Chapter 3: The Capitalists Won't Tolerate You!
Sitting in front of his computer, Alex had a rough idea of his current situation. The video game industry was his target. However, even if he had decided to create video games, it wasn't so simple. While the advanced technology of this world facilitated game development, it required more than just creating the underlying code. The art, music, modeling, etc., all required considerable effort.
Furthermore, Alex himself was in a rather awkward position. First, he didn't have a professional game designer title, so the available resources were very limited. While Alex estimated that these resources would be enough for some classic small-scale indie games from his past life, there was another crucial point: he didn't have much money. After all, he was a recent graduate, and his location on the outskirts of a major city with a high cost of living was quite high. He had only saved a little over 10,000 dollars. Forget about the system; after all, you had to create your own work to earn points. Besides, there was no money-exchange function; it was simply cruel!
'I need to find a way to make money,' Alex thought, stroking his chin.
As he searched the internet for information to understand the various aspects of the global video game industry, he also imagined things. However, when he exited the web page and saw a folder on the desktop, Alex's eyes lit up. Inside the folder were more than a dozen color comic strips. As for the content, it was a story about some cool young women playing water volleyball. The tone of the story was positive and uplifting, fully demonstrating the vitality and cheerfulness of the young women.
According to his memory, these comic strips weren't drawn by him but were given to him by a senior from the same school to help her color them. Seeing these inspiring comic strips, Alex had already made a decision. He already had an idea for his first profitable work.
In his previous life, Mirror, a popular match-3 game featuring girls, was incredibly popular with players. It ranked as the second-highest-rated game of 2018, topping Steam's daily global best-sellers list. It accumulated 71,000 reviews, of which nearly 69,000 were positive. Even the remaining 2,000 reviews were mostly negative, driven by memes. The reason for choosing this game was simple. First, it required virtually no modeling. Second, Alex could produce most of the content himself, even with his skill level. Additionally, its gameplay features gave Mirror a unique edge over other games, even without much promotional resources. When it came to quickly accumulating initial capital, Mirror was the best choice.
Of course, some adjustments to the less relevant content were still needed.
'But relying on a single person would take me a while. I need help,' Alex thought, an idea forming after making his decision.
But before that, he needed to take care of his stomach. With a pang of hunger, Alex got up, grabbed his keys and phone from the table, and prepared to head downstairs to find a restaurant to take care of his physical needs.
"Never underestimate the butcher of any noodle shop. His knife skills are truly exceptional!"
Alex sighed as he picked up a paper-thin slice of meat with his chopsticks. As he dipped it into the noodle broth, the meat even provided him with a sense of crystal-clear clarity.
Six slices of meat were spread over the noodles, flanked by chopped scallions and cilantro. Whether from a past life or a parallel world, the meat was just like this: thin. Although the meat wasn't enough to fill the gap between his teeth, the noodles were still delicious. They were incredibly chewy, and the broth made from the meat bones was just as delicious.
After eating and drinking his fill, Alex paid the bill and walked out of the noodle shop. On his way home, he dialed a number. After about three rings, the call connected.
"Jane, the drawing you gave me is finished. I'll send it to you when the time comes. Also, are you free tomorrow? I have something I want to talk to you about."
"No problem. Let's meet at the Daily Grind Cafe, at the Garden Community intersection, tomorrow at one in the afternoon."
After hanging up the phone, Alex stretched. He had already decided that his first gold mine would come from Magic Mirror. But if he had to do all the work alone, Alex calculated that, with the workload, it would take him about two months to complete. And that's even working himself to the bone. So, if possible, getting help would be best.
But it wasn't clear if it would work.
One o'clock in the afternoon.
Alex arrived at the Daily Grind Cafe at the agreed time. Sitting by the window in the first-floor lobby was a woman with glasses, about twenty-four years old. She was wearing a casual white suit and listening to music with headphones.
"Ms. Ruan, thank you for coming," Alex said, walking over and greeting her.
"No problem. My house is nearby." Jane Ruan took off her headphones and smiled slightly, shaking her head.
Before Alex could continue, Jane looked at him with joy and said, "So, Alex, what did you want to talk to me about? Have you finally come to my studio? In fact, I'm telling you it's not wise to keep studying comics. You can definitely perfect yourself first in your webcomics and then change careers. Many famous professors in the industry used to draw webcomics under pseudonyms!"
"And I saw the drawings you colored, Alex. You're very talented!" Jane said to Alex seriously.
"Ahem... Uh, Jane, I appreciate your kindness, but I didn't come to see you today for that." Alex coughed twice awkwardly.
The other person was a classmate of Alex's. Like Alex, she wanted to be a cartoonist. However, her path was a little different. Unlike Alex, who kept trying despite his repeated failures, Jane Ruan started drawing doujinshi. At least she would have a stable income from this, and as she herself put it, becoming a best-selling webcomic artist, forging a name for herself, and then becoming a full-fledged comic artist was the path to success! And what kind of webcomics? Naturally, they would be stories that told beautiful love stories, even if they weren't always so beautiful.
Jane Ruan, his senior, thought Alex had incredible talent and had always wanted to recruit him for her team. Sensing that the topic was getting a little off-track, and probably returning to this matter, Alex immediately told her what he wanted Jane Ruan's help with today.
"Uh... switch to creating video games?"
Jane eyes widened at Alex's words, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
"My original idea was simply to show stories. Comics or video games are just a medium," Alex explained, laying out his preconceived reasoning.
"Besides, there are many examples of cartoonists or novelists who become directors or game designers," Alex said with a smile.
After all, unlike his previous life, thanks to the development of science and technology, the basic requirements of various industries have been significantly reduced. Therefore, in today's entertainment industry, examples of cross-border cooperation are abundant. Of course, whether success is achieved after crossing the border is another story.
"That's not the key point, okay?!" Jane asked, rolling her eyes, "No food, no lodging, and the illustration fee is still overdue! So, Alex, are you trying to get me for free?"
If the person sitting across from her wasn't her subordinate, and she still wanted to lure Alex into the group. Jane Ruan would definitely leave immediately, because, no matter how you look at it, he looks like a liar.
'Evil capitalists, they want to get their work for free!'
'No, capitalists don't do this!'
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