I've never quite been able to sympathize with a so-called ordinary protagonist
who longs for an ordinary life.
Misumi Eiichi and Inflation Battle
Three years ago...
When I came to, I'd been playing a puzzle game at the arcade, my memory missing.
I was wandering aimlessly through the city, when...
No!
Let me go!
I saved a girl who was being attacked by men in black.
With her parents' graces, I was adopted into her family,
and I began my life anew as Misumi Eiichi.
My basic needs were taken care of, but my life was not peaceful,
by any stretch of the imagination.
The mysterious organization going after my adoptive sister, Riki, and the glimpses
of my past, with which the organization seems to have been involved...
No... Stop! Stop!
My sister, who becomes strangely furious
You were talking to someone else again, weren't you?
when I talk about any other girl at school...
Forget it!
I recently joined the gaming club at my new school, where I endure arduous training.
Having become a participant in the Total Video Game Tournament,
also known as TVGT, I defeated my opponents with ease.
You've got a ways to go.
The ball is my friend!
It'll work out!
If I win this one, I'm in the finals.
I'm not letting that happen.
Your winning streak ends today.
Prepare yourself, Eiichi!
R-Riki!
Why?
You aren't with that Tendou Karen girl today, I see.
Yeah, Tendou-san is busy today.
Why do you care, Riki?
Wh-What does it matter?
I don't hold back in gaming competitions. Not even for you!
Bring it on.
You're going down, Eiichi!
I wonder if Tendou-san and Amano-kun are on the bus right about now.
I hope they're enjoying their trip.
Just to confirm, men and women will be sleeping in separate rooms during our trip.
We've been given our parents' blessings.
Even if it's for just one night, we must draw a clear line.
That means no flirting.
R-Right.
What?
Then why did we even come here?
It's a serious training camp for the Gamers Meet-up.
I get that, but...
We're going to be gaming the whole time?
That's so boring.
Th-That's not true.
I know.
It's totally going to be fun.
I'm a bit worried about this trip.
At least there's no way Hoshinomori will get left out on a group trip.
Plus she's enthusiastic about it.
Nothing to worry about.
Although, Tendou,
you seem pretty well-prepared for what you called a "serious training camp."
What are you talking about?
This is proper attire for a woman.
Hot!
Ow...
Come on, Amanocchi. It's not that hot, even for a bean sprout like you.
No, it's really hot right here.
See?
How dare you?!
Ahem.
Amano-kun, I heard you bought another obscure game.
Oh, yeah, I did.
I thought I'd found something awesome,
but I'd actually bought Elders Hunt by accident.
The game, Elders Hunt?
What's that?
Oh, that game that's famous for being really crappy.
Yeah.
And it turns out I can't even return it.
I wasted a ton of money.
That's unfortunate.
Aren't games kind of overpriced to begin with?
Gulp...
I mean, they do seem steep when you see the 6,000 yen price tag.
But there are tons of T-shirts that are more expensive, aren't there?
No, clothes are worth it.
They're daily necessities.
But games aren't actually useful for anything.
Isn't 6,000 kinda crazy?
No, no, no!
It's nonsense to talk about whether games are useful or not.
Going to the movies on a date, indulging in bowling games,
undressing Amano-kun with your eyes...
Would you dismiss all of that as being useless?
I'd immediately dismiss one of those last ones,
but movies and bowling are actually fun.
G-Gaming is fun, too!
Arghhhh!
There, there.
Your preferences aside, gaming is a kind of recreation, too.
So it's not a question of whether it's useful or not.
Besides, I sometimes want to stare at Tendou-san for hours, too.
Amano-kun...
I thought there was no flirting allowed.
Movie stories actually end in around two hours.
And bowling is exercise.
But games are, like, just a way to bleep-bloop your life away.
What do you mean, "bleep-bloop your life away"?
Yeah!
For modern humans such as ourselves,
living such barren lives, gaming is not a waste of time.
Hoshinomori-san!
Chiaki!
Gamers don't really look happy the whole time they're gaming, though.
Isn't it a pain in the butt to level up and stuff?
U-Um... Um...
G-Games are fun, leveling up included!
Really?
Amanocchi told me about how people pass out in the middle of a game.
Would that ever happen if leveling up were actually fun?
She's too astute!
What's fun about trying to stay awake grinding for experience points?
Oh, but there are techniques to multitask while you're leveling up!
Wow, you can do that?
Gamers must be really smart.
It's embarrassing when you put it that way.
But isn't that just admitting that leveling up is really boring?
Uh, this looks way too nice for student trips.
This looks amazing!
You go, Tendou-san!
I know!
So what are we doing now?
It's a Gamers Meet-up trip.
What else would we do?
Gaming, of course.
They come all the way out here to play games?
I'm stuffed.
So new games do start at around 6,000 yen.
What? Seriously?
This game's over 10,000 yen!
Let's see, it's bundled with concept art and a DLC for in-game use?
Uh, what's a "DLC" again?
It stands for "downloadable content."
In this case, you get access to character costumes online.
So you're paying real money for clothes that the characters wear in the game?
Are you serious?
I have no interest in those kinds of DLCs.
M-Me, neither.
You say that like you would buy other kinds, though.
I buy swimsuit costumes and stuff, of course.
Nothing, ma'am.
Earlier, you were like, "It makes no sense to compare games to T-shirts."
But if you're going to buy clothes for game characters,
wouldn't that money be better spent on your own clothes?
Game characters are kind of reflections of yourself.
It's fair to say it's the same thing as buying clothes in reality.
Yeah.
Really?
I'm still not sure about spending money on things that aren't actually useful.
They are useful!
Um...
Oh!
Okay, Aguri-san, what would you do if Uehara-kun bought you a ring?
What? Where did that come from?
I'd be really happy, obviously.
Then if you got the ring, would you equip it?
Or would you not?
Equip it?
You mean wear it?
Sure, I'd equip it.
Would your love for Uehara-kun grow as a result?
I-I guess, sure. I like gifts.
There.
At this point, you've accepted the concept of DLCs.
I see.
No, wait!
That's totally different!
Here's what it means: Uehara-kun would have bought
an item that increases attraction stats for a bishoujo character named Aguri-san...
using real money!
Don't say it like that!
It just sounds wrong when you say it like that!
I see.
If Tasuku were to somehow become a digital entity,
I might pay for so-called premium items to give him.
Wait up!
What do you mean, if I were to "somehow" become a digital entity?
Furthermore, if changing your avatar's outfit and equipment
were to cause digital Uehara-kun to turn red or become shy, what would you do?
Premium items, please! How much are they?
Stop!
You guys are seriously making some crazy assumptions!
Besides, Aguri...
Y-You don't have to do that. I-I already...
T-Tasuku...
Buy a loot box with a chance to win this agonizing event for just 300 yen!
I'm buying a hundred of those, Amanocchi!
Thank you.
Stop!
Quit using me to mess with my girlfriend!
30,000 yen to buy Tasuku's sweet nothings?
That's nothing.
Hey, Aguri, wake up!
I'm plenty fun free-to-play!
Besides, I'm serious about you.
Tasuku...
And that's how the free game industry lures you in these days.
I-I see.
That's very informative.
Oh, it's nothing.
I totally get it now.
Yup.
Games are...
Games are real shit.
Shoot.
About what we were saying, games these days make you pay a ton of money up front,
but then they don't let you enjoy the whole thing?
See? The reviews are horrible, too.
"Paid players have too much of an advantage in multiplayer games."
"It's a typical pay-to-win game."
Oh, yeah, that's cheap.
"The single player story isn't even finished. I feel like I've been sold an unfinished product."
That's a rip-off.
Well, not all games are like that.
It looks like this series is big, though.
Isn't this a sign that the industry is in its final days?
D-DLCs themselves aren't bad.
Don't you get excited when your favorite manga gets a spin-off after it finishes?
Sure, I guess.
Anyway, there's nothing wrong with DLCs that the users request.
Then what kind of DLC would make you happy?
Obviously, your favorite character's swim—
What else but a higher difficulty mode?
I'm in heaven.
This place is so nice.
It's so big, and the view is so nice.
I know.
But a higher difficulty mode just makes the game even harder to play, right?
Sorry, I really don't get it.
Doesn't it feel great when you achieve a really challenging goal?
I mean, I get that, but...
And when you're being tortured by a cruelly difficult game,
doesn't it actually start to feel good?
Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about.
I'm talking about how pain feels good.
Wait, this is weird... I thought we were talking about games,
but now I'm listening to you open up about your weird sexual fetishes.
Rude!
It's not just me. All gamers are like that.
Right?
Huh?
Ahem.
In any case, I want games to be more challenging.
At the very least, all the hardcore gamers in the game club would understand.
Now I know that the game club members are all complete masochists.
You're a bunch of deviants who get together
to stare ecstatically at unfair game-over screens.
That's not...
W-Well, you're not totally wrong.
Seriously?
Th-Then gamers are all masochistic deviants?
We aren't!
Um...
Personally, it makes me really happy to see the epilogue after an RPG.
I guess that makes sense.
Especially when, like, the human hero and heroine
suddenly turn into fish and there's a huge panic.
That would be the most fantastic epilogue.
What? That's creepy as hell.
Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.
I'm assuming the actual RPG was a classic fantasy RPG.
I never thought otherwise!
It'd actually make more sense to me if the characters were animals to begin with!
That's silly, Aguri-san.
It's the proper human visuals in the main story that put emphasis
on the fish stuff in the epilogue and make it fun.
I think this is the first time in my life I'm looking insanity in the eye.
That's rude!
Anyone who takes pride in being a gamer desires a fish-morphing epilogue.
Right?
Although, I guess some people prefer something other than fish.
No, I don't think that's the issue.
But DLCs are the same thing as spin-offs and companion media.
Don't you want them to go all-out in ways they can't in the main game?
I guess that kind of makes sense, but...
Right?
If there was a fish version of your favorite manga, you'd want to read it, right?
I'm so confused!
A combat manga, set on Mars,
about evolved cockroaches and fish who fight with special abilities.
Gilla Formars! Wouldn't that be awesome?
I won't let you invade us, basstard!
Oh, damn. I might want to read that.
Though the good guys, physiologically, can only survive underwater.
Gilla Formars wouldn't work on Mars at all, then.
Anyway, DLCs ought to be completely removed and crazy, compared to the original.
I feel like you have a point, but...
But...
What are you doing?
N-Nothing!
It's not like I'm curious about what Amano-kun's talking about or anything!
I think I prefer epilogue DLCs.
Normal ones.
Also, part of me doesn't hate the idea of plain hard mode DLCs.
You're too normal, Amanocchi. It's no fun.
What's it to you?
You don't really make a good derp.
It's not like I live my life trying to be the derpy guy.
Then again, you don't have glasses, so you can't be the straight man, either.
No one ever told me you need glasses to be the straight man!
Why don't you buy a glasses DLC?
No way! I don't want that kind of additional content!
I'll chip in 2,000 yen.
It kind of pisses me off that they're so cheap.
You two are having fun, huh?
There.
There we go.
That's against the rules, Aguri-san!
Shiina
Kouyou
Sakurano
President Keita has arrived at Sakurano!
So the DLC that I want...
What about one that shows the hero and heroine happily living together?
How is that even a game anymore?
Oh, right.
But the plot is already resolved in the main story,
so I would feel sorry for the characters,
starting a new conflict just because I want to play more.
Just what is your perspective, Keita?
He's as lukewarm and kind-hearted as always.
Okay, I kind of understand how the DLC system works.
It's like ordering dessert or extra toppings at a restaurant.
Right.
That's a good analogy.
And the bad reviews are because the main dish was served bland, and they're like,
"Oh, it's an extra 300 yen for a shake of salt," so they're upset?
So after everything I heard, I still feel like games are too expensive, you know?
Something doesn't sit right about the way they screw you over,
demanding another few thousand yen on top of that.
S-Sorry.
It's not that I'm trying to criticize games, but...
No, I think what you say stings for anyone who plays a lot of games.
So gamers are all super masochistic, like Tendou-san?
Tendou-san's the only one who's as masochistic as she is.
Amano-kun!
It really doesn't sound like a joke
when your boyfriend says you're super masochistic!
I don't know, I think games might be a form of recreation
that's especially open to wastefulness.
You're happy about wasting money?
For example, I have a game at home that my parents bought for me
when I was in elementary school.
It's actually a crappy rip-off that's more expensive than the game it's a clone of.
Jeez, what a waste.
I know, right?
My parents bought it by mistake.
I didn't have the heart to tell them it was the wrong one.
That story hits close to home.
But once you try playing it, you start to enjoy it.
I ended up playing it for three years, complaining the whole time.
That is a nice story, but I think it could happen even if it weren't a game.
I think it was only memorable because it was a game.
Games are also a flexible medium that give you the freedom
to make as much of an emotional investment as you want.
I can't say whether games are more expensive than other entertainment.
There are always going to be some games you buy that turn out to be terrible.
But that's exactly why the only thing that we gamers can do
is to enjoy games to the best of our ability, each in our own way.
I guess bandwagoning around bad reviews is one way to have fun, too.
That's true.
Sometimes, as in Amano-kun's story,
that can lead to it becoming a memorable game that's more precious than anything.
Yeah.
There are websites that rank terrible games.
Maybe that's the kind of secondary value that games have a lot of.
At the very least, that crappy game I got
is worth way more than just a few thousand yen to me now.
So... do you appreciate why games cost so much now?
Got it.
I won't say games are too expensive or anything like that anymore.
Thank you.
Now then, everyone,
now that we know every game offers a way to be enjoyed, what do you think?
Why don't we play the infamous, terrible, five-player action game, Elders Hunt?
Okay! Goodnight!
I want a refund.