Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 777: Non-Gamers

Developing a high-quality game in just one week would sound like a fantasy to most game companies.

But at Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, it was no big deal.

With the sheer size of their team, it was something no other game company at the time could rival.

No need for 996 overtime culture—just regular working hours would do.

During those seven days, the biggest cost wasn't even development—it was labor.

After one week, Candy Fun Match officially launched.

It became the first mobile game with in-app purchases on Facebook's smartphone platform.

Previously, most mobile games were premium (pay-once) titles. Even when in-app purchases existed, they were more like optional DLCs for full-price games.

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To those uninterested in games, it was still a fresh experience.

"Pre-register and get $10 worth of items. Sign up for one month of Facebook video membership, and you'll get another $10 worth. And I just won $5 worth of items through online shopping. That's $25 in total—not bad!"

Davidson stared at his phone. On the Facebook app store's homepage, a countdown was ticking down—the countdown to Candy Fun Match's release.

Davidson wasn't a gamer. He worked as a warehouse inventory clerk. The job was pretty chill, mostly just managing stock—but he had to stay on call, so he didn't have tons of downtime.

Still, he enjoyed the job.

When there wasn't much to do, he'd sit in the warehouse and read a book. When work called, he'd jump back in.

Recently, he got his hands on a trendy new device: a smartphone.

It was a hot new piece of tech that had just started gaining traction.

He wasn't exactly excited about it—but everyone around him was talking about it, calling it a must-have for the new era.

So, not wanting to fall behind, Davidson bought one too. He spent the past few weeks learning how to use it at work.

At first, he considered buying a Micfo phone.

But it was expensive.

The MK1, which had been on the market for two years, still cost $400.

Meanwhile, Facebook's smartphone, which was just as powerful as the latest MK3, was only $299.

He didn't even hesitate.

Not everyone in America could casually afford the flashiest, most expensive gadgets. Many people—Davidson included—cared about value.

That low price point helped Facebook carve out a market share and start expanding.

Even inside Micfo, some people had suggested lowering the price of the MK line. But Myrun Case remained adamant: the MK series' premium image must never be compromised.

Davidson, however, didn't care about brand image. A smartphone was a smartphone—buying one meant he wasn't falling behind the times.

He'd gotten used to using it over the past few weeks and was amazed at how convenient it was.

He could now track warehouse inventory on his phone, take photos, and use a bunch of helpful apps that made his work easier.

Owning a smartphone had clearly boosted his productivity. He felt it was totally worth the money.

Then he started using entertainment apps—shopping online, watching videos, reading books.

Although the screen was small and tiring on the eyes for reading, he was starting to enjoy the experience.

And then one day, all of his frequently used apps started showing the same ad.

It was for a game called Candy Fun Match.

A video game?

He'd never really played one before.

He'd seen ads for video games before, but they didn't appeal to him—most of them required upfront payment.

Hardcore gamers often said these buy-once games were great value—just a few dollars for several classic titles.

But Davidson wasn't a gamer. He didn't think that was a good deal at all.

This ad, though, was different.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Candy Fun Match was free.

The word "free" was highlighted in bold and bright font. It immediately caught his eye.

He'd heard people rave about how fun video games could be, but he'd always hesitated because of the upfront costs.

If he were spending money, he'd rather buy a book.

But in the U.S., books weren't cheap either—often costing tens, if not over a hundred dollars.

So seeing that bold FREE made Davidson think: maybe I'll try it.

Then he saw you could get extra in-game items just by:

Buying a video membership, or

Making online purchases over $10.

That sealed the deal.

He didn't mind paying for a video membership. He used to rent VHS tapes to watch movies anyway. Now, he was just spending the same money to access even more content online. No complaints there.

As for online shopping—he was already getting used to it. It saved him from driving all the way to a store. For non-urgent items, delivery to his door was incredibly convenient. Sometimes, the quality was even better than what he got at the store.

So, between video memberships and online shopping—getting bonus Candy Fun Match items felt like a great deal.

Now, the countdown to Candy Fun Match's release had reached its final seconds.

He was ready to dive into the game the moment it launched, collect his rewards, and finally experience what this "video game" thing was all about.

10, 9, 8, 7... 3, 2, 1.

The countdown ended—and a download button appeared in its place.

Davidson tapped it immediately and waited eagerly for the game to install.

"Davidson! We need you for something!"

"Coming!"

He glanced at the download progress. Looked like by the time he was done with work, the game would be ready.

He put his phone down on his desk and headed off to work.