"Boss, why don’t you try it yourself? This ga is really sothing special—once you start, you won’t be able to stop."
The group continued coaxing their boss, trying to lure him into giving the ga a try.
"Listening to you guys, it sounds like this ga is so kind of divine masterpiece," Kevin said skeptically. "Isn’t it just an indie ga? Even if it’s made by the God of Gas, it’s still an indie ga. There’s a limit to how amazing it can be."
"Boss, just try it and you’ll see."
Kevin gave them a strange look, then shook his head."Fine. I’ll try it and see if it’s really as magical as you’re making it out to be."
Yes!The group lit up, exchanging triumphant looks.
"What’s the ga called?" Kevin asked.
"It’s called The Binding of Isaac."
"The Binding of Isaac? That’s a pretty odd na. Sounds kind of religious."
"Yeah, there are religious elents in it, but that’s just part of the background story—and honestly, the story itself is pretty interesting."
"Exactly. The story’s told with these simple, sketch-like animations, but the aning behind them is really deep. I have no idea how Takayuki ca up with sothing like this."
"Anyone who can write a story like that must’ve done so serious research."
As they spoke, Kevin clicked into the ga’s purchase page.
"Wow... the graphics are really rough," he frowned. "Is this really a ga made by Takayuki? A ga made with the Unreal Engine shouldn’t look this bad."
He clearly didn’t like the strange art style.At first glance, it didn’t look like a fun ga at all.
"Boss, don’t let the art style fool you. That’s actually one of the ga’s greatest strengths. Besides the god-tier gaplay, the art style is another magical part of it."
"Alright, alright, enough already," Kevin waved them off.
He really didn’t feel like listening to their nonstop praise anymore.
In his view, these guys just hadn’t played enough gas.
Kevin was already in his fifties—he’d grown up alongside the rise of video gas themselves.
He had witnessed the entire journey of gaming, from nothing to a massive industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
What kind of ga hadn’t he played?
These days, the only gas that really interested him were older ones—he was sothing of a nostalgia fan.
As for modern gas, the only one he truly loved was Cyberpunk 2077.
Even sothing like Final Fantasy VII Remake felt a bit flashy and hollow to him.
Hmm... a strange art style, and an equally strange opening story.
A mother, guided by so mysterious divine revelation, decides to strip her child of everything he loves—and eventually even raises a knife against her own child.
The story made Kevin uneasy, but the bizarre art style added a sense of absurdity that slightly softened his discomfort.
"So that’s what this art style is for..."
As a veteran developer, Kevin could easily see through to the core design intent of a ga.
Stories about abuse were rare in gas.
As expected of the God of Gas—another bold new direction, another breakthrough.
But story alone wasn’t enough. The real test was the gaplay itself...
"...Huh? I died already?"
That was fast.
Alright, one more try.
...
Dead again.
No, that was on —I used the wrong items. This setup should work better.
Oh? This item’s strong. Took out the mobs really easily.
Damn it! This weapon is terrible against the final boss. I shouldn’t have picked it...
Kevin had no idea how much ti had passed.
The employees who’d originally dragged him into this noticed that he was fully absorbed now, and quietly left his office, letting him play in peace.
Before long, it was ti to get off work.
As usual, the employees called ho, saying they’d be late again—another "overti" night. Developnt was at a critical stage, they said; they couldn’t afford to slack off. They promised to make it up to their families later.
Then, with perfect coordination, they all stayed at the office to play The Binding of Isaac.
That was the ga’s magic—it felt endless.
Each run was wildly different. Every floor brought new challenges. Every playthrough felt fresh.
There were countless ways to solve each situation, countless combat approaches to try.
Each build could practically turn the ga into a completely different experience—sothing none of the roguelike dungeon gas they’d played before had ever delivered.
As for Kevin, when quitting ti ca, he still hadn’t snapped out of it.
It wasn’t until his phone rang that he irritably ca back to reality and glanced at the caller ID.
It was his wife.
"Hello, honey."
"What? It’s already eight in the evening?"
"Oh—sorry, dear. I’ve got so work to deal with today. I’ll be late coming ho."
"No need to make dinner for . Over here..." Kevin glanced outside his office and saw the building still brightly lit, full of activity.
He imdiately understood.
Those guys were wasting company electricity playing gas again.
But strangely enough, he didn’t feel annoyed.
After all... he was just as addicted now.
"I’ve got a few employees working overti with . I’ll order takeout and eat with them."
"Yeah. Go to bed early. Love you."
Kevin hung up.
At that mont, the ga over screen appeared.
Isaac had been killed by a regular enemy, and the ga summarized how he died and how he should avoid it next ti.
Kevin fell into thought.
At that mont, he suddenly understood why those guys were so obsessed with this ga.
It really was sothing special.
Nothing like the boring gas he’d played before.
Vaguely, he felt as though he’d returned to the days when he truly loved gaming.
Without realizing it, his so-called "gaming ED" seed to be healing.
All he wanted now was one more run.
He’d just discovered a ridiculously strong item combination.
He’d been this close to clearing the run earlier—if he was just a little more careful this ti, he could definitely beat it.
...
"Damn it, Kevin... I even made so many dishes..."
Back at ho, Kevin’s wife stared unhappily at a table full of food. After a mont, she sighed.
Well... he was busy with work, after all. Doing it for the family.
She packed the food away, planning to deal with it tomorrow.
What she didn’t expect—
Was that Kevin wouldn’t co ho for several days in a row...
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