he headed straight for the university's science and engineering library.
Stepping inside, he found himself in a vast space filled with endless rows of tables and chairs.
Students sat hunched over their desks, occasionally scribbling notes and sketches onto draft paper.
A row of computer terminals lined one wall.
Unlike the paper-thin devices of the future, these machines were bulky and featured nothing but monotonous command line interfaces, yet they were already considered cutting edge technology in this era.
Ethan walked through row after row of bookshelves before stopping in front of the section labeled Electronic Engineering.
After searching back and forth, he finally fixed his attention on several books about PPUs, Picture Processing Units.
In an era before graphics cards existed, the PPU was the master of graphics.
Reaching out, Ethan took the books from the shelf.
Just as he was about to find a seat and study them seriously, a surprised voice sounded behind him.
"It's you!"
Puzzled, he turned around and met a pair of astonished eyes.
Vivian was holding a thin copy of Video magazine against the front of a short-sleeved polo shirt that neatly outlined her shoulders and waist.
Only after Ethan turned around did she fully confirm that she hadn't mistaken him for someone else.
Curiously, Vivian glanced at the titles of the books in Ethan's hands before speaking uncertainly.
"I never expected to run into you here. You're a student at our university too?"
"Miss, if I didn't study here, why would I rent an apartment in the school district?"
"Oh, right..."
Only then did Vivian realize she had asked a rather silly question.
She didn't seem bothered by it and quickly changed the subject.
"Tetris is really an amazing game. After I got home yesterday, everywhere I looked, I felt like blocks were falling from the sky. It was incredible!"
Ethan smiled politely and pointed at the copy of Video magazine in her arms.
"Are you still reading that magazine? I'd like to borrow it and study it a bit."
"This one? It's just an introductory textbook, though."
Vivian looked puzzled.
Someone as impressive as Ethan actually wanted to read a beginner level book?
"Yeah. I want to learn some graphics technology. I need it for a game project. My major is software development, so I never took any courses in this area."
"Wait, a new game?"
Vivian instantly picked up on the key point in his words. Her eyes widened.
"Then... actually, I could tutor you."
Patting her chest confidently, Vivian revealed a self-assured smile.
"Let's formally introduce ourselves. My name is Vivian. I'm an Electrical Engineering major, specializing in graphics and visual applications."