America: The Godfather of Game Development

Chapter 331 Barcode Fighting Device

The field of video games has seen countless heroes throughout history.

Whoever can ride the wave of opportunity will rise to the top.

The enormous commercial potential hidden within is enough to move anyone.

Especially in this era where the monopoly of the three giants has not yet been completely solidified, there are quite a few newcomers who rush in with dreams of getting rich.

Against this backdrop, Japan, on the other side of the Pacific, welcomed a prodigy who forged a new path.

Epoch, a neon toy company.

Faced with the seemingly magical money-printing abilities of companies like Nintendo, Sega, and NEC, Epoch's top management was naturally itching to get involved.

Aren't game consoles toys too?

With this mindset, Epoch embarked on its research and development path.

However, the gap between toy manufacturers and electronics manufacturers is truly as vast as an insurmountable chasm.

NEC was able to break through the encirclement with PC-E when Nintendo's base was already solid because NEC itself started out in the semiconductor industry.

Sega has been deeply involved in the arcade business for a long time.

And Epoch—

It's a legitimate industrial company that mainly produces mass-produced plastic toys.

The gap in technological accumulation is far greater than imagined.

Epoch simply cannot produce its own circuit boards like other manufacturers.

They don't understand anything about 8-bit Zilog or 16-bit Motorola.

After all, what's the point of a game console if it can't even play video games?

Ok?

One day in 90, Epoch's toy designer had a flash of inspiration and suddenly discovered a path that seemed unorthodox but might actually work.

Who says game consoles have to be used for playing video games?

What 8-bit or 16-bit? Dude, I don't understand. We at Epoch have our own style!

I don't know how to program the graphics?

When faced with this kind of problem, a typical company might choose to hire several professionals to do it.

But Epoch chose to simply remove the video!

What do you need that thing for?

I said using numbers directly would be clearer and more straightforward, does anyone understand?

In March 1991, the BarcodeBattler, a handheld device independently developed by Epoch, was officially launched.

It has absolutely nothing to do with any game console that players are familiar with.

It doesn't even qualify as any particular generation.

Because this thing can't be used to play games at all.

It can only run the one game that is built into it.

but----

Contrary to the expectations of all game developers, this thing quickly became popular throughout the country after its release, and even became a social phenomenon.

The reason is simple: the way this thing is played is just too bizarre.

In a sense, this thing can even be seen as the guide for Pokémon.

The barcode fighting device is equipped with a built-in optical scanner.

As its name suggests, its core gameplay involves players scanning barcodes with a scanner, and the built-in game transforms them into a game character.

The character's attack power, defense power, health points, and other attributes will vary depending on the barcode.

Players can then choose to use it to battle against others or against one of the 120 preset enemies in the game.

Damn it! Gan is a genius!

Whenever Lin Lixin thinks of this strange machine, he feels amazed.

What is business acumen?

That's what you call business acumen!

In that era, BarcodeBattler even formed a black market within various university campuses.

Players will spontaneously exchange power codes to obtain more powerful characters.

Of course, while the idea was very advanced, Epoch's technical capabilities were unfortunately quite poor.

The machine received highly polarized reviews, and ultimately it could only be considered a fleeting phenomenon.

However, its influence on those who came after it was extraordinary.

Needless to say, Pokémon, which made its name through its trading and battle systems, is another example.

Several years later, Nintendo also launched a new product line inspired by BarcodeBattler.

【amiibo】

It communicates with the handheld device via an NFC near-field communication chip and can identify and award prizes during gameplay.

Diablo 3 Scavenging Goblin amiibo is a classic among classics.

Simply press the button on the controller with the goblin figurine, and the Treasure Dungeon will open in the NS version of D3 for a fun-filled experience.

Of course, with current microelectronics technology, it is still quite difficult to develop NFC.

However, using GAMENOVA's technical capabilities, replicating a Barcode Warrior would be much simpler.

"That's about it. What do you think of the idea, Mrs. Handler?"

Lin Lixin carefully placed the dream creature back on its original spot and then turned his gaze to Ruth.

With her experience, she should be able to recognize the terrifying commercial potential hidden within.

"My God—"

The disappointment that had just struck because it wasn't a Pokémon had long since vanished.

If the prosperous era that Lin Lixin described to her could really come to fruition, then this thing would be more than just something to eat for ten years.

even----

Ruth stared at the dream on the table.

Lin Lixin's development of this technology is definitely not just for serving a single game.

He might integrate all the existing IPs into this system.

At that time, Mattel, as a deep partner, might actually have a chance to go further and acquire Pokémon.

Authorization.

This technology is practically made for trading.

Breaking down the boundaries between virtual and reality is what GAMENOVA has always been doing.

With this fruitful meeting, the next steps will naturally follow.

Drafting the contract and formally signing it.

Lin Lixin only needed to review the contracts after they were finalized.

As for the remaining time, it was naturally devoted entirely to concept art design and game development.

Perhaps it's a case of being influenced by one's surroundings, but Mattel demonstrated a level of agility that a giant shouldn't possess.

The cooperation terms were approved smoothly with almost no delay, and preparations for the production line to open molds and produce the models submitted by GAMENOVA began early.

After a year of recovery, this year's Christmas shopping season has clearly rebounded.

The impact of the stock market crash on consumption seems far less significant than the enthusiasm generated by Christmas.

However, this year's Black Friday was missing one of the faces everyone had been looking forward to.

Where the hell did Gamenova go?!

If you don't release any new content for Christmas, do you even want to stay in the industry?!

Players who lined up early in the morning to rush to buy the products browsed the shelves.

It's the Christmas season after all, so there are quite a few new releases.

-

but----

Where did Gamenova's first-party games go?

What about the publicity? What about the new work? What about the world-shaking moment?

GAMENOVA's headquarters has security measures in place, and ordinary people cannot break in.

However, his strategic media partner, the editorial department of Electronic Games, had no such hindrance.

So, it's unclear which genius started it, but players from Southern California gathered in Los Angeles and headed straight for the Electronic Games editorial office.

Editor-in-Chief Steve, bewildered, hid in the room, using tables and chairs to block the door shut.

"Open the door! We know Electronic Games has inside information! Tell us! What is the new game?!"

"Damn it, BYD must have secretly gotten their hands on this game a long time ago, they're just too lazy to write a review because of the Christmas break!"

"Open the door!!!"

"Father, please, reveal some inside information!"

Inside the house, Steve, on the verge of tears, dialed GAMENOVA's number again.

Good heavens, this is a complete injustice!

Yes, in the past, they always got priority access to try out games because of their good relationship.

However, this time he truly knew nothing.

Lin Lixin really didn't consult him this time.

But the mob outside, addicted to the internet, doesn't care about any of that.

They looked like they wanted nothing more than to rush in and tear him apart alive.

What's going on? Has the T-virus been leaked?

Beep beep beep—Hello, what's up?

Just as I was struggling with this, a familiar voice suddenly came from the other end of the receiver.

It's Sam. I've been trying to call all day, and I finally got through.

"Brother, you're my own brother! Is President Lin even going to answer the phone? Our editorial office is about to be torn down by a mob!"

I made several special trips to Northern California to try to meet him, but each time I happened to run into Lin Lixin who was out on fieldwork.

Today they say they're going to a national park to gather material, tomorrow they say they're going to visit a toy factory.

Damn it, it's like they're deliberately avoiding him.

That's infuriating.

Why is it so noisy over there?

Sam listened to the seemingly apocalyptic sounds on the other end of the phone, puzzled. He looked up at the exhausted, lifeless state of the office staff. "Oh, right, since you called, Lin Lixin just said he wants to invite you and the editorial team from MeanMachines to do a hands-on test. The new game has already entered beta testing."

"Thank God! Thank you, Mr. Lin!"

Steve let out a shout, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Now, if I can get out of the crowd that's surrounding me alive, I can resolve this crisis.

On the same day, at 8 pm, during prime time.

Following the legendary animated short film "The Story of OmNom," Nickelodeon has quietly added a new short series, also less than three minutes long.

-

The name is as simple and straightforward as "The Story of OmNom": "Angry Birds Toons".

Fans familiar with GAMENOVA's formula will understand everything when they see the GAMENOVA logo in the production team list.

The marketing strategy is exactly the same as during the "OmNom Story" era: the animation and the game are released together.

Those most familiar with this tactic are naturally the parents from all walks of life.

The moment they saw the GAMENOVA logo, alarm bells began to ring in their hearts.

Oh no!

As expected by all the parents who were having a terrible headache, the next morning, which was the day before Christmas, December 24th, arrived.

As expected, GAMENOVA, with their latest game cartridges, announced their strong entry into this year's Christmas shopping season.

Along with the cassette tapes came all sorts of new toys.

Needless to say, the team-building event featuring Dianzhongdian's plush toys was a must, with birds of various colors and shapes hanging on the shelves of the GAMENOVA section.

In addition, there is a batch of resin figurines.

The characters naturally correspond one-to-one with those in the animation.

Of course, there's also that seemingly insignificant little gadget.

An optical barcode scanner that is mounted on the handheld device via a communication interface.