Chapter 3: Securing Copyright and Game Demo

Upon arriving at the copyright office, William greeted the receptionist, "Hello, my name is William Devonshire. I made an appointment two days ago."

The receptionist checked the logbook and said, "Hello, Mr. Devonshire. Please follow me."

Following the receptionist, William submitted various documents, copying the game story and design manuscript in triplicate as required. Both the originals and copies were stamped with the copyright office's seal, and he signed and fingerprinted them.

Two copies were left at the copyright office, one was kept by William, and the sealed and stamped original was, upon Katie's suggestion, mailed to himself at the post office.

This way, in case of a copyright dispute, he could produce the unopened, officially stamped and postmarked document as evidence, which would be advantageous in court.

Since it was an original story and design, and with Katie's help, the copyright would be processed in just three days.

During the three days while waiting for the copyright to be approved, William, who had been busy for about twenty days, strolled around the school campus, thinking about how to promote his game. Unknowingly, he walked to the edge of the school's sports field.

Watching a sparsely attended soccer game, he suddenly got the idea to test his magic on the unpredictable flight path of a kicked soccer ball rather than on people.

Using his mental power and Mage Hand, he subtly altered the trajectory of the soccer ball as it flew towards the goal, causing slight deviations.

After several experiments, the annoyed goalkeeper started treating him like a jinx, shooing him away from the goal area.

The next day at lunch, he ran into a school bully from the rowing team who had bullied him before.

The bully, carrying a tray and chatting happily with a girl, became William's next target. Using his mental power, William lifted the bully's right hand, causing the tray to unexpectedly smash into the girl's head.

With a loud bang, William winced at the girl's pain.

The girl, drenched in juice and clutching her head in confusion, turned around to see who had played the prank. The bully's first reaction was to look around for the culprit.

But everyone nearby had already moved away, avoiding the scene.

The girl, on the verge of tears from the pain, looked around but found no one to blame. Without a second thought, she broke up with the bully on the spot.

As the bully hurriedly chased after her, William used Mage Hand to trip him, causing him to fall face-first onto the marble floor.

When the bully got up, his mouth was bleeding and two teeth were missing. Almost in tears, he ran to the school clinic.

Seeing his enemy in such a miserable state filled William with satisfaction.

This bully had once deliberately bumped into him in an off-campus park, and after a scuffle, William had been beaten by several members of the rowing team.

Finally getting his revenge, William felt a sense of joy, even if no one knew it was him.

Revenge achieved without trouble was the safest way.

Enjoying his lunch, William returned to his dorm and lay on his bed, pondering how to promote his game cost-effectively. He recalled how Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook initially spread through college networks.

If someone else could succeed that way, why not try it himself?

Plants vs. Zombies, compared to other games of the year 2000, would be highly attractive.

Being released earlier, its lifespan should be longer, and besides the single-player version, he could later develop an online mode, designing it in a Warcraft RPG style with a four-corner defense map.

William felt optimistic about his plan.

That afternoon, Katie called, informing him to pick up his copyright certificate and pay the remaining fees the next day.

The following morning, after leaving the copyright office, William tossed away Katie's note and looked at the document folder in his hand. He had finally taken his first step in this world. Now, it was time to promote his game.

Returning to school with a CD containing the game, he headed to the school's gaming club.

In this era, entertainment options were relatively scarce compared to a decade later, so clubs were a popular choice among students.

Many students would bring their self-made games to the gaming club for others to playtest, not just to find bugs but also, like William, to gain recognition and hopefully attract the attention of game publishers.

Even if they couldn't reach an agreement with publishers initially, a popular game could spread through word of mouth in London's universities and high schools, eventually leading to market demand pressuring publishers.

Pushing open the club door, William saw the 90-square-meter room filled with over 30 sponsor-provided computers.

Dozens

of students were either huddled around the computers playing games or clustered by the blackboard, discussing and occasionally arguing over something.

As a computer science student, and with word of his game development inevitably spreading over the past few weeks, many recognized him immediately. Seeing the CD in his hand, they knew he had finished his game.

A tall, skinny guy with curly hair shouted, "Hey, everyone, look who's here! It's our genius, William Devonshire! Come on, show us what you've made, genius. Let's see how it compares to our ordinary efforts."

Rolling his eyes, William silently cursed his bad timing. He had no intention of engaging with the loudmouth.

If you listened to this guy, he could talk your ear off for an hour without repeating himself. And what was worse, he had no self-awareness, so people generally avoided him.

William thought, "I'm not your dad; why should I let you see my game just because you said so? No wonder no one likes you."

Richard Deck, who had a mediocre relationship with William but disliked the loudmouth even more, pushed the curly-haired guy aside, saying, "Give it a rest, Wooster. Shut your mouth and move out of the way."

Richard turned to William, "Mate, don't mind him. When no one talks to him, he'll come begging for our attention."

Shrugging, William smiled at Richard, "Come and check out the game I made. I think you'll like it."

Knowing that the club's computers were not equipped to copy files, William led Richard to a computer he had just used, inserted the CD, and copied the game onto the machine.

Once the game was installed, he stepped aside to let Richard play. William deliberately spoke loudly about the game's settings, drawing the curiosity of several others who began to gather around.

Richard started the game, and soon, more students crowded around, intrigued by the game's concept and design.

"What's this game called?" someone asked.

"Plants vs. Zombies," William replied, smiling. "It's a tower defense game where you use different plants to stop waves of zombies from reaching your house."

Richard, focused on the game, added, "This is really fun! The mechanics are simple yet engaging. I can see this catching on quickly."

As Richard continued playing, more students took an interest. Some lined up to try it themselves, while others began discussing the game's potential.

"This could be huge," another student remarked. "We should help spread the word."

William felt a surge of satisfaction. His plan was working. The enthusiasm in the room was palpable, and word of mouth would soon take over.

By the end of the day, most of the gaming club members had tried Plants vs. Zombies and were buzzing with excitement. William had planted the seeds, and now he just had to wait for them to grow.

Back in his dorm that evening, William felt a sense of accomplishment. He had successfully introduced his game to an eager audience. Now, he just had to monitor the feedback and make any necessary improvements.

The following days saw the game spreading through the university. Students from other departments and even other schools began to hear about it. Some came to the gaming club specifically to try it out.

Within a week, Plants vs. Zombies had become a campus sensation. William received invitations to other universities' gaming clubs and started getting inquiries from small game publishers interested in his work.

His first step had been a success, and with the game's growing popularity, William knew it was only a matter of time before it reached even greater heights. He had a lot more to do, but for now, he allowed himself a moment to relish his achievements.

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