CH21 - White! Big! Long!

When it comes to gaming expos, Ethan's first impression is—White! Big! Long!

Uh... there's no way around it.

Who made major gaming expos love pushing boundaries for decades?

The Tokyo Game Show, born in 1996, was the first to blend electronic games and beautiful women. The sisters at the Yakuza booth have always been a gorgeous attraction.

Perhaps due to geographical proximity and easy learning, the CJ Expo, born in 2004, followed suit. Almost all exhibiting companies would hire attractive showgirls to warm up the crowd. The alluring curves, provocative attire, and strategically placed logos made CJ a success over and over again.

Because of the excessive extravagance of these two, the world's largest electronic entertainment exhibition, E3, also started hiring models. By the time the Cologne Game Show was established in 2009, they couldn't resist either, featuring showgirls and elaborate cosplay, taking the combination of beauty and video games to another level.

Thus, 'White,' 'Big,' and 'Long' became unique labels for gaming expos.

And in this era...

"Oh! Fxxk! Is this an expo??"

When Ethan, having finished breakfast, arrived at the scene of the San Francisco Video Game Expo with Frank, he exclaimed upon entering, "My God!!! Is this something you can see for free??"

Ethan widened his eyes.

His blinking eyelids were like a camera shutter, capturing the surroundings click by click.

What he saw was a sea of machines and a crowd of people.

Of course, whether it's individual people or individual machines, that wouldn't surprise Ethan, who has seen a lot. What truly astonished him was the girls in front of each booth.

They were groups of white girls in cool outfits, with at most a bra on top and tiny shorts below, paired with high heels. Whenever a visitor stopped at the machine they were standing by, these girls warmly approached, introducing the products at their booths.

Since Ethan hadn't personally experienced it, he wasn't sure about these girls' professional abilities. However, judging by the facial expressions of the customers who had tried the products, they seemed very satisfied.

'Is this really a video game expo?'

'This doesn't look legitimate at all!'

After looking around, Ethan was dumbfounded!

He turned to Frank, and at this moment, he felt like he didn't come to an expo, but instead stumbled into some red-light district!

Because what lay before him, besides the overwhelming scent of smoke and deafening music, had everything that should and shouldn't be here!

And Ethan's astonishment made Frank burst into laughter.

He raised his arm, hooked Ethan's shoulder, and then pulled him in.

At the same time, he said, "Hey hey hey! Surprised, huh? Why do I feel like you're seeing this kind of scene for the first time? How old are you this year? Haven't been to a bar? It's just some showgirls! Isn't it normal for them to appear in a place like this!"

"Brother! You should know, where the old-school arcade machines were mostly sold! The best sales, the place where they pay the fastest, that's damn Las Vegas! Since the 1950s, Las Vegas has been the favorite customer of California arcade merchants! And to cater to those bosses, to make those bosses feel familiar, it's normal for these arcade manufacturers to provide showgirl services similar to Las Vegas when promoting machines, right?"

Why else would capitalism be all about chasing money?

To harvest more profits, the non-monopoly parties in the industry just cater to their preferences!

The customer is God!

Give customers what they like!

When Ethan followed Frank and immersed himself in the venue, the warmth that came up was the smell of deodorant.

Although various strong smells mixed together weren't pleasant, and could even be said to be very pungent, honestly, when those girls in vulgar outfits pinched their voices as 'salespeople,' introduced the machines at their booths, and even taught you how to play hands-on, that gentle feeling was still great!

After all...

It's free!

Nothing brings more joy than freeloading!

But while enjoying inner pleasure, Ethan's face didn't look good.

Because in front of this old-fashioned sales model, he, who brought arcade machines alone, looked like a clown.

To be honest!

Even if "Snake" is fun, it can't be promoted in this kind of place!

When major manufacturers use beautiful women to attract customers, Ethan can't possibly dress in a male dancer's clothes and reveal himself in public, right?

After all, this is a gaming expo!

Not a male dance club!

Indeed, when Ethan brought "Snake" into the venue, for a full two hours, no one came to try it out.

Especially when the background music from "Snake" played, those businessmen who came to Frank to place orders could only encourage Ethan with laughter and quickly leave.

Yes, Mr. Frank, the gentleman in Ethan's mouth, does have a booth.

As a dangerous chemical salesperson with a store in downtown San Francisco, he was invited by the organizers to come and help these recently transitioning arcade manufacturers with technical problems and provide material assistance.

Because Frank was a legitimate invitee, Ethan could bring the game machine in. Not only that, during the transportation process, the organizers even thoughtfully provided a handle. But if time could be rewound, Ethan would rather not bring the machine because standing here was truly a waste of time!

Honestly, he has time to sit here and watch old-school arcade companies celebrate; it's better to run to Sacramento!

Perhaps the new-school arcade companies there would be willing to collaborate on "Snake"?

However, Ethan was annoyed, but Frank was very enthusiastic.

Continuously surveying the sisters at various booths.

Not only that, whenever he found a type he liked, he would use ninja skills.

Let Ethan check out the booth while he disappeared like smoke to play some games at the booth of the girl he liked.

For such disrespectful behaviour, Ethan strongly condemned it. And just as he was pondering whether, when Frank came back again, he should find an excuse to leave and teach this young boss a lesson...

A figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

It was a young man wearing a cowboy hat and aviator sunglasses, with a flower T-shirt on top and bell-bottoms below.

After checking the booth sign, he curiously asked, "San Francisco Electronic Supply Company? Hello, sir. Do you sell materials here? Like the ones used for making circuit boards?"

"Yeah, we do."

For this kind of process, Ethan was already familiar. So much so that he thought he was the boss of the San Francisco Electronic Supply Company!

He tapped on the record sheet on the table and said, "Whatever materials you need, write it here. Pay attention to the product names and quantities. Leave your contact information, and we will get in touch with you within three working days to arrange pickup."

"Okay, thank you," the man bent down to write.

Ethan shifted slightly because in this day and age, people who wear floral shirts and have long hair are generally hippies. He didn't want to get involved with such unruly individuals to avoid trouble.

'Oh no! Hippie?'

This term made Ethan scrutinize the guy a bit more.

Then, an interesting idea popped into his mind.

'Mr. Foster has always been afraid of trouble, right?'

'Hey!'

'Now, I can give him some amusement, right?'

Ethan thought that if he told Frank later that the guy buying chemical materials was an unmistakable hippie, this timid guy might get nervous, right?

While Ethan was lost in these thoughts, the hippie-looking man with long hair finished writing the list.

He nodded friendly towards Ethan and then shifted his gaze to the side where the "Snake" arcade machine was.

Seemingly attracted by its exquisite appearance, or perhaps subdued by the background music of "Jingle Bells," he stared for a while before speaking, "Sir, is this an electronic game launched by your company?"

"Ah... kind of..."

Ethan suddenly perked up at this, "If you're interested, you can give it a try."

At the same time, he pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket, "It's free."

"Thank you." The hippie-looking man picked up a quarter coin and directly inserted it. With the screen flashing, he began to play attentively.

Initially, due to not understanding the game mechanics, he, like everyone else trying "Snake," died quickly.

But after spending a few coins, he gradually grasped the game's tricks.

His hands rhythmically manipulated the joystick.

Under his control, the snake on the screen repeatedly consumed the white dots.

At the same time, he seemed entranced, as if possessed by a ghost, sinking into silence.

Although the expo venue was noisy, Ethan could feel a rhythmic sound of clicking and crunching in his ears.

This scene surprised Ethan.

Because he didn't expect this hippie-looking gentleman to withstand three waves of game acceleration!

It wasn't until the arrival of the fourth wave of acceleration that, due to a delayed control, he watched the snake hit the wall!

"Oh! Fxxk!"

He waved his fist and cursed loudly, "Just a little bit more!"

He stomped his foot in frustration!

But Ethan, who witnessed it all, thought he was quite impressive.

Because in the past few days, he was the only one who, unfamiliar with the "Snake" mechanics, reached forty points with just four coins.

Just as Ethan was about to praise him, the hippie-like man suddenly straightened up, looking around nervously.

He appeared as if he were sneaking around like a thief, making Ethan Jones quite puzzled. But the next moment, the man provided an answer.

He bent down, turned off the game, and then approached Ethan Jones, saying in a low voice, "Sir, I'm glad to meet you here. Please forgive my rudeness because I'm very excited right now."

"Sir, since you brought 'Snake Game' to the expo, it means you have intentions to sell, right? If you have that thought, then shall we get to know each other?"

Saying this, he also patted his buttocks and took out a wallet from his pocket.

"This is my business card."

The straightforward attitude made Ethan Jones very happy.

He initially thought he might return empty-handed!

But unexpectedly...

There are still people who know the goods, right?

And as he smiled and took the business card, glancing down to discuss cooperation with this hippie-like gentleman...

Good gracious!

The text on the business card made him freeze on the spot!

He rubbed his eyes, somewhat unbelieving!

Because what was written on it was:

Atari Electronic Engineer—Steven Paul Jobs.