Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 962: I Understand Everything...

In the United States, across the ocean from Japan, there was roughly a 14-hour time difference.

So while the Summer Sale had already gone live in Japan and Korea, people in the U.S. were still completely unaware.

But the internet spreads fast—alarmingly fast.

It all began with a few Japanese streamers broadcasting on Facebook Live.

At first, they mocked the sale.

They felt it lacked sincerity—even when it came from Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.

But that skepticism was quickly and brutally disproven.

It was morning in Japan when they said that. By evening, while they were deep into their usual streams, viewers began flooding the chat, urging them to check the BattleNet store immediately.

...

...

At first, the streamer was puzzled by the urgency and figured the viewers were overreacting.

Then he looked at the BattleNet store and saw the massive sale banner.

All of Gamestar's titles—except those released within the last year—were marked down to half price or even lower.

Any major, name-brand game you could think of was included in this massive discount wave.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Without needing any further prompting, he immediately began shopping like a madman.

"Hey, hey, streamer, you're seriously shameless! Weren't you just saying this morning that the sale was totally lame?"

Unbothered, the streamer responded, "That's because previous sales were lame. But this time? This sale is legit. If I don't buy games now, I'd be disrespecting Gamestar's effort!"

As a gaming streamer, he already owned most of the popular titles—and had streamed nearly all of them.

But many were console versions.

He'd never seen the point in rebuying them on PC, even though the graphics were better.

But now things had changed.

The amount of money that used to buy one top-tier game could now buy three.

And if you got strategic—mixing big titles with excellent indie games—you could buy even more.

His tone flipped instantly as he began showering praise on Gamestar's sale event.

And of course, his stream had viewers from all over the world.

Even in the middle of the night in the United States, some were watching.

Once American viewers saw what was happening in Japan, word spread rapidly across U.S. gaming communities.

By the time morning came, people were starting their day—some going out for walks or jogs to get their minds and bodies going.

Dude (yes, his actual name was "Dude") did the same. He'd timed his bread maker the night before, stretched a bit, then headed out for his morning run.

In the past, his neighbors and others in the community would also be out jogging.

That gave him a chance to chat with other locals.

He really liked the vibe in his neighborhood—it was full of people who loved video games.

Proof, again, that gaming's influence was growing.

"Morning, Dude!"

He heard a voice not far off—a young man slightly younger than him was waving his way.

Dude nodded politely as the guy jogged over. "Dude, did you finally beat that high-rank monster in Monster Hunter last night?"

"Easy," Dude replied while jogging. "Already took it down."

"Damn, that's impressive. I got stuck on my fight for ages—I guess I'm just not that great at the game."

Dude smiled. "It's not really that hard. As long as you're patient, you'll get through it. Tell you what—tonight I'll run with you, since I'm free."

The guy lit up. "Really? I'd appreciate that. But I might not be available these next couple of days."

"Oh? Got something going on?"

"Not exactly. You haven't checked gaming news on social media this morning?"

Dude raised an eyebrow. "Why would I? I don't really care about that kind of stuff."

"Heh, then you're totally in the dark right now. Let me tell you—gaming communities are exploding. Everyone's talking about it. I think it started around 4 or 5 a.m."

Dude turned to glance at him mid-jog. "Did something big happen? Did Gamestar drop a new game?"

If that was the case, he might consider picking up whatever fit him best and enjoy it for a while.

But if it was another mass release dump like before, he'd have to pass—he couldn't afford to blow that much at once.

One new game was $50 to $60. If three to five came out all at once, that would wipe out his whole monthly entertainment budget—and he had other things to spend that on.

"No, no, no—it's not about a new release. It's that big sale Gamestar's been teasing. The one they kept hyping."

"Oh, that thing? I vaguely remember. But it's just a sale. People are going that crazy over it?"

"Normally no—but wait till you hear how deep the discounts are."

"Then tell me already."

Dude was growing irritated—this guy always talked in chunks, never just said it.

"Almost everything is over 50% off. Only games released within the past year aren't seeing huge discounts. According to the coverage I saw, if I want to buy a top-tier game from a few years ago, 50 bucks could get me three or four. Maybe even a dozen, if I go for indie stuff. Crazy, right? ...Dude?"

The young man kept talking excitedly—unaware that halfway through his explanation, Dude had stopped jogging.

When he turned around, he saw that Dude was now seven or eight meters behind—standing still.

Then came a crack sound.

Dude twisted his body into a full 180° turn and sprinted back toward his house at top speed, practically flying.

"Hey! Dude! The sale hasn't even started for us yet!"

But Dude didn't hear him anymore.

And as the young man watched him run, he realized—Dude looked exactly like his own mom when she used to charge into the supermarket for big discounts.

Tsk, tsk.

He remembered laughing at his mom for going wild over sales.

She had told him, "That's only because you've never experienced the joy of getting something you love at a huge discount."

Now?

He understood.