Chapter 127: Troubles and Plans

Bill Gates felt frustrated at the same time. William White practically swept the software industry with one hand tied behind his back. If he went all out, what chance would others have?

Whenever something hot happened, there was always someone who stood up to give their opinion.

They firmly believed that video game consoles weren't impossible to have, but they had to have some educational value.

Some people even suggested that the Department of Education should be responsible for game reviews, ensuring that unhealthy games never polluted the campuses.

William White wasn't a fan of overly violent and gory games either. Why didn't he develop shooting games? Mostly because he wanted to avoid the hassle.

Gun proliferation in the US had reached a horrifying level. If someone got bored with shooting zombies, who knew what they might do next?

As for Street Fighter, those games were about fists, and he tried to keep the scenes cartoonish. The matches weren't meant to be fights to the death.

And as for Golden Axe was set in a fantasy world inspired by medieval Europe. There was really no need for deliberate interpretation.

Airforce Delta Strike wasn't an issue either; it was just about beating up alien monsters.

Unfortunately, at the time, the US government wanted to manage everything. Educational departments across the states expressed similar opinions.

...

"Educating kids is a job for teachers and schools. Game companies didn't receive tuition fees, so we don't bear the educational responsibility. If kids could get into college just from games, what would we need schools for? Please figure out your responsibilities. Society is specialized; we entertain, you educate. Don't make excuses for educational failure."

William White's direct jab hit a sore spot, implying that they should mind their own business and not create unnecessary trouble.

Intellectuals loved to chatter, but they'd never met someone so straightforward. When it came to verbal debates, they were no match.

"Listen up. What we're producing is a gaming console, not a learning machine. Current technology doesn't support that, so teachers should keep at it and stop meddling in unrelated topics."

Knowing they couldn't win the argument, some old folks decided not to continue debating and demanded government regulation.

...

In truth, what people originally said was different. They just meant not to affect kids negatively, and incorporating learning with fun would be perfect.

But after William White's shameless twist of words, it sounded wrong, turning it into a notion that games needed to educate kids because education was deemed useless.

Nobody wanted to shoulder such a huge misconception. "We didn't say that; you misunderstood."

Whether it was a misunderstanding was unclear, but many parents thought so. They felt that it wouldn't be bad for games to have educational significance. Those old folks likely meant that.

But saying it that way felt off. How could games and learning be mentioned in the same breath? That just seemed ridiculous.

After the harmfulness of comics, it was now the harmfulness of games. It seemed as though everything besides studying was harmful.

If they were truly harmful, just classify them. Ban them for those under 18.

Oh boy, who knew what kind of bizarre creature early game review boards would become?

William White remembered clearly that such an organization only came about in the 90s. Before that, everyone grew wildly.

...

William White knew that things weren't as simple as they seemed. If someone hadn't been pushing things, this issue would have ended a long time ago. Like most countries around the world, if the law doesn't prohibit something, then anything goes.

Seeing the situation spiral out of control, William White was quite frustrated. This was a billion-dollar annual revenue; how could he easily compromise? If they wanted to play games, he decided to go all out.

"Filson, tell Morgan Stanley to halt the acquisition. I'm planning to expand in London and put all U.S. properties up for sale."

"Boss, is it really that serious?"

"You don't understand. This is just them testing the waters. If there's a first time, there'll definitely be a second."

"Boss, this will lead to huge losses."

"Don't worry. Just do it!"

Is it really that serious?

William White planned to move, and nearly all his assets were put up for sale. Such an extreme move caught everyone by surprise.

Now, it wasn't about considering how to take over his assets; they were now facing the wrath of the public.

What William White would say was beyond their imagination. This clearly showed he was ready to go all out.

...

Steve Ross was feeling quite pleased these past few days. He knew well that William White wasn't having an easy time. You could keep selling, but if something went wrong, you'd be stuck in legal battles forever.

"What? What did you say? Selling all assets together?"

"The boss just got the news."

"This is trouble."

His subordinates didn't understand, but he knew clearly. Why would a thriving company leave?

It's simple! Being targeted and persecuted!

"Boss, our company's stock is suddenly being shorted. The opposition is aggressively dumping shares."

"What? How much has it dropped?"

"Less than five minutes, and it's already plummeted 13%, and it's continuing to drop."

"Bastard! It must be that rotten kid."

"Get me in touch with Citibank and Bank of America."

"Okay, boss."

Steve Ross was panicking too. How could Citibank and Bank of America help him? The opposing boy had gone crazy. Heaven knows what would happen if they got involved.

"Boss, there's a lot of people following along and selling."

"Mm, how much now?"

"15%."

"Buy back. Don't make big moves. If anyone buys, keep dumping more shares."

"Okay, boss."

No one could possibly follow through with such a ruthless operation. It was clearly an amateur move, and everyone knew who it was. Better to avoid risk.

...

William White felt quite satisfied after letting out some steam. You think you can provoke me and not expect a counterattack?

He didn't care who made the move this time. Warner had messed with him plenty, so their bad luck was deserved, and they played no good roles in this.

Wall Street was already weak, and nobody wanted to take on risks. Warner's account funds were a joke.

The big shots in the financial circles had fully seen how tough this guy could be.

The key problem was that despite such low-level tactics, they had no way to deal with him.

William White even lined up a perfect scapegoat for them; size fit perfectly. It was up to them to decide what to do.

Well, since everyone had a way out, Warner was doomed.

Still thinking of a loan from us? What were you thinking?

What annoyed the old folks most was that they still had to clean up the mess.

Conglomerates like these shouldn't exist at all. They're an uncontrolled force. Anyone sitting in Washington's seat would first need to deal with them.

The way things went ended up being unworkable for these very reasons.

Since Kennedy's obscure death, the good days for these bastards were over.

Unbridled? There were still plenty of people with common sense. Did you really think no one dared to deal with you?

In fact, they realized the issue too, and most of the time they'd choose to lie low.

Dollars were obviously a good thing. Saying they weren't tempted was nonsense. They weren't having good days right now.

The current situation was unexpected. If they dared to make moves again, the problem would no longer be small.

...

No matter how unwilling Steve Ross was, being ousted by the board was inevitable. He was the most suitable scapegoat. With things going this big, temporary workers wouldn't do.

Was there sympathy?

Perhaps.

You picked up the fight with William White. If you had the guts to provoke, losing meant you'd bear the consequences.

Most importantly, Warner's investments had been failing for years. The shareholders were fed up with the ongoing losses.

On the surface, the situation seemed to have calmed down. But things were never that simple. This time, the conglomerates took a hit. Even if they didn't act for the moment, a feud had definitely formed.

Many big conglomerates also realized the world was different now. Industries they didn't care much about turned out to have tremendous potential.

*****

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