Chapter 7: The Age of Physics

The Chinese name for "Snake Game" is "贪吃蛇" (Tānchī Shé).

This is a game whose exact sales figures even New Bing couldn't accurately track, but it's widely acknowledged as a best-selling electronic game.

Since it was released alongside Nokia, if we calculate based on Nokia's production volume, "Snake Game" could easily surpass "Wii Sports," trample over "Minecraft," topple "Tetris," and claim the world's number one spot.

But, you know, that's how the game emperor behaves.

However, if we consider the revenue...

How much money did "Snake Game" really make?

No one knows for sure.

One thing is certain though, even after the collapse of Nokia's mobile empire, losing the free environment it relied on, "Snake Game" not only didn't die but instead, like mushrooms after rain, countless variations of the game sprouted madly.

Games like "Agar.io" and "Wormax.io" simply transformed the Bluetooth multiplayer version of "Snake Game" into an internet-connected version, changing the protagonist from a snake to something else.

America later released "Slither.io," which was even more outrageous. As soon as the game hit the market, it dominated the sales charts on app stores in various regions such as America and Europe.

Moreover, it became the most searched video game in the Google America region in 2016.

In just three short months, it raked in over ten million dollars.

Because it became a sensation for decades, bringing beautiful memories to generation after generation, when Ethan decided to make a game, the little snake that accompanied him through countless nights in his bed suddenly appeared.

And after Evelyn quickly reviewed the concept of "Snake Game," the girl who had previously scolded Ethan suddenly looked up, her bright eyes shining with incredible light.

"Ethan—did you come up with this idea?" the girl exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh?" Ethan shrugged, admitting it.

"Oh! My! God! How did you come up with this idea? This is truly a genius idea!" Evelyn shook the paper in her hand and exclaimed, "I guarantee this thing is way more interesting than 'Spacewar!'"

"Spacewar!" is a game born in 1962 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spreading to all American colleges, becoming the introductory game for numerous computer science students.

The gameplay involves two players controlling spaceships, engaging in combat around a gravity-bound star. The first to be destroyed loses.

Although this game has revolutionary significance as the world's first multiplayer electronic game, it was still relatively crude when compared to the matured "Snake Game" and "Spacewar!"

So, when placed side by side...

Anyone would choose the former.

"Can you make this thing?" Evelyn's astonishment made Ethan happy because, at least, it proved he hadn't chosen the wrong game so far.

"Of course!" Evelyn nodded vigorously.

Perhaps due to her excitement, her words became somewhat incoherent.

"Arcades are not difficult to make at all. Take your current 'Snake Game,' for example. You can completely replicate the technology from 'Pong.' For instance, the snake on the screen can be displayed using the light gun's photoelectric signal feedback..."

At this point, Evelyn suddenly realized that Ethan looked completely puzzled.

Then she slapped her forehead.

"Oh, God! I forgot you don't understand any of this!"

Then, decisively, she stood up.

"Come on, follow me to the garage. I'll show you how simple this thing is."

Her swift actions gave Ethan a taste of the strong-willed woman's essence.

But as Ethan and Evelyn were about to leave the room together, Evelyn suddenly turned around and went back into her room.

At the same time, she said, "Wait a moment. Let me change clothes."

A moment later, when Evelyn reappeared, the jeans she was wearing had disappeared, replaced by a pair of common denim overalls.

Her hoodie was nowhere to be seen either, swapped for a not visibly dirty black garment made of labor fabric. Even her flowing hair had been tied into a bun.

This action made Ethan raise an eyebrow.

'It seems even resolute girls care about their appearance.'

After this reflection, Ethan and Evelyn went downstairs together.

The back-and-forth figures surprised Thomas and Linda.

They didn't expect Ethan to resolve accumulated issues so quickly.

Under their watchful eyes, the two entered the garage. Like countless engineers with secret bases, Evelyn's garage was filled with stacks of electronic components.

Under Ethan's gaze, Evelyn pulled out a television from a pile that could be called electronic junk, quickly removed the casing, exposing the cathode ray tube inside.

Then, a joyful smile appeared on the girl's face.

"This display tube is called a CRT. It uses an electron gun to emit an electron beam, deflecting it through a magnetic field to scan the glass plate coated with phosphor on the screen, creating an image."

The girl introduced to Ethan, "Currently, all arcade machines on the market use this basic photoelectric feedback. In all electronic arcade games, the objects on the screen don't actually move. Instead, they create the illusion of movement for players by lighting up and dimming the TV's electron beam."

While explaining, the girl placed the TV on a table.

Then, she removed the circuit board from the back of the TV, searched for a while in the pile, took out a box, extracted a circuit board, and fitted it back into the TV.

Afterward, she connected the surplus wires on the circuit board to a thumb-sized joystick.

Plugged in the power, after a brief adjustment, Ethan was pleasantly surprised to see the TV screen turn black and white.

A white dot appeared in the center of the screen.

As Evelyn manipulated the joystick, the white dot on the screen kept moving.

The faster Evelyn moved the joystick, the quicker the white dot moved. Conversely, if she moved it slower, the dot's motion slowed down.

If the joystick wasn't manipulated, the white dot remained stationary, continually blinking.

"Oh! Fxxk! Is this thing really so simple?" Ethan exclaimed.

Ethan was astonished.

"Of course! Did you think it would be difficult?" Evelyn chuckled.

"I thought this would need a CPU or something! I didn't expect just a TV could do it?" Ethan couldn't believe it.

"Oh!!!" Evelyn shouted.

"Ethan! Is your head okay? CPU for an arcade game? Do you know how expensive CPUs are nowadays? Even Intel's cheapest CPU costs a few hundred bucks! If every arcade machine had a CPU, the stores would be calling 911 every day. Use your brain a little!"

Yes, in this era of electronic games, simplicity was the key.

Before Ethan's time-travel, in the era that followed several decades later, creating a game required the efforts of dozens or even hundreds of people—planning, development, graphics, music, testing, each having its role. A game might use Unity, UE, or proprietary engines and had to be compatible with hardware.

But in this era...

One person was enough.

In a time when C language wasn't widely adopted, and CPU prices were high.

Electronic games at this time were truly the crystallization of engineers' wisdom!

All the technology used in electronic games was based on the most basic photoelectric signal feedback. The world's first "Pong" had only one circuit board, using a few integrated circuits, transistors, resistors, and capacitors to control game logic and image output!

And in this era, when game developers talked about "running games," it was a physical sense of running games—

Checking if the photoelectric signal had any issues!

If Ethan wanted Evelyn to write a game in BASIC, it might take some time. But making a game physically...

Sorry, that was done quickly!

When this fact dawned on Ethan, he joyfully rubbed his hands together.

Because he could see it; a myriad of money rushing towards him!

"Can you make 'Snake Game' tonight?" Ethan cautiously asked.

However, his inquiry was met with rolled eyes.

"Ethan, I really don't know what's in your head."

Evelyn patted the TV and said, "I'm just showing you how easy it is to control the photoelectric signal. It's not enough to make an arcade game with just these things. Apart from the display, I also need to make a special circuit board for better receiving and transmitting joystick circuit commands. I can handle drawing the circuit diagram and making the circuit board, but the materials..."

At this point, Evelyn elongated her voice.

"I'll take care of it!"

Without hesitation, Ethan agreed.

"Great."

Evelyn was pleased with her brother's decisiveness. She clapped her hands, revealing a radiant smile.

"You can go back now. I'll think about it, organize the necessary materials, make a list, and once it's done, I'll bring it to your room."

To be honest, Ethan was not sure why Evelyn suddenly became so happy.

Because Evelyn was helping him make a game!

In this situation, he should cover the material costs himself, right?

But when Ethan received the list Evelyn brought, his expression instantly turned dark!

"Oh my god! I underestimated it! No escape!"

Looking at the densely packed two pages, Ethan almost couldn't hold back his curses.

"Do we need so many things to make an arcade machine?"

He shouted towards Evelyn in astonishment.

"Why is Barbara Streisand's album on the list?"

After handing the list to Ethan and retreating to her room, Evelyn responded with a "bang" sound.

On the tightly closed wooden door, there was a growth ring.

The dark and dense pattern looked like a big mouth, laughing at Ethan, calling him a fool.

To be easily deceived like this.