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MD - Chapter 31: A Video Game?
🕑 Added 2025-01-06 15:48:15 +0000 UTC"Alright, let’s get started. Do you have any idea what kind of functional program we should create?" asked Pippa, opening her perfectly organized notebook, with every page carefully numbered and a column dedicated exclusively to jotting down ideas.
"I thought about it, but..." Pippa paused and let out a frustrated sigh, lightly tapping the edge of her pencil against the table. "Creativity isn’t my strong suit. I prefer math and logic. So, to be honest, I’m completely lost when it comes to coming up with an original idea. For me, the important thing is that it works and meets the assignment’s requirements."
"Hmm, I see. Actually, I already have something in mind," Andrew said confidently.
"Oh? What are you thinking?" Pippa asked, leaning forward.
"A video game," Andrew replied with a smile.
"A video game?" Pippa repeated, raising an eyebrow as she set her pencil down on the table.
"I’ve seen the video games my little brother plays—they have incredible graphics and tons of things happening at once. We can’t create something like that..." she added.
"I understand why you’d think that, but I’m not talking about something as elaborate as those triple-A games. What I have in mind is much simpler, something we can realistically achieve with the tools we have," Andrew said, laughing lightly. Replicating a triple-A game would require a team of experts and a lot of money.
"So, what kind of video game?" Pippa asked, tilting her head slightly, skeptical but interested.
"A simple game, like the ones you play on your phone," Andrew replied.
"I don’t play anything on my phone," Pippa responded, earning a strange look from Andrew, who quickly pulled out his phone.
"Look, this is Block Breaker Deluxe 2. It’s a game where you move a paddle to bounce a ball and destroy blocks. It’s not complicated, but it’s really addictive. The mechanics are simple, yet it can get challenging as the levels become harder," Andrew explained, leaning over so Pippa could see the screen.
Pippa watched the game attentively as Andrew navigated the main menu tabs and started playing. He breezed through the early levels with ease.
"It doesn’t seem that hard," Pippa commented at first, her arms crossed.
"Try it," Andrew said, handing her the phone.
Pippa accepted, after a few minutes, she started to understand the challenge. The speed increased, the ball bounced at unpredictable angles, and bonuses appeared in hard-to-reach places.
"How am I supposed to catch that star without letting the ball fall?!" she exclaimed, frustrated but already hooked on the game.
Andrew laughed. "It's just a matter of practice and improving your reflexes."
Without realizing it, nearly twenty minutes passed as they took turns, laughing every time the ball fell and marveling at the increasing difficulty of the levels.
"Island complete!" Pippa exclaimed, raising her hands in a small gesture of triumph.
"Well done, you’re improving really quickly," Andrew praised with a smile, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
Both were sitting on the floor, legs crossed, backs leaning against the base of the sofa, their shoulders slightly touching. The coffee table in front of them held their notebooks, still blank.
"Well, it wasn’t that hard," Pippa replied, though she couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the score on the screen.
"It wasn’t easy. You saved that ball at the last second… although, to be honest, I could’ve done it better," Andrew said with a playful smirk, crossing his arms and boasting a little.
Pippa raised an eyebrow, turning her head toward him with a mix of disbelief and challenge. "Oh, really?"
Andrew nodded, maintaining his confident expression and looking right back at her. "Of course. I’ve got a natural talent for these things—probably on par with my athletic talent."
"Please," Pippa replied with a light laugh. "You’ve played way more than me, so obviously you’re better. But if I practiced more, I’m sure I’d beat you."
"Is that a challenge?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow and giving her a slight grin.
They stared at each other for a moment. Pippa suddenly realized how close their faces were, blinked, and shook her head as a faint blush colored her cheeks.
She quickly straightened up and grabbed her notebook and pencil. "Anyway, we should be working, not wasting time playing games," she said, trying to hide the nervous tone in her voice, which Andrew didn’t seem to notice.
"Oh, right," Andrew said, glancing at the time on his phone. They had lost track of time—the darn game really was addictive.
"It’s true that this game is simpler than the ones my brother plays, but the levels keep getting more complex, and none of it feels simple. It also has music for each level, and neither of us is a composer," Pippa said, switching back to work mode.
"That’s true. This game has a lot going on: animations, special blocks, increasingly challenging levels… But the idea I have in mind for our project will be much simpler. No moving blocks or flashy music. Just a basic, addictive mechanic. Something like tapping to make a character go up and releasing to make it go down. It doesn’t need incredible graphics—just precision and reflexes, which will make it really addictive, maybe even more than this game," Andrew said with a slight smile.
"Something like what we just played, but simpler?" Pippa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly. A game that anyone can understand in seconds but keeps them hooked as they try again and again," Andrew replied.
"Explain more," Pippa said, jotting in her notebook: Easy-to-understand game in seconds. Precision/reflexes. Tap to make the character go up, release to make it go down.
"My idea is for the main character to be a bird, using pixel art," Andrew explained, turning his notebook to show Pippa. "I already drew an initial design. Here it is."
Pippa leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the drawing. It was simple but charming: the bird had a rounded shape, a small orange triangular beak, and a pair of wings that seemed ready to flap.
"Did you draw this?" Pippa asked, a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected Andrew—the elite athlete of their school—to have an artistic side too.
"Yeah. I’m not the best artist, but I think it works for what I want. It’s simple, recognizable, and easy to animate," Andrew replied.
The game Andrew wanted to replicate was Flappy Bird, a game that wouldn’t be released until 2013. In other words, it was still more than five years away from being created by its original developer.
In his past life, Andrew remembered playing this simple yet addictive mobile game. A delightful little bird navigating through pipes reminiscent of those in Mario Bros. The only objective was to keep going through pipes until you lost. Then you’d start over, trying to beat your high score. As you progressed, the speed increased.
Andrew wanted to replicate this game for one main reason: money. In his previous life, he had read an article stating that Flappy Bird, at its peak, generated around $50,000 per day in ad revenue and had over 50 million downloads.
However, the original creator, for moral reasons, eventually decided to remove it from the Play Store. According to the creator, he disliked the addiction his game caused in people.
Andrew didn’t know if he could replicate that success, but he was going to try. It wouldn’t take long to create the game if he worked with Pippa. Of course, he’d split the profits.
As for the morality of "stealing" an idea that technically didn’t exist yet, it wasn’t something that kept him up at night. For him, it was more of an opportunity than an ethical dilemma. His previous life had taught him that money wasn’t just necessary—it was essential for survival.
After the death of his grandfather, who had been his only close family, Andrew was left alone. Some friends of his grandfather took him in, but the financial situation was always tight.
Despite having a natural talent for football, Andrew had to work part-time to support himself and indulge in small pleasures.
Who wouldn’t benefit from $50,000 a day? Plus, he wouldn’t have to dedicate his entire day to this project since the game is simple and it's a task given to him at school, so he has to spend time on it whether he wants to or not.
He could try to create the game on his own, but his strength wasn’t in programming, and he was just starting out in this world, so it was crucial to have someone as competent as Pippa by his side.
Comments
Cobalt
Also I like the idea of adding younger celebs into a growing mcs life because you not only get the story of what ever sitcoms you add but also that celebs stories and events
Cobalt
Changing her age could work, it was more about the family and job aspect that got people interested I think, also it is you're fanfic so if you really want to change her age to make for a better story then I'd say go for it, or take a vote
Guido
The problem is that Billie was born in 2001, in 2008/2009 she would be approximately 8 years old, I would have to change her date of birth if I want to include her. Or if I keep her age she could be a love interest in the future when the mc is 27 and she is about 19/18 years old
Cobalt
Saw a thread earlier btw that could be interesting, basically saying to introduce Billie eilish as the fml and bring her family in as old friends of Jay, it was interesting because she's a year older than Emma myers pips actress
