(Chapter 10 - The Temple of Fame)
The veil of magenta disappeared, and GameDev once again saw the square in front of his eyes. She fully resumed her original shape.
However, they were now in a different place which was reminiscent of the interior of a cathedral. The high dome-like ceiling filled the air with a sonorous touch of sound, and the wide marble floor intermittently rang bouncy echoes.
The entire hall was enclosed by a circular stony wall which was furnished with antique mouldings. The wall comprised 12 sections, each of which was occupied by a gigantic bronze statue of a bearded old man, surrounded by a podium and a semicircular arrangement of wooden benches.
"This is the Temple of Fame," said the square. "We are standing in the memorial of the twelve most honorable game industry veterans."
"Why are you calling them 'veterans'?" He asked.
"Because they are the ones who fought their sacred wars to turn themselves into celebrities. They are the legendary figures in the history of video games, and every aspiring developer must strive to be like them if they want to be famous, too," she answered.
GameDev walked towards one of the statues and watched it closely. Its frontal podium was occupied by a pastor who kept preaching the greatness of the idol behind him in front of a group of people. The listeners fervently copied the man's words with their busy note-taking hands.
The pastor spoke in a solemn voice:
"... This legendary man, both a creative team leader and an innovative game designer, was born in 1955. Shortly after he graduated from high school, he founded his first game company inside his private garage in California with the aid of his friends and their rich parents, thus laying down the foundation of some of today's most popular video game franchises. Without him, all of us would've still been playing chess, condemned to the state of eternal boredom ..."
The speech continued.
"... We must all pray for his everlasting glory, for he is the unquestionable genius of all time. He was the one who built everything from scratch, and let all future generations of game developers take him as their role model and receive inspirations from him. His legacy is timeless, and his teachings apply to our daily lives more than ever ..."
GameDev turned his head away and expressed his frustration. "I don't think there is anything I will learn from this man. He was apparently very privileged to be born in the right time and place, and the game industry offered far more opportunities back when he was young. How on earth will his words of wisdom ever apply to today's lost souls?"
"Because he is a celebrity, that is why," she replied.
"That doesn't prove that it is worthwhile to copy his life."
"You don't have to copy him," she explained. "You just need to present the audience with the impression that you are connected with him, so that those who worship him will worship you, too."
"You mean to say..."
"Yes, be a parrot who echoes the words of this legendary figure like a loyal disciple, and people will love you for fitting yourself in their narratives."
GameDev looked unconvinced. So she made an additional comment. "This man is not only a game developer and a business owner, but also a highly influential lecturer who travels across the entire nation and delivers his holy lectures to our top-tier universities as well as other 'authentic' institutions. The number of his supporters is far more than the number of stars in the heaven."
He thought for a moment, and said, "I will not take advantage of his fame like a parasite; I am an independent developer, and I reject the notion of blind reverence."
"Then you cannot truly succeed in this world of beasty appetite," returned she. "Once you decide to go alone, you fall from the lofty floor of companionship."
"I do not necessarily favor solitude. The problem with careless friendship is that it feeds upon the lowest common denominator. I may sound elitist, but the daily impression of mine is that the vast majority of sociable folks I see everywhere are helplessly shallow, pretentious, and callous," muttered GameDev.
She moved back and forth to give herself a bit of time to muse. Then she resumed her original spot and said, "Whether you are okay with the risk of being a lone wolf or not, you cannot win the heart of the public while being so selective like that."
"You are asking me to change my very own nature."
"You do not have to change yours; all you have to do is fake it. The trick is to make a sound compromise between your inner and outer selves."
The square shook herself slightly to emphasize her point, and moved aside to let him observe the scene of the temple once again.
He gazed at the sunlit surface of the magnificent bronze statue, blazing in the intricate play of light which descended from the heaven through the dome's central hole. The chubby figurine smiled in bliss, waving its hand toward the spectators like a selfless philanthropist.