MidReal Story

Glitches in Time: The Arcade Revolution

Preston Brown

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arcade owner and mentor to Emily and Mark, elegant with sharp features, professional attire, wise and secretive.

fellow programmer and friend of Emily, tall with messy brown hair, casual wear, analytical and cautious.

curious programmer, friends with other protagonists, short curly dark hair, glasses, vibrant retro clothing, passionate and techsavvy.

The game was old.

I’d never seen it in the arcade before.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to play it.

It had the most beautiful graphics I’d ever seen.

It looked…real.

"Sarah, what’s this?"

I asked, pointing to the new machine.

It stood out in the corner, away from all the other games.

The cabinet was black with neon blue and green lights running along the sides and across the top in swirling patterns.

It looked almost alive.

"Ah," Sarah said, leaning on the counter and looking at the game with a small smile, "that’s 'Eternity’. It just arrived yesterday."

"Who made it?"

I asked.

"I’ve never seen a game like this before."

"It’s an independent," Sarah said.

"Apparently, it was made by some guy in California."

"That’s crazy," Mark said, standing beside me.

"There are thousands of games out there. What makes this one so special?"

Sarah smiled again, but this time it was tinged with sadness.

"It’s…different. Once you start playing, you won’t want to stop."

Mark Jensen and I were both programmers at the local college.

We spent most of our free time at this very arcade, working on our own game ideas and learning new technologies.