Wonder

When John woke up, he didn't find himself in a hospital bed, nor did he have any injuries.

He woke up staring at a computer monitor.

For a second John thought he was back at his office, the earlier dilemma seeming like a dream.

This was until he noticed the rest of his computer setup. A 34-in monitor was hung from the wall, then there were two more 28-in monitors hanging on either side of it.

Currently being displayed was a video game that looked very reminiscent of a cyberpunk-ish game he remembered playing a year ago.

The only thing different was the incredibly sharp and smooth quality of the monitors. The game also looked to include many small details that made the world feel alive.

"Is there a new game I don't know about? What's with these graphics?"

"Ah, Jason, don't worry about it. All those critics can shove it up their arse! You just keep your head down and keep working at it."

Someone seemed to have responded to John's short monologue. He looked to be around James' age, if not slightly older. Maybe around 28.

"Huh?" John responded.

"Listen, so what if they didn't like your game? So what if they thought it was a little boring? I mean, yeah, it didn't have a whole lot of content and it was a little boring. Well, not boring, but I mean, maybe it dragged on at times. BUT! Anyways, the graphics were good. They can't deny that! They even complimented you! What did they say again? 'A beautiful pile of garbage?' All those years in architecture paid off, after all. That counts for something, right?"

John only became more confused as this person kept talking. He was seemingly trying to cheer him up about something, but also insulting him at the same time.

"Huh?... Huh? What? Agh!"

But, just as John was questioning what he was hearing, a sharp pain assaulted his head.

A new life and a new world were slowly manifesting themselves in Jason's(?) head. A wonderful world where technology was more advanced. Computers were faster, sleeker, and more developed in general. There were also advances in other technology like building materials and medicine, but that wasn't important to Jason right now.

The main thing on John's mind was how incredible computer technology had evolved. It was every developer's dream to see a world where technology and money did not limit their creativity. The hardware and software in this world had grown to the point that video game development could be done with just one person. One person could develop and design the whole game if they had the necessary know-how.

There were currently three main software engines that allowed developers around the world to use them freely. The only condition for using the software is that the developer must publish their game with the platform of the company that owns the software.

This made it so that there was a very intense competition between the three companies to recruit new talents and video games to put on their platform.

Jason had recently chosen one of the three software to run his game on. Only it wasn't Jason, but the Jason of this world. He had been an aspiring video game developer for the past 3 years. He had wanted to make his own game ever since he was 7 years old, the first time he played a video game on his dad's PC. Jason had abandoned his dream for a short while to pursue architecture, something his parents wanted him to do.

Architects had a very steady and reliable source of income from all of the jobs that were readily available for them, in this world. This came from the advancements in engineering and building materials. Many new and different types of buildings were able to be built, with designs that were not possible in Jason's past life. This led to an influx of work in the architecture space that needed to be plugged up with more architects.

But, after graduating from his university, James still decided to pursue video game development, not wanting to let go of his dream. James' parents were worried about him leaving a reliable job like architecture to pursue video games, as being a successful developer was very hard.

Many developers competed to produce popular games and very few were able to make it. Many considered it similar to the art space or showbiz industry in John's past life.

The worry was endless for Jason's parents and even he was starting to feel the pressure from the video game industry.

After 3 years, he still hadn't made it big with any of his video games. He produced many sorts of mobile games and indie games.

Jason had recently made a desperate attempt to make a more advanced type of game, one that would be able to shoot him into the limelight.

Only for his newest "masterpiece" to get ripped to shreds.

After many years of his games never getting any sort of traction, the only one that got popular was a game that got ridiculed for its bad story and many glitches.

The Jason of this world became so stressed and disappointed that he decided to devote himself to fixing his game, day and night. It was unfortunate that he never got to do so as he passed away from overwork, lack of sleep, and bad eating habits.

This is where John comes in, somehow transmigrating to the moment where Jason Locke ended up dying.