Game Dev Status Window!

"Huh?! Sonia, you're playing this too?"

"Of course. It's been almost half a year since a new app cracked the top 10 on the market popularity rankings."

The lecture had just ended, but unlike usual, the classroom was buzzing. Students who normally bolted out like they'd cast acceleration magic were still glued to their seats, pulling out their mana panels and chatting away.

Aside from my lack of friends, I was doing the same—slouched in my chair, killing time blankly. That's when an intriguing conversation drifted into my ears.

The ironclad staples Scholarship Quiz - Model Hunter and Noble Etiquette Checklist had been dethroned by some rookie app. What the hell kinda app is this?

Curiosity piqued for the first time in ages, I tuned into the chatter next to me.

"The rules being so intricate has gotta be the biggest draw, right?"

"Totally. No duplicates in rows, columns, or 3x3 subgrids—that condition alone is tough."

"It would've flopped without the 9x9 grid, though. That's the real hook."

"I can't even enjoy crosswords anymore..."

"No matter how hooked you are, you can't top Sonia."

"Hehe..."

"Sonia pulled an all-nighter and still made it to class, right?"

"..."

Giggles erupted, and the group finally filtered out of the classroom.

Once it emptied, I couldn't hold back a sigh. Back on Earth, I'd never glance at Sudoku, yet these social butterflies were obsessed.

Guess I should be jealous they can get that fired up over Sudoku.

I leaned back fully, staring at the ceiling. It was enviable, not knowing dopamine existed. The people of this world could savor a dopamine-free day without a care.

The Nista Marketplace popularity rankings proved it. As they'd mentioned, the top spots were always squatted by the same apps: etiquette checklists for young nobles, basic knowledge quizzes for commoners, productivity tools like magitech equation calculators. The only entertainment was chess or crosswords.

In a world like that, Sudoku's debut had the academy cheering and the empire buzzing.

What a boring world.

Unlike my past life, soaked in short-form videos and every game genre under the sun—21 years since reincarnating into a peaceful world without demon lords, dungeon cities, or cosmic horrors threatening everything.

No protagonist perks from the stories, but as the second son of a count, I had loving parents, leveraged my Earth knowledge for a genius act, and landed a spot in the empire's top academy, Grace Academy.

A life of utter blandness and comfort.

But my heart never raced like it did back then. Not once.

Maybe that's why boredom was gnawing at me, bit by bit. What good was a mana panel that perfectly replaced a smartphone if there were no games worth playing?

"Oh right... Cafeteria closing time's soon!"

Shaking off the uncharacteristic sentimentality, I started to stand—

Ding-

A familiar alert tone. I pulled out my mana panel.

"No messages ever...?"

Did someone leave theirs behind? Scanning around in confusion, a mysterious blue hue crept in from the edge of my vision.

In an instant, the classroom vanished. I stood in an all-white void I'd never seen before. The only thing not white was right in front of me—

Did status windows just pop up out of nowhere ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like this? And was it even a status window without skills, mana, or stats?

Despite my gripes, it stubbornly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hung there.

"Exit? Close it?"

[…]

"If it's an awakening, at least show my abilities! Where the hell am I—"

Familiar scenes unfolded before me. A spider-eyed swordsman slays a grotesque monster, then blitzes five foes. A girl swings a golf club at her dad amid ruins. A plumber on a dinosaur kicks turtles.

Like a highlight reel, games from my past life flashed by like a movie. Then middle-aged devs with familiar faces took stages, clutching trophies in awe.

A short clip, but it left a deep echo. In under five minutes, my chest swelled.

And I knew what lay ahead—what I had to do.

"No need for words. I get it."

With this status window, I could make world-shaking games like those legendary directors.

And in that process, at its end—

"I found my dopamine!!!"

I'd score the same rush as my past life!

No brainer. Create project!

Until moments ago, I was an omnipotent status window wielder. But the vista before me turned me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into a total noob.

An endless scroll of categories. And then—

It'd juiced me up just to yank the rug out.

"So... what now?"

All I could do was dumbly poke around categories with a blank stare.

Playing games for dopamine hits was worlds apart from making them. Even with infinite inputs, staring at a blank canvas was reality's cold shoulder.

And reality wasn't done.

Gurgle-

"Hold up."

When was the last time I hit the bathroom? Somehow, my real gut was starting to ache.

"Gotta bail first... but how?"

#

"Phew... Cut that too close."

Luckily, post-intro, a mere exit thought yanked me back to reality. Lighter in body and spirit, I headed to the dorms from the bathroom.

...No cafeteria grub, but the mental high overshadowed hunger. More like, I craved a cozy spot to dive into game dev.

"Oh!"

An old memory surfaced. Elementary computer lab, sneaking flash games.

One mega-hit among them.

"...Poop Dodge."

Kids played violent stuff like Caveman War, Heli Attack, Zombie Head, but for little ones, poop was peak taboo thrill.

Not calling this world low-IQ or immature. Just, their dopamine tolerance matched kid-me's.

But I shook my head.

"Straight-up? I'd get disowned."

Grace Academy was the empire's elite hub for nobles and top commoners. Pitching "Dodge falling poop on your mana panel?"

"Expulsion at best. Duel for insult at worst."

Fine, localize it. Games got region tweaks back home.

Swap poop for... the world's most common attack spell: fireball.

I dove back into the mental space—I'd dubbed it the game dev zone—and started envisioning.

My ideal game.

First try, so keep it simple. Past life proved barebones could smash. Short dev time too.

Dorm clock just past midnight. Decent.

Then—

"Duh."

Short and sweet—simple is best. No point in a grandiose ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠name for a hours-long hobby project.

A swell of pride washed over me as I admired the finished product. The character nimbly dodging falling fireballs looked surprisingly solid.

Unplanned inspiration led to my first game ever, past and present. Seeing it done? Felt pretty good.

"Ports it too?"

...Obvious in hindsight. Fun game means nothing without devices to play it.

So—

"No more platform optimization headaches in my future...!"

Joy was fleeting. The next message muddled my thoughts.

"Distribution, huh..."

Confidence was sky-high in planning, satisfying solo. But Dodge the Fireball for the masses? Embarrassing.

What I find fun ≠ what others do.

Chin in hand, pondering—the window quietly popped a new one.

Nista Marketplace. The world's biggest—only—app hub. Earth app stores combined might rival its scale. Uploading there?

"Noped."

First game there? Hate-comment apocalypse.

I eyed alternatives.

"Board upload too?"

Grace Academy Board. Community for my school's students, but more academic exchange than past life's chaos.

"Better than the market, at least."

Student sandbox. Perfect for low-stakes test.

Tap Grace Academy Board—the window live-loaded it.

Quick think, then title.

Body text...

"Will explanations even help?"

Not crucial. Verbose won't boost it.

"If it flops, oh well."

First swing. With the status window, I'd level up to legends. One miss wouldn't dent my dopamine quest.

Shrug, hit upload.

Confirmed posted, then flop onto bed. Brain-fried from late-night scheming, eyelids heavy.

"Yawn... 9 AM lecture tomorrow. Bedtime."

Night deepened, dorm silent with breaths. Then—

Ding- ring- ding- bzzz- vrrr- vrrr—