Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Awards Ceremony - Identity (1)
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Some might say I’m unusually fixated on award ceremonies.
I have no intention of denying it.
Even I have to admit I’m quite sensitive when it comes to performance metrics like awards or sales figures.
But I’m sure I’m not the only one.
I’m confident anyone who was serious about their studies in school would feel the same.
Achievement has an addictive quality to it.
Once you experience it, you imagine the moment all your efforts pay off, and that becomes your driving force. It’s a cycle.
When it works in reverse, it becomes anxiety.
An anxiety bordering on obsession, the fear that everything you’ve built could crumble at any moment.
Fortunately, there was one good thing.
“A few words on your win, please!”
“Thank you.”
This time, at least, that anxiety didn't seem too overwhelming.
My third overseas trip of December.
Identity had won Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards, one of the big five.
In the original future, High Watch had taken that prize.
It wasn't pure joy. Seeing myself snatch the award like this made me acknowledge something.
‘Game awards are more generous to packaged games.’
Between High Watch and Identity, the former undoubtedly had a greater market impact.
And yet, I was the one who got the award.
For the reason I just mentioned.
Undeniably, this was the first and last time a PC online game would win one of the big five game awards.
Isn't that a truly monumental achievement?
Of course, it would fail in the future, but for now, that’s how it was.
So, am I upset?
Do I feel like a coward for winning while hiding behind the shield of a packaged game?
‘Why would I?’
Our efforts are what earned us this award.
I was confident that Identity’s level of freedom made it a game worthy of the award, on a different level than High Watch.
Public opinion reflected that as well.
Anyway, setting that aside, let’s return to reality.
I have to snatch one more award from High Watch.
‘The TGA.’
The Game Awards.
The award known as the most prestigious GOTY.
This life’s 2016 GOTY had become even more significant.
The contenders for the game awards were originally Unchited, High Watch, and Demon Soul. With me in the mix, the current score was [1 : 1 : 1 : 1].
In other words, with four award ceremonies over and one left, this was the deciding moment.
The game that wins GOTY at the TGA will be the best of the year.
“We come to LA pretty often.”
Han Seo-rim said.
Just as she said, we were in a hotel lounge in LA, where the TGA was being held.
***
During awards season, the entire industry gets excited.
Which is to say, not just industry insiders, but consumers—the players—get excited too.
The most obvious place to feel that atmosphere wasn’t in the real world, but in online communities.
After all, there weren't many other places for people who played online games as a hobby to gather.
『IdentityIsAGodGame: Let’s goooo~ Identity GOTY let’s gooo~~!!!』
『GrimFuture: But Identity’s future is bright lololol』
『FirstKoreanGOTY: Is a Korean game gonna get the first TGA GOTY!!!!!』
Seo-rim smirked as she took in the mood.
Breaking industry records.
For Seo-rim, who had a strong need for approval, this was a big deal. Seeing people support it put her at ease.
Come to think of it, Rewind’s history had been a smooth ride.
Starting with their first game, Hellic 1, they had conquered the indie scene with Hellic 2, and won one of the big five awards with Hellic 3.
This year, they were aiming for the TGA. If they cleared that, all that would be left was to sweep all the awards for a year.
So, her tension was growing as much as her anticipation.
That was why, even all the way here in America, she couldn’t let go of the Korean forums, collecting and savoring the praise.
Just then, a post appeared that made Seo-rim’s eyes widen.
『HighWatchFan: Hmph lol Is Identity really all that lol
It doesn’t have esports, its player count isn’t higher than High Watch, isn’t it just a one-trick pony with story freedom? lol』
Seo-rim knew this user.
‘ILoveSpaceWars!’
He had been a steadfast anti-fan of Rewind since Hellic 1, never once changing his tune.
His username had changed a few times, but for Seo-rim, an eight-year veteran of the forums who monitored the site daily, identifying him was a piece of cake.
‘Persistent, this one.’
She had beaten him half to death (with slander) in every way imaginable, but as soon as Blizzid got popular, he resurrected.
Perhaps the only way to kill this guy was for Blizzid to fall.
But that didn’t seem likely to happen.
Seo-rim, who didn’t know the future, couldn’t imagine a scenario where Blizzid would collapse.
Still, she couldn’t just sit there and take it.
Seo-rim’s fingers moved with dazzling speed.
『
OO: Story/Freedom << Already not a one-trick pony
└ HighWatchFan: K, next Iden-drone lol
└ OO: Fucking Blizz-drone asshole lol
└ HighWatchFan: Not an asshole, right? Blizzid won one of the big five with a PC game, right?
└ OO: So does HW have mods?
└ HighWatchFan: Won one of the big five with a PC game without mods, right? God game, right? Still one more shot left, right?』
He was a tough one.
His brain wasn't just leaking, it was forming a river at his feet.
No matter what she said, there was no way to stitch this guy’s brain back together.
Of course, that didn’t mean there were no options.
‘If it’s come to this…!’
The only option was to turn it into a battle of public opinion.
『OO: Isn’t one of the big five awards plenty for a PC game… hmm…』
Seo-rim, an eight-year (important) veteran of the forums, knew.
Online communities were fundamentally spaces for people to vent their anger behind the veil of anonymity.
Some might say communities exist for information… what a joke.
『IdentityIsAGodGame: Ugh, this Blizz-drone is having the time of his life』
『BloodlordOfBangbae: I’d rather Demon Soul win GOTY than HW lolololol』
Look at that. If you just turn up the heat a little, the triggered people will start a bonfire themselves.
It was a wildfire.
As expected of a community full of packaged game purists, ‘HighWatchFan’ started getting attacked from all sides.
『HighWatchFan: Yeah, okay. I get it. lol
IdentityIsAGodGame: So are there mods for HW?
└ BloodlordOfBangbae: fr lol Is it even a game if there are no nude mods?
└ HighWatchFan: Why do you think there are no nude mods?
└ JaeheeWantsToQuit: ?
└ LetsGoForAWalkPoppy: RULE 34』
Was it not enough?
‘…No.’
He was definitely triggered.
After a moment’s thought, Seo-rim delivered the final blow.
『
OO: lol』
Too many words just throw off your aim.
What’s important is a short, sharp word that gets under the opponent’s skin.
As expected, ‘HighWatchFan’ was triggered.
『HighWatchFan: Dude what’s your problem, why you been picking a fight? Ah, you’re that asshole, right? The one who keeps sniping me, f—
└ OO: Your mom~』
*Tap!*
Seo-rim closed her phone and stretched.
“Ugh…!”
It felt like stress was melting away.
Stretching her neck, Seo-rim looked toward the café window where she was sitting.
Gil-sang and A-yun were looking out the window, talking about something.
“Ah, mister, there are a lot of your friends over there…!”
“Huh? Where?”
“Those bald guys over there… so shiny…!”
“…A-yun, not all bald people are friends. Being bald isn’t even a category to classify people. That kind of narrow-minded thinking is…”
“Okay.”
“Besides, I’m not bald? Look, I still have plenty of hair…”
“Okay.”
“…A-yun?”
“Okay.”
“…”
What on earth were they doing?
Nearby, the secretaries’ faces were red as they tried to hold back their laughter.
A little further over, Hye-ji and Yu-mi were chattering away with Myeong-gyu between them.
Myeong-gyu’s face turned red.
He should have been used to them by now, but he always seemed to melt whenever he was between them, which was quite thought-provoking.
After looking around at all the employees, Seo-rim turned to Yeon-ho, who was sitting across from her.
He looked spaced out.
In fact, he’d been like that ever since they arrived in LA.
Should she say he looked deep in thought, or that he looked empty-headed?
Whatever it was, he was definitely not his usual self.
Was it nerves about the awards ceremony?
Seo-rim asked, puzzled.
“Sunbae. What are you thinking about?”
Yeon-ho, who had been staring at the ceiling, met her gaze.
“Hm? You done with the forums?”
“What are you talking about? I was just messaging the staff. What were you thinking about to say something so ridiculous? Is something bothering you?”
“…Nothing.”
She seemed to have gotten away with it.
Meanwhile, Yeon-ho, with his lips pressed firmly together, glanced out the window where A-yun and Gil-sang were, then spoke casually.
“Just thinking about how we somehow made it here again.”
“Again?”
The reply came a little late.
“…We’ve come here for every launch.”
“Oh, you mean that?”
She wondered what he was talking about.
Seo-rim shrugged nonchalantly and asked back.
“That’s true. Shouldn’t you be used to it by now?”
“Used to it? It’s new every time.”
Even as he answered, Yeon-ho seemed dazed.
Why was this guy acting so strange today?
She narrowed her eyes and stared at him, but the answer remained a mystery.
He was like this sometimes.
Times when Yeon-ho seemed to retreat into his own world, detached from everything around him.
It was quite awkward.
She had known him for eight years, but he was still an enigma.
Wondering if he needed some comfort, Seo-rim spoke.
“…Well, the result isn’t what’s important.”
“You’re more obsessed with results than anyone.”
“Am I?”
“Isn’t that why you get into flame wars…”
“What’s a flame war? How do you do that?”
“…”
A persistent man.
Seo-rim felt a momentary sense of crisis.
…She still didn’t know that Yeon-ho spied on her forum history.
***
The fact that we’d made it to the awards ceremony wasn’t what was making me nervous.
Considering the smooth path I’d been on this life, failing to even be nominated would have been a disgrace, so this was expected.
It was just the fact that I had come this far with *Identity* that felt strange.
No matter how much I had changed its core, it was still the game from my past life.
This was the game that would finally put a period on my arduous past life.
At the moment of my death, I had thought about it for a long time.
The moment on the TGA stage when the host announced the Indie Game of the Year, and that name was ‘Identity.’
It was even worse after I died.
When I realized I had fallen into hell, would it make sense to say that I regretted not being able to stand on that stage more than my sinful life?
I did win the Indie GOTY with Hellic 2.
However, Hellic 2’s acclaimed narrative belonged to Alice and Nabi, not me.
Even though I had achieved my goal of standing on the Indie GOTY stage, a lingering desire remained.
I only realized that after coming to LA.
Inside me, there was still a shameful, petty desire for Identity, for my stubborn ego, to be recognized.
I suppose I have to accept it.
My only wish is to use this opportunity to finally shake off the lingering shadow of my past life.
‘This is all that’s left.’
I placed a hand on my chest.
Seeing the people from NQ no longer stirred my heart.
I learned that making a game with others was more enjoyable than making one alone.
I learned how beautiful the result could be when you earn recognition, admit your mistakes, and coordinate opinions.
So much has changed; it’s time to let go, isn’t it?
It’s time to lay my own past life, which no one else will remember, to rest.
*Ding!*
A notification arrived.
It was from President Park Yeong-jun of Neosoft.
[Good luck!]
I chuckled, wondering how he knew to text me.
As we left the hotel, someone was there to see us off.
“It’s been a while.”
Ayado Goro.
A director at Sona, he had come to meet us personally.
I asked.
“Is it alright for you to come like this?”
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
“If people start talking about favoritism…”
“Do you think I’m the only one? For Sony, it’s important that the GOTY comes from a PlayStation game.”
Ah, putting it that way, I understood.
Unchited was a game made by a Sony first-party studio.
Demon Soul was also released mainly for the PS.
Identity was a game that supported both PC and PS.
From Sony’s perspective, they would benefit no matter which of the three won the award.
As long as it wasn’t High Watch, it was practically a festival for them, so they must have sent company executives to each of the development studios.
And for us, that person was Ayado.
If one of the three won, they would probably boost sales with something like a GOTY Edition.
Feeling a little festive, I asked.
“Director, who do you think it will be? The one who goes up on stage.”
I know that history originally pointed to High Watch.
I also know my intervention has disrupted that.
Now, even I don’t know what will happen.
So I asked him, the expert.
He adjusted his glasses without any particular fuss.
Then he said.
“Let’s go. To get your award.”
His voice was quite confident.