"Damn... rejected again..."
Am I just not cut out for game development after all?
This was probably the 10 (ten) company Mikami Shinji had been rejected by since graduating from university this year.
It was similar to his previous life, yet different. In his past life, Mikami Shinji had been terrible at exams, his written tests a complete disaster. Yet he still clung to the dream of creating games.
But—
This time, luck seemed to have abandoned him. After graduating in March, he hadn't secured any job offers.
Normally, many companies would hold recruitment events at universities in the fall of the previous year, similar to job fairs for graduating students in Chinese universities.
Most university students would connect with companies during this time. If they successfully passed the interviews and were offered a position, it was called a job offer (naitei).
After graduation, they could report directly to the company.
In his previous life, Mikami Shinji had majored in Commerce and was passionate about Chinese martial arts. Yet his job search had been completely unrelated to his studies and exceptionally difficult.
In his early days, Mikami Shinji wanted to work in manufacturing. Many people worked in factories, but for him, manufacturing meant creation.
When applying for jobs, he was often rejected because he wanted to work in planning at Nippon Steel.
Mikami Shinji himself was a huge gamer. From the age of 20 until he entered the gaming industry, he became a total game addict, playing like a monkey (a common Japanese metaphor).
During his job search, he visited Nintendo, but something felt off.
The company seemed too established, with its own established channels. For him, the ideal scenario was to carve out his own path with his own strength.
To be honest, Mikami Shinji had never even heard of Capcom before...
His interest in the company began with Ghosts 'n Goblins, which led him to learn about "Old Capcom."
Capcom's recruitment briefing was held at the Hilton Hotel in Osaka. After hearing the President's speech about the company's future goals, he was deeply inspired and decided to apply to this game company.
He was "beautifully" eliminated in the written exam during the entrance examination.
In his previous life, Mikami Shinji had been eliminated from the written exam but somehow still ended up at Capcom. This time, however, he wasn't so lucky.
As he continued to apply for jobs and face rejection, he unknowingly graduated from university.
Having lost hope of entering the game industry, he didn't know what to do next.
So he spent his days at home playing games, becoming a complete shut-in.
In July of this year, he stumbled upon Pokeni's release of Onmyoji. Suddenly, Mikami Shinji had a revelation: "Oh, so galgames can be made like this?" and "So galgames can be this moving?"
This reignited his desire to work in the game industry.
Driven by this new goal, Mikami Shinji once again began sending out resumes to game companies, embarking on a new job search.
Unfortunately...
His written exams were disastrous every time. To this day, he couldn't figure out why.
Isn't creativity the most important thing in game development? he wondered.
Why do the written exams always focus on math problems, psychology questions, and logic puzzles?
After repeated rejections, Mikami Shinji's confidence was utterly shattered.
Especially today.
For Mikami Shinji, the decision to try his luck at Pokeni had been his most genuine desire since July.
This wish grew even stronger after failing interviews at several major game companies.
Pokeni was like a wall at the other end of a stretched spring; the harder you struggled, the more it pulled you back.
If he didn't at least try Pokeni...
He feared he would regret it and feel bitter for the rest of his life.
Before applying, Mikami Shinji had thoroughly researched Pokeni and made it his top life goal.
Compared to Nintendo and Capcom, Pokeni was insignificant.
Yet it was precisely this insignificance that deeply attracted Mikami Shinji. He believed that by joining a small, up-and-coming company like P Corporation, his talents could be fully unleashed.
Unfortunately...
He ultimately failed the written test.
"I'm truly useless. Guess this is just how my life will be, huh?" Mikami Shinji lowered his head in despair, trudging heavily toward the door.
Damn it!
I can't accept this.
A wave of disappointment washed over him, as if the entire world had turned dim.
His future seemed utterly bleak, and a wave of pessimism washed over him.
Mikami Shinji truly didn't know what to do.
What should he do with his life? What talents did he possess?
He had no idea.
"Mr. Mikami?"
Just then, a friendly voice called out his name.
Mikami Shinji froze, then turned around.
Behind him stood a man with a handsome face, wearing a black sweater.
He glanced around, unsure if the man was actually addressing him.
"You're Mr. Mikami Shinji, aren't you?"
Aoki Haruhi stepped forward with a smile.
Only when he heard his full name did Mikami Shinji snap out of his daze.
"Huh?"
Mikami Shinji pointed at himself, then quickly bowed. "Hello. I'm Mikami Shinji. May I ask what this is about?"
"Hello. I'm the president of this company. My name is Aoki Haruhi."
Aoki Haruhi bowed and offered his business card with both hands.
Overwhelmed, Mikami Shinji took the card, still bewildered and unsure what was happening.
He glanced at the card, which read:
[ Pokeni Co., Ltd. ]
President: Aoki Haruhi
"I am deeply honored and humbly request your guidance," Mikami Shinji said, bowing respectfully.
"The honor is mine," Aoki Haruhi replied, returning the bow.
Mikami Shinji ranked among the top ten producers in Japan.
For those unfamiliar with his name, mentioning the Resident Evil series would surely ring a bell.
Mikami Shinji was the man who first brought Resident Evil to life as a game, earning him the affectionate title of "Father of Resident Evil" among players.
He was renowned for his diligent and meticulous work ethic, his boundless creativity, and his extraordinary talent for blending Western culture with horror elements.
In Resident Evil, he masterfully crafted a terrifying atmosphere through fragmented, suspenseful details, elevating horror gaming to new heights.
This achievement cemented Mikami Shinji's status as a legend.
Now, such a legendary producer stood before Aoki Haruhi. How could he not be thrilled?
"Mr. Mikami," Aoki Haruhi said, taking a deep breath and extending his right hand, "Congratulations. You've been hired by Pokeni."
Mikami Shinji's mind struggled to process the information.
Two seconds passed.
"Huh?!"
His eyes suddenly widened in disbelief and delight.
It was as if Aoki Haruhi had illuminated his entire world with a single ray of light.
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