By: Max Yang

Many video game and cartoon companies are vying to rule the universe of childhood amusement. One such company, Play Place was near bankruptcy. The once flourishing company was so desperate that they had to borrow money from others such as Y-Box and Ninbendo. Many workers were quitting, leaving only a miniscule amount compared to past employee numbers. One day, the assistant manager, Bob, heard about something that might turn the tables for this suffering company…

“Hello Bob,” said the manager of Play Place, “do you have anything to report to me?” “Uh, yes sir.”, Bob replied, “there is a competition judging video games and cartoons taking place this Sunday. The entry fee is free, and if you win, you will become the next millionaire ruler of the universe of games. I was thinking that we could take a chance on this.”

“Bob, I like your attitude but many of the greatest entities will be competing, such as Ninbendo with their arsenal of video games and Cartoon Webwork with their many series of episodes. Those are the top things kids like. All we have are boring video games that nobody even likes. At hearing this, Bob retreated to his office to sulk.

He started to brainstorm of ideas to make their product better. Make another game? Nope, too much work, they won’t finish it in time. It was already Thursday. Add some new features? Maybe. The only problem was, the other companies’ games were just too popular. It wouldn’t make any difference. They would lose anyway. After a billion gazillion ideas, Bob suddenly stood up and exclaimed, “I’ve got it.”

He told the manager his plan, who patted him on the back and praised him for his ingenuity. They told the workers about the design and got to work furiously. It was already Saturday night when the team finished. For the first time in years, they got a good night’s sleep and didn’t worry about the company shutting down.

He realized that competing to win was hopeless. Instead, he was going to get the attention of parents. By adding some new features and a timer that was set to half an hour, the game was much more enjoyable. The timer was supposed to keep watch of how long the child is playing. After the timer goes off, the game will shut down, and a sign will come up reminding them to take a break and study. This was perfect for attracting parents.

The next day, Bob and his team entered the competition. They didn’t care about winning. Kids were supposed to play each company’s game or watch their cartoon. Whichever they game/cartoon they disliked most that the producer was eliminated. As predicted Play Place was eliminated early, and Ninbendo won the competition. But Bob knew that they succeeded in capturing the attention of many parents.

Sure enough, many parents started to warm up to their company and buying the game. After the money rolled in, Play Place made a bonanza. They were able to repay their debts, purchase a new building, and recruit many workers. The manager, who was in his sixties, decided to retire and give his position to Bob. In the end, Play Place became the second Ninbendo as a successful, wealthy company.