Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 960: It Seems Like There’s a... Special Sale?

Aya Tsukino couldn't quite explain why she had ended up playing that game for so long.

She figured most of the credit probably belonged to the variety show—it was just more entertaining.

As for the game itself, that was more like a secondary thing.

Yes, that must be it.

She hadn't felt the slightest bit of reluctance to stop playing the game when Takayuki called her, but she had felt reluctant to stop watching the variety show.

Soon after, the housekeeper brought out the meal that had been prepared earlier, and Takayuki said with a smile, "Alright, let's eat first."

Aya nodded, placing her laptop off to the side, planning to return to the game later while continuing to watch the show.

During dinner, Aya made a point of reiterating that she wasn't really into the game—it was just something to do because she was bored.

Takayuki didn't argue.

...

...

After all, his goal had already been achieved.

Over the next few days, Takayuki developed several more pixel-art games.

Each of these pixel games had its own distinct qualities. While the gameplay itself wasn't revolutionary, the way the mechanics were combined made them very engaging.

Samurai: Zero, for example, was an action-style game.

It featured a side-scrolling pixel-art design. The player had to defeat enemies in tightly constrained spaces, avoiding all incoming attacks with perfect timing and movement.

Its core appeal was in trial and error—attempting again and again to discover the most optimal rhythm and strategy to defeat all enemies.

This game required precise control and had developed a loyal following in certain niche communities.

Then there was Rhythm Doctor, a rhythm-based music game.

Players performed medical procedures in time with music beats, making it a uniquely stylized gameplay experience.

All three games had fairly simple core mechanics. The most complex of the bunch was definitely Samurai: Zero, as it included a relatively intricate story compared to the other two, which were more gameplay-driven.

Aya never tried the other two games. For some reason—perhaps just a lack of interest—she never brought them up again.

Time passed quickly, and the day of the special summer sale finally arrived.

July 15th.

After internal discussions at Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, it was decided that the official launch time of the summer sale would be 8:00 PM in each local time zone.

This time slot was chosen carefully, as it represented the most relaxed part of the day for most people around the world.

Adults would typically have finished work, eaten dinner, and settled in for the evening.

Children, many of whom were on summer break, would be in full vacation mode—ready to play.

Even if they weren't on vacation, kids wouldn't have much to do at 8 PM anyway.

And sure enough, gamers around the world—adults and children alike—were starting to feel that familiar evening boredom.

The sale event began in Japan, the first region to go live, and then gradually rolled out to other time zones.

South Korea launched almost simultaneously with Japan.

In these countries, some players were lazily watching TV.

Others sat at their computers, scrolling through social media or playing casual games.

Many had forgotten that today was the start of a major sale.

Or rather, they didn't really care.

There had been so many sales lately, and most of them didn't offer particularly mind-blowing discounts. People had grown indifferent.

Still, someone was bound to notice eventually.

At that moment, one adult gamer was playing on BattleNet with their kid.

Proudly, the adult said, "See, kid? Your dad's still got it, huh?"

"Dad, the only place you've got confidence is in video games."

"W-what? That's not true! I'm super hardworking at work, too!"

"But no matter how hard you work, people still say you're not making any progress."

The adult felt like his heart had just been stabbed multiple times.

If anyone else said that to his face, he probably would've lost it.

But this was his own kid.

So all he could do was stiffen his neck and say, "Heh, you just don't understand your old man. I just don't take work that seriously. 'Good enough' is enough. Why put in so much effort? Working hard just means giving more of your money to the capitalists."

The kid scoffed, "But you're amazing at video games, right?"

"Of course I am! I was once ranked ninth in the Street Fighter national tournament!"

"That's just one spot short of qualifying. Didn't they say World Cup players have to be in the top eight?"

This child is savage.

Always going for the throat.

The adult wondered if he'd raised someone else's kid by mistake.

"But Dad, if you want to redeem yourself in my eyes, there is a way."

"Oh yeah? What way?" the adult asked, raising an eyebrow.

The kid grinned slyly. "Buy me more video games! The last time I played something new was last year. I haven't touched a new release in ages!"

"That's easy!" the adult declared, pounding his chest. "I'll buy some after I get my year-end bonus."

"Pfft, guess that means you're broke."

"I am not broke. It's just... you know, the economy's bad." His face turned a little red.

The economic downturn had forced most people to tighten their belts.

Spending money wouldn't bankrupt them, but people had definitely become more cautious about how they spent.

Unless something really moved them, they weren't opening their wallets.

"Honey, there's going to be a big discount event at the mall tomorrow," a woman called from the next room. "I'm planning to pick up some everyday clothes."

They used to spend without much thought, but now even a simple purchase required discussion.

If something was clearly useful and a good deal—and if it was now or never—then it was worth the money.

"How big are the discounts?" the man asked.

"Winter clothes are half off. In-season items are about 30% off."

"Alright, go for it."

Sigh... he was kind of jealous of clothing and consumer goods. They could get such big markdowns. Sales like that were rare.

If only video games had discounts like that.

...

Wait a minute—

That thought suddenly jogged his memory.

Wasn't there a big video game sale happening today?!