Chapter 2: Don’t Become an Indie Game Developer(2)

Naturally, since VR devices were still in their early stages, there were many problems.

Although improvements were being made, the devices were still uncomfortable to use, and there was a severe lack of content.

In my view, the latter issue was more significant. Honestly, if there was just more content, people would use VR devices even if they were uncomfortable.

However, the lack of content was a problem every company faced. No matter how much money the Reptilian poured into it, it wasn’t like dozens of games like Half-Life: Alyx were going to flood the market.

That’s why I thought it would take at least another 10 years before VR devices became mainstream…

But now, that’s no longer the case.

“Who are you?”

I quietly muttered to myself as I looked at the company that had revolutionized VR devices.

The one who had managed to spread VR devices worldwide wasn’t the Apple merchant or the Reptilian. The Reptilian had now settled down and was just managing their SNS platform, while the Apple merchant was busy selling smartphones.

It meant that this new, unknown figure had become the “father” of modern VR technology.

I decided to check the performance of the VR device.

With advanced sight-blocking technology, just wearing the glasses was enough to immerse yourself completely in the virtual world. No controllers were needed—just the glasses, and that was the entire VR device.

Additionally, the VR-exclusive running pad allowed for full-speed sprints without any issues. The shock-absorbing and noise-canceling features attached to the running pad were so advanced that apartment construction companies would probably be grateful for them.

All of this for just 490,000 won? It was an innovation far more shocking than the smartphone when it first appeared. Now I understood why PC gaming had fallen.

…And thanks to that, I was ruined too. Why did it have to be like this?

Some mysterious force had changed my name from Han Yujin to Han Yurim and gifted me game development abilities, along with VR game technology from the future.

But I was still a person of the PC gaming era. I was more comfortable with a mouse and keyboard than a gamepad, and my experience with mobile games was limited to a few I had tried out of curiosity. Naturally, every game idea I came up with was PC-based.

This wasn’t something I could change just because I wanted to. The history of gaming, though relatively short, was filled with countless changes. From console to handheld, PC to mobile, games had adapted like a chameleon to their environments, always evolving.

But while the games thrived, the developers often suffered in the process—and quite severely at that. Why? If making a game is fundamentally the same, why all the hardship?

The reason was simple: consoles, PCs, and mobiles were fundamentally different platforms. Just because a game worked on a console didn’t mean it would succeed on mobile. The same applied to PC games. Each environment required different approaches, different game mechanics, and different development methods.

Of course, there were common elements that all games shared under the general umbrella of “games.” But typically, someone who developed gacha games for mobile couldn’t just switch to creating deep, narrative-driven console games. It was like trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

When I searched online, I saw that every game that wasn’t VR-based had essentially been wiped out.

How did I know this? It was easy.

Console game companies were focusing all their resources on game development. That alone was enough to tell me what was going on.

I scratched my forehead. The gaming industry was now dominated by VR games. If I wanted to survive as a developer in this world, I had to make VR games.

But I had zero knowledge about VR game development. I didn’t even know which VR games were currently trending. In this state, trying to develop a game would have been criminal.

I needed to study.

Fortunately, I had already purchased a VR device after seeing the reviews on my game. Now, the only thing left was research.

I decided to test out the VR device. As expected, the motion control-heavy environment felt completely different from PC gaming.

One thing was clear: I needed to check out the number one game on the market. What was the most popular game right now?

Eternal World?

I had to start with Eternal World.

After playing the trending VR game, I came to a realization: VR truly was the future of gaming.

The first thing I noticed was how immersive VR was. Immersion is one of the most powerful elements of a game, and VR amplified that sensation several times over, striking deeper into the player’s emotions.

The level of control also expanded significantly, thanks to high-performance devices that could detect even the slightest twitch of your fingers. This opened up a vast array of possibilities for game mechanics and features to be implemented.

I sighed.

Experiencing VR firsthand made things even clearer—at least half of my old ideas would have to be scrapped.

It wasn’t just the ideas. All the game designs I had drafted up for future development would have to be overhauled too. Sure, I could technically force my old concepts into a VR framework, the same way some PC games had been clumsily ported to mobile.

But that would be unfair to the game itself.

If that’s how it had to be, I’d rather not make the game at all. Forcing something like that would ruin the experience.

Fortunately, I actually enjoyed VR games. It wasn’t like mobile games, which I had found tedious and frustrating to work on. This, on the other hand, opened the door to fresh ideas.

New technologies call for new ideas. It was time to let go of the old PC gaming era that had become outdated overnight.

Scrapping initial concepts during game development is common. Of course, it hurt to throw away ideas I had been gathering since I was young, but there was no room for sentimentality. If I couldn’t adapt, I’d get left behind. Accepting that truth was the only way to move forward.

I began studying again after a long break.

My ability to skip tedious tasks was only useful for cutting out the grind—it didn’t magically grant me knowledge I didn’t have.

And right now, I knew nothing about VR game development. Using my skipping ability in this state would only result in a poor outcome.

I had a personal interest in this, as the freshness that VR technology provided was shocking.

I dove into VR game-related technologies, specifically motion control. The deeper I went, the more fascinating it became. Motion control was far more intricate and innovative than I had imagined.

I also studied modeling. I had some prior knowledge, but VR-specific modeling felt completely different. Beyond that, I researched AI and the latest gaming systems. I explored designs and listened to music.

It felt like I was back in my childhood, experiencing that same thrill I had felt when I first launched HELLO WORLD on screen. My spirits soared, and passion surged within me.

Then, in a moment of inspiration, an idea sparked.

It stemmed from the intricacies of motion control. Old ideas that had just been tossed into the garbage came rushing back to me. Nothing in this world is truly useless; everything can be recycled in some way.

Excitedly, I began creating a game.

Though I wasn’t yet accustomed to VR game development, my growth was rapid—thanks to my ability to skip tedious processes.

As results came in quickly, the feedback loop accelerated too.

Finally, I completed a VR game that met my standards and immediately registered it on the VR-exclusive store.

A month passed.

Title: Excel Busters
Release: 27 days ago
Price: 12,900 won
Reviews: 0
Downloads: 11
Total Revenue:
After platform fees: 99,330 won.

What was the problem this time?

I felt tears welling up.

Fantasy Life made sense; it was a world where PC games had been wiped out.
Infinity Zero was understandable too; it was a one-person development game that had many shortcomings, given that it was made without cheat codes.

But Excel Busters was puzzling.

The quality was so high that it was hard to believe it was a solo project. It was enjoyable and offered a new experience that hadn’t existed before. So why did it fail?

This time, there weren’t even any reviews. If someone had criticized it, I could gauge where I stood, but with nothing, it felt like I was lost at sea.

I had no choice but to seek out someone to voice their opinion.

I opened a game community I used to frequent.

“Game Review Event!”
Game Name: Excel Busters
This is a new game.

“Please send me an email, and I’ll send you the game code. If you write a review, I’ll send you a gift icon worth 10,000 won.”

Countless comments poured in. I sent the game code to over ten different accounts.

With this, I should be able to identify the issues.

Calming my slightly racing heart, I headed to the bathroom. The playtime for Excel Busters was about ten hours if played leisurely. However, these players were likely from MS (Magnificent Life), who dedicated their lives to gaming. They would undoubtedly clear it twice as fast as the average person.

It would roughly take about six hours for reviews to come in, so I decided to catch up on some sleep for the first time in months. I almost forgot how to sleep. I closed my eyes and drifted off, waking up without having dreamed at all.

8 PM. A perfect time to wake up.

I opened the community and tried searching for my game.

The search term was “Excel Busters.”

Nothing came up.

Hmm. This was strange. I tried searching for “review” this time.

Numerous game reviews popped up, but there were no reviews for Excel Busters anywhere.

Did they just write their reviews like usual?

I decided to search for the usernames of those who received the game codes.

I read every post they made over the six-hour period.

Not one of them mentioned Excel Busters.

“……”

Did you know? When you send an email, you can see if the recipient has read it or not.

I had sent out 14 emails, and only two had been opened. Of those two, only one person had downloaded the game.

How could I be so sure?

The download count went from 11 to 12—exactly one more.

So this is how the Joker felt. I found myself searching for someone to play the role of Murray in the community.

<It’s frustrating>
Oh, that’s frustrating
<“Tell that pig to stop playing the game.”>
He keeps making the same mistake like a senile old man.

Even a senile old man can occasionally pull himself together. This guy is worse than senile.

Everyone who had taken my game was live-streaming it.

Well, that was fine up to this point.

<Flame Heart Review> “I saw Junsik playing and it looked fun, so I gave it a try. The game idea is really good, using VR’s unique, intricate controls to its fullest, making it refreshingly enjoyable.” *(Spoilers from here on)*

But I couldn’t stand the fact that someone who got my game for free was writing reviews for other games.

I quickly left a comment.