Chapter 62: The American Gamers
"Do we really need to go into the school?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Chandra inquired.
"I've already found the person I was looking for."
That's right. In truth, what I wanted wasn't a game developer.
The game that utilized polygons that we commonly think of came in 1994, NEGA's "Virtua Fighter." It certainly brought us a visual shock, but there were polygon-based games back in '88.
At that time, there were Atari's "Hard Drivin'" from the almost last breath of the company in the United States and Japan's Banpresto's "Winning Run."
While polygon-based racing games during this time seemed impressive visually, their gameplay was lacking. Pixel-based graphics looked much better, and the fatal flaw was that, rather than feeling like driving on the ground, the cars seemed to be floating in the air, creating an alien sensation.
Moreover, at that time, there was no technology to add textures to polygons, so the 3D graphics were monotonous and eventually disappeared from gamers' memories at the speed of light, at least until the appearance of NEGA's Virtua Fighter.
"Elise, I'll eat first. I'll talk to those students for a while."
"Principal? Principal!?"
I got up from my seat, brought a chair from another table, and sat down at the table where the students were talking.
"Who are you?"
"Sorry for interrupting your meal. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but your conversation was very interesting."
"You eavesdropped on our conversation?"
The guy called John looked at me with a slightly uncomfortable expression and said, "I don't think it's appropriate for you to join our conversation."
I took out a business card from my wallet and placed it on the table. John picked up the card and asked, bewildered, "Mintendo, isn't that a game console company?"
"That's right."
"We weren't talking about games. We were discussing three-dimensional architectural drawings."
"I heard that part too. What piqued my interest was the device you mentioned, the GPU."
"Well, that's not an official name yet. It came up in passing while we were talking about the central processing unit."
"The name doesn't matter. The real question is whether you can create it or not. After all, you couldn't create three-dimensional drawings."
I lightly prodded his sensitive spot, and he immediately responded, "It's not that my approach was wrong; it's because the computer's performance was insufficient."
"The method you mentioned is still difficult to implement even with today's supercomputers. Introducing the z-axis into a world that was previously implemented only with x and y on a regular screen is a good idea. You may say it has nothing to do with games, but based on the three-dimensional shapes you create, game characters could move inside as if people were living in it. You could even create a completely new game that is entirely different from anything we've seen so far."
"A game played within a three-dimensional drawing?"
John bit his nails, lost in thought. Then, a moment later, he vehemently shook his head.
"That's impossible. If you do that, you'd have to make the map enormous, and what kind of game can you make with just four polygons in such a setting?"
"That's precisely why it's needed. What you mentioned, the GPU, is what I need. I didn't ask you to make a game for me. What I need is a device that will assist the CPU in processing graphics."
"So, are you telling me to create it right now?"
Of course, it's only natural. If a thirsty person talks about a well, the one who brought up the subject should dig the well.
&
In 2015, it was common to have a single graphics card capable of implementing 2D to 3D and even three-dimensional animations. However, in the early days of 3D graphics, there was a time when a separate VGA card with connectors was used to create an accelerator for 3D graphics.
What I was asking John Curtis for was a request for an auxiliary device similar to what VooDoo had developed, supporting 3Dfx, and the like.
As we moved to a different location in the restaurant, we found the renowned MIT student organization, "hack."
Elise, who followed me into the university, asked me nervously, "Principal, are we okay? I feel like we're in a massive place..."
"It is quite an impressive place. It's like a playground for geniuses."
"A playground... you say."
"Well, it's a bit different from a regular playground..."
John and Michael guided us, and we arrived in a dimly lit room with only the blue glow of computer monitors. Several bunk beds were lined up against the wall, and some of them were moving, indicating that someone was sleeping.
"Hey, everyone, wake up."
As John entered the club room and turned on the lights, moans started to fill the room.
"Hey, John. Are you crazy? Why are you turning on the lights at this hour? I didn't get much sleep because of my part-time job early this morning."
"It's not about the part-time job; please wake up."
At John's words, some of the geeks who were soundly sleeping began to pack up their sleeping bags and get up.
Perhaps it's because they are Westerners, but to my eyes, they all looked cute, like little elves waking up from sleep.
If there are "dwarves" who create tools in the fantasy world, there might be "dwarves" like them in the real world.
"John... what's going on?" Elise asked with a nervous voice.
I woke up groggily, unable to open my eyes properly. The man with a disheveled appearance, quite contrary to his age, had a scruffy beard.
"A geek with a beard," I thought.
"John, you said you were going for food. Did you forget mine?"
"Two little geeks with protruding front teeth."
"And who's the guy next to you?"
"Three skeletal geeks who look like they'd fall over if I touched them."
John and Michael, who had been our guides, along with five other geeks, were now looking at us. Just then, Elise, who had been hiding behind me, timidly raised her head and greeted them.
"Hello. I'm Elise, working at Mintendo's U.S. branch. Nice to meet you."
"A girl!!! Oh my god!"
"Why is there a girl in our club room!?"
"Who is she!? Whose girlfriend is she!! Don't move, everyone! The moving guy is the suspect!! You traitor!!"
The three awakened geeks had different reactions to Elise's presence. Now slightly embarrassed, John and Michael introduced our friends while scratching the back of their heads.
"Starting from the skinny guy at the end, that's Tom, Hank, and Rob. There are a few more usually, but they only come to school at night during vacations because they save up their allowance from part-time jobs to buy computer parts."
"Hmm? Who's the Asian guy next to you?"
What's this? They only have eyes for Elise, and I'm completely ignored? Well, getting attention from guys isn't exactly a pleasant thing, but...
It would have been nice if I had brought Chandra with me to the U.S. If he had come with me, we could have communicated perfectly.
After a brief exchange, John and Michael summarized the conversation we had at the restaurant for the others. Once they got the general idea, the drowsy Rob spoke up.
"So, John, are you saying we should create an accelerator to help with graphic calculations for the CPU?"
"That's right. If we can design memory for graphic calculations separately without touching the main memory, we can probably make it."
"But there's a problem."
Rob, with a tired expression, began to speak while stroking his scruffy beard.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. In our work, we should receive compensation."
John then took a step back and looked at me.
"Rob's right. Your proposal for research funding sounds sweet, but we're not the kind of guys who work without any returns."
Hmm... Is it my turn now? I approached Rob and asked, "Well, I understand that your work is very challenging and time-consuming, just like in the gaming industry. That's why the monthly research funding will include your monthly salary. So, how much are you looking for?"
Rob smirked and said, "You're talking as if you're ready to give any amount. Besides, you don't look that old."
Oh? Is he trying to negotiate with me? Well, I can't show weakness here, so I replied with a calm smile, "Well, as long as it's not an exorbitant amount, we can probably accommodate it."
If the amount is unreasonable, I can simply acquire the theory and show it to Chandra. I wonder how much he's asking for, though...
Rob hesitated for a moment and then gave me a sly smile.
"Well, we have to invest our personal time in this, too. We usually work after classes and need to buy snacks, pay for the gas to get parts, and give up our part-time jobs. So, at least $500 per person."
"Deal!"
Before Rob could finish his sentence, I shouted, "Deal!" I thought he might ask for an absurd $100,000 per person. He seems like quite the cheeky guy. This is actually much more reasonable than the amount I had in mind.
"Elise, do you have the contract?"
"Of course, sir."
"First, let's prepare the contract and get their bank account information. From next month, we'll transfer their salaries along with the funding. So, please take care of it."
"All right, sir."
When I return to Japan next month, I'll have to check Chandra's visa status. I smiled contentedly as I watched the geeks signing the contract while diligently moving my pen.
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