Chapter 6: Personal Computers (×) Video Games (√)

Yes, Ethan's inquiry was intentional.

The Altair 8800, the world's first microcomputer, made its debut on January 1, 1975. Popular Electronics was its launch platform.

As a commercial product, Popular Electronics did not include the schematics for the Altair 8800, making replication difficult unless one possessed extraordinary skills akin to a self-taught Iron Man.

Thus, Ethan's feigned ignorance was, in fact, a provocation.

After dodging Evelyn's thrown crab shell, Ethan, facing his enraged sister, raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, alright! I was just joking…"

Evelyn rolled her eyes at Ethan's capitulation. Facing this perennial provocateur with the skin of a politician, she felt exasperated.

With a dismissive pout, she said, "Ethan, I cannot replicate something like the Altair 8800 because its core lies not in circuit design or soldering, but in the input and output of binary data."

"If you only want me to reproduce its circuitry, I could purchase a machine to disassemble and study. It would cost around five hundred dollars. In a few days, I should be able to decipher how Edward Roberts assembled the motherboard, installed the memory chips, and connected the circuits for the CPU, RAM, and ROM."

"However, replicating data transmission would be impossible in a short time; compressing and optimizing it requires extensive research."

Evelyn spoke the truth.

Before the advent of operating systems, computers were controlled by instruction codes, or computer languages. At present, the most widely used language in the industry is FORTRAN.

As the world's first widely adopted high-level language, FORTRAN was extensively used in numerical, scientific, and engineering computations. Yet, its specialized nature made it arduous for laypersons to learn.

To democratize programming knowledge and enable students to use computers effectively, BASIC, a beginner-friendly language, was developed. Due to its simplicity and its ability to cover most needs with just seventeen commands, it quickly moved from academic settings to the broader society, becoming the preferred language for beginners.

The Altair 8800 utilized a simplified version of BASIC.

As for the software creators? Most people of that era were unaware.

However, Ethan Jones, who had lived in America for many years, knew it was developed by a team including Paul Allen and Bill Gates.

Microsoft's first major step into the world involved porting the BASIC language to the world's first personal computer.

Though it might seem straightforward to mention, it was quite challenging to execute. The personal computers of that time had limited memory, so compressing and optimizing the software to fit the machine's constraints was the real difficulty.

Under Paul Allen's guidance, they managed to fit BASIC into just 4KB for the Altair 8800.

While such a task might be manageable for a true expert, it was considerably difficult for an ordinary individual. After all, not everyone could afford a $250,000 computer or spend their free time coding.

Knowing this, Ethan did not press the issue when Evelyn said she could not manage it.

He clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's switch to something else. You know 'Pong,' right? Could you create an arcade game like that?"

"'Pong'?"

Evelyn thought for a moment before nodding.

"Certainly."

Then, as she processed the request, she asked, "Are you planning to make video games?"

"Bingo! Congratulations on getting it right, but no extra points!"

Ethan snapped his fingers and grinned. "I want to create games because I have a lot of ideas."

Indeed! After discovering the long return cycles in financial investments and the software programming barriers in personal computing, the video game industry, with its prevalent copying practices, became Ethan's prime target for making money.

The game market was still a barren land in this era.

With ideas, one could earn money.

Though he had never ventured into this industry before, it hardly mattered, right?

After all, Ethan had played numerous games!

In his previous life, Steam, PS, Xbox, and NS libraries were his treasures!

From playing Black Tide on his home computer in the 90s with an English-Chinese dictionary to enjoying It Takes Two with his girlfriend more than two decades later, these were fond memories!

And now…

Turning memories into cash? That was, indeed, the most wonderful thing in the world!

Evelyn didn't understand why Ethan was so elated, but she sensed that her brother must have some scheming idea.

At the same time, she felt uneasy. "Ethan! Your inspiration isn't coming from Miroha, is it?"

"If you're planning to get revenge on them by copying Miroha's games… then I cannot assist you! Absolutely not!"

"Of course not! Do I seem like that kind of person?" Ethan said, slightly offended.

"Yes, you do. You're the type who holds grudges, even if you seem polite," Evelyn replied seriously.

"???"

Ethan was speechless, surprised by how Evelyn perceived him.

"I truly haven't copied Miroha."

Ethan insisted.

However, his statement received no response.

Evelyn continued to regard him with skepticism.

Faced with this, Ethan shrugged his shoulders and, unsure how to explain, resorted to a bit of pleading. "Evelyn! You just said you'd help me! You can't go back on your word!"

"…" Evelyn hesitated for a moment.

Then she shook her head in resignation. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

Ethan's persistence made Evelyn feel as if she had returned to the past.

A few years ago, when she was tinkering with various gadgets from Popular Electronics, Ethan had persistently pestered her to make toys. Although he had annoyed her then, she had to admit…

Well, Evelyn thought it over briefly and realized that Ethan had always succeeded through his persistence.

"So, will you be dictating your ideas to me, or do you have a complete plan?"

Since Ethan had started his pleading, Evelyn wanted to evaluate the seriousness of the situation by assessing his inspiration.

Her inquiry delighted Ethan.

"Of course, I have a complete plan."

"Wait a moment. I'll go get it from my room."

Evelyn was taken aback by Ethan's meticulous approach.

She had assumed Ethan's idea to make games was a spur-of-the-moment decision after being dismissed by Miroha, but she was surprised he had a detailed plan.

When Ethan brought over the three-page document, Evelyn was astonished.

Though the paper was somewhat worn and stained, with many corrections, the content was clear and well-organized.

On the first page, Ethan outlined his game concept—

It is a game with no victory, only failure.

The second page summarized the gameplay—

Players control a continuously moving object of specific length on a bounded plane, using its head to collide with luminous points that cause it to grow. The game ends when it touches the boundary or itself.

The third page displayed a game interface—

Ethan had drawn a snake.

Indeed!

What Ethan intended to create was—