Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 20: Developing Game [2]

Myles Holms.

He didnʼt register in my mind immediately. It wasnʼt because I had forgotten about his character or anything of the sort.

Myles wasnʼt a character that I could easily forget. How could I not with the way he was designed?

He was ruthless, psychotic, and two-faced. He was the type of character who took advantage of others, stealing their credit in order to push himself forward. This sort of setting made sense considering the game he was in.

It was a ruthless zombie survival game where he had to steal and take from others in order to survive.

There were several reasons the game didnʼt succeed, but if I had to pinpoint one, Iʼd say it was the graphics. They... werenʼt exactly impressive. A lot of the gameʼs budget was invested in the storyline, neglecting the graphics as a result.

I had brought up the problem several times with management, but they all responded the same way: ʼThe story will make up for the lack of graphics. Donʼt worry about it. Just do your job.ʼ

I could only retreat in silence then.

”...No wonder I couldnʼt recognize him immediately.”

Zoey was a lot easier to recognize since she was the direct result of ʼDead Risingʼ failure, prompting the company to shift to a more graphic-based based design.

But even that failed.

”Well, itʼs not like all the games failed, but why are the main characters of the two worst games here?”

I was really struggling to understand this.

Not only was Zoey present, but so was Myles. Just one was enough to give me a headache, but two?

”And Myles of all people...”

If previously I had any lingering thoughts about joining the Guild, such thoughts quickly faded.

There was simply no way I would join the Guild with him here.

I didnʼt want to work in a place where I had to worry about getting backstabbed at any given second.

Never.

***

”...Iʼm telling you he didnʼt mean his words. Seth... he just recently got fired, so he might be a little moody. He might also not know.”

”He recently got laid off?”

”Yes. Thatʼs why I had him come here.”

”I see.”

”...Youʼre not going to do anything to him, are you?”

Zoey looked at Kyleʼs stiff expression and didnʼt answer immediately. However, after a brief pause, she shook her head.

”I wonʼt be.”

”Oh, good.”

Kyle looked visibly relieved by her words.

”I know Seth well. He can be a little careless at times, but he doesnʼt mean any harm. You also wonʼt have to see much of him since he wonʼt be working with us directly.”

”Mhm, I figured.”

Zoeyʼs tone was light. Her voice didnʼt carry much emotion. This seemed to ease Kyle somewhat.

”....Thatʼs good. Iʼll go check up on him. He probably was also shaken up from the trial.”

”Alright.”

Zoey watched as Kyle left. Her mind drifted towards his last words, and her expression turned dark.

Shaken from the trial...?

That was laughable. Not only had he cleared the trial faster than anyone before, but the moment he came out, he looked completely unfazed, as if he hadnʼt just beaten some of the best recruits around.

He was anything but shaken.

Suddenly, her stomach started to twist.

—I donʼt get to rely on my rich parents when things donʼt go my way.

The manʼs words echoed in her mind again, forcing her stomach to twist further. It wasnʼt long ago when the helicopter crashed, stranding her and her family on that darned island. Those were some of the darkest days of her life.

Every day was hell, with her fighting for survival in hopes of finding her parents.

But unfortunately, she wasnʼt able to make it in time. The moment she arrived, it was already too late. Her parents were dead.

No, they were...

”....”

Zoey clenched her teeth, her calm expression almost crumbling. It was hard for her to quell her anger.

Especially since she felt mocked.

Their death had made the news all over the world. Given her parentsʼ influence and power, there was no way he wouldnʼt know. She didnʼt buy Kyleʼs story.

He was too nice for his own good.

His name was Seth, right?

Zoey quietly nodded her head, memorizing his name.

”Itʼs a pity he wonʼt join the Guild...”

***

The moment the orientation was over, everyone was brought back to the -5th floor. As opposed to when we first arrived, there were quite a lot more people, each moving towards different areas as the chairs and projector screen were long gone.

Instead, the place now looked like some sort of office lobby. In fact, even the lobby from my previous company was better.

The Section Chief paused and looked in our direction.

”The general results of the trial were quite good. Most of you managed to pass with a few failures. Thereʼs no harm in failure. So long as you learn from his experience, everything will be fine. However...”

Quickly scanning a few documents in his hand, he turned his attention back to us. This time, his voice turned grave.

”....I wonʼt be able to guarantee youʼll be able to live if you fail again.”

His words brought the atmosphere to a standstill. I stood at the back of the group, taking in their reactions.

It didnʼt really have anything to do with me.

As of this moment, my entire attention was focused on my mission.

Game... Game... I had to develop a game quickly, and I needed to make it scary enough to scare the people of this world.

The more I thought about my situation, the more bitter I felt.

ʼHow the hell am I supposed to do this?ʼ

Not only was I by myself, but I didnʼt even have that much time to develop it.

”Well, now that we have sorted out the hard part. Iʼll quickly allocate all of you to your teams.”

Once again, all attention fell on the Section Chief. I was also intrigued, but since it had nothing to do with me, I could only watch in silence as one by one, the people around me were allocated into different teams.

”Thereʼs no real distinction between each team. Theyʼre all equally good, so donʼt think too much about the team youʼve been put in.”

By the time he was done allocating each member, a total of seven groups had formed.

”A team leader will be here with you shortly. In the meantime, do whatever you want. Get acquainted with your future colleagues or doomscroll on your phone. Youʼve already done the hard part. Today is the end of your first day.”

And with those final words, the Section Chief excused himself and left for a different area.

It was only after he left that the noise started.

I just remained standing at the back, calmly observing my surroundings.

Until...

”What are you doing?”

Kyleʼs voice reached my ears.

Turning my head, I saw him beckon me with his hand.

”Going where exactly...?”

”What do you mean, where? To your office, of course.”

”Uh?”

Office...?

”Iʼm getting an office?”