Chapter 31: The Choice and the Pilgrimage
"Howard," Leonard said excitedly, "David's taking us to visit Polaris Interactive! That game company! Are you coming?"
"Polaris Interactive?!" Howard's eyes immediately widened like saucers, and his face showed an expression of extreme desire mixed with conflict. He looked back at the attractive Christie, then at his excited friends who were preparing for a "gamer pilgrimage."
On one side was the dream opportunity to get up close and personal with a top-tier game development sanctuary; on the other was the readily available promise of spending quality time with an eager woman.
Howard's heart was caught in a fierce internal struggle. His gaze swung back and forth between Christie's appealing figure and his friends' excited faces, his expression as agonizing as if he were solving an impossible equation.
"I... I..." He opened his mouth, looked at Christie, then at Leonard, then back at Christie... Finally, he stamped his foot, a determined look on his face like a warrior cutting off his own arm, and told Christie, "Babe, wait for me! I'll be right back! This is Polaris!" He then turned to his friends, just about to say "I'm in," when Christie grabbed his arm.
Christie said in a sweet, sultry voice with a Nebraska twang, "Howard, didn't you just say you wanted to show me your... 'rare collectibles'?" She winked suggestively.
Howard's body instantly froze, and the resolution he'd just made wavered again. He looked at Christie's tempting eyes and felt his rationality rapidly evaporating.
"Uh... guys..." Howard turned his head with difficulty, forcing an apologetic smile. "I think... I think I'll stay here and be a good host and properly 'entertain' Christie. After all, she came all this way... The game company, there'll be another chance, right?"
His choice was obvious. Lust ultimately triumphed over his gamer faith.
Raj let out a sigh of disappointment, and Leonard wore an expression that said, "You're hopeless." David nodded knowingly. "Alright, we respect your choice. We're heading out then."
Sheldon commented mercilessly, "A typical case of myopic behavior, another vivid example of being dominated by primitive reproductive impulses. Pathetic."
Howard could only give a sheepish laugh as he watched his friends leave enthusiastically, then impatiently closed the door to continue his unfinished business of 'hosting.'
Polaris Interactive's headquarters was located in a modern glass-curtain building on the edge of downtown Pasadena, forming a stark contrast with Caltech's rustic brick and stone architecture.
After David and his group announced their names at reception, an enthusiastic young man in casual attire wearing a work badge quickly came out to greet them. He was Sam Chen's assistant.
"Dr. Mitchell, Director Chen is waiting for you in the conference room. These must be your friends, right? Welcome to Polaris!" the assistant greeted them with a smile. "Director Chen asked me to first give everyone a tour of the company, and then Dr. Mitchell, you can go directly to the project team to find him."
"That's great, thank you." David nodded, then told his friends, "You guys go look around with him, it should be really interesting. I'll come find you after I've handled the issue."
Led by the assistant, the tour officially began. As soon as they entered the office area, Leonard and the others were deeply captivated by the sight.
Unlike the stuffy offices they'd imagined, Polaris's interior space was open and creative.
Giant models and artistic posters of the company's famous game characters hung in the high-ceilinged lobby. The office area adopted an open-plan design, dotted with designer partitions and greenery.
Comfortable couches, bean bag chairs, and oddly shaped seats were visible everywhere. Some employees sat in small groups, intensely discussing something while holding laptops, or simply playing games.
"This is our core development area," the assistant introduced. "It's divided by project team, and each team has an independent space, yet it remains open for communication and collaboration."
Leonard's eyes widened as he looked at the dense code on programmers' screens, the exquisite concept art and 3D models on artists' screens, and the complex level designs and story flowcharts covering planners' whiteboards, constantly exclaiming, "Wow... look at that! Is that the level design map for Abyss Raiders 2? That mechanic looks incredible!"
Raj was too excited to contain himself. Pointing at an incredibly realistic creature model being rendered on an artist's screen, he said in a trembling voice, "This... this is art! Look at the textures! The lighting! This is more real than any alien I've seen in sci-fi movies! Can I take a picture? Just one!"
However, Raj was politely discouraged by the assistant, who cited confidentiality concerns regarding projects currently under development.
Although Penny knew nothing about game development, she was infected by the vibrant and creative atmosphere. She looked around curiously, then told Leonard, "This place looks way cooler than the Cheesecake Factory."
Sheldon's reaction was a mix of childlike wonder and academic scrutiny.
He pointed to a wall displaying posters of the company's past products and excitedly told Leonard, "Look! Leonard! That's the original poster for Stardust Saga, released in 2003! I remember the IGN review at the time pointed out a logical flaw in the level design in chapter three that could cause a softlock, but it looks like they fixed it in a subsequent patch, because the version number on the poster is 1.02!"
Next, the assistant led them to the Motion Capture Studio.
Watching the actors wearing sensor-covered bodysuits performing exaggerated movements in the camera-filled space, while the screen nearby generated game character animations in real-time, everyone felt immense fascination.
"This is like... like the Holodeck from Star Trek!" Raj exclaimed excitedly.
"The principle is closer to trajectory tracking and 3D reconstruction based on computer vision and inertial measurement," Sheldon corrected. "However, its application certainly has a sci-fi aesthetic."
Next was the Sound Design Room, filled with all sorts of strange props. Sound engineers were simulating various realistic game sound effects by crunching celery, twisting metal, and striking objects of different materials.
"So, the sound of a spaceship engine might be made with a blender and a Shop-Vac?" Leonard felt his worldview had been challenged.
"Creativity often stems from the unconventional use of everyday objects," Sheldon commented, apparently approving of the concept.
Finally, they arrived at the place that made every gamer's heart race—the company's internal Game Testing Room and the "Gaming Heritage Museum."
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