Chapter 1: The Trip Home

Ty Bugler was a senior manager at a small gaming development company in San Francisco, California. Even with the pandemic raging a small cadre of independent studios decided to plan an intensive two week in-person conference to discuss how they could present a unified front against the handful of eight-hundred-pound gorillas that ran the gaming industry and possibly survive the pandemic.

In total, seventeen representatives from eleven small-to-medium companies converged at a luxury resort in New Jersey. Five of the companies were from California, two were from Texas, and the last four were from Europe. Hence the decision to meet in “in the middle.” New Jersey.

The first two days of the conference were incredibly boring and uninformative, but highly necessarily to start building the trust needed amongst the attendees before more meaningful information could be shared, and more importantly, action plans formulated. Ty was asked to lead a sub-committee which was to document the technologies used by each of the studios, the various licensing agreements they had with the vendors, and then lead discussions on the parameters of counter-proposals they as a collective could make to each vendor.

In the marketplace the eleven companies that met in late August hated each other and spared no expense in berating the quality, gamesmanship, and integrity of the other companies, including the merits of their individual games. In person, it was clear that only a unified coalition of independent studios would stand a chance at reversing the tide that had begun with the start of COVID-19.

By the end of the first week, the conference moved from the rented conference rooms at the hotel where the seventeen attendees could sit comfortably in socially distanced seats, to the golf course where groups of two-to-four could discuss details assigned them by their sub-committee chairs, or to the one of many bars and restaurants scattered throughout the property.

By Thursday evening of the second week there was an emerging agreement on their plan of action. There was also a growing consensus on which specific companies in their midst would offer the first salvo for the collective against the establishment. Of course, there were many details to consider, but along with the consensus that was forming, was a growing sense of optimism that if they stayed united they would be able to affect change in their industry and keep their collection of hundreds of employees working and excited about the future.

A very early working breakfast on their final day ended with plenty of time for everyone to get to the airport and start their journey home. The primary point of the last presentation was to ensure everyone understood where they stood, and who was responsible for which next step. Ty was given the task of evaluating alternatives for a graphical sub-system that almost everyone used. The vendor charged a huge premium for their code, but recently an open-source option that showed promise had appeared. However, there were concerns as to whether the nascent offering could deliver what was needed in a production design studio.

With Ty’s task in-hand he said his good-byes and agreed on a date to report his initial findings. He found his bags where he stashed them alongside the far wall of the conference room and made his way to the lobby to check out and find a taxi to the airport.

Ty got to the airport ninety minutes before his first flight was to depart. He used the self-check kiosk then made his way through security to find most of the seats at his gate already taken. A flight at a neighboring gate had just departed so Ty found a seat in the corner and made himself comfortable. He was scheduled to leave NJ a few minutes before 10:00 AM, have a total of almost eight hours in the air, and with two layovers, arrive in CA by 8:00 PM even with the three hour time difference in his favor.

The first two flights in his itinerary went smoothly. Departure was on time, there was no turbulence or unruly passengers in-flight, and the arrival time was early. When the second leg landed Ty found a mostly-empty restaurant and settled into a booth that overlooked his final gate of the day. He ordered a drink and an appetizer and leaned back in the booth stretching his legs out under the opposite bench. He was feeling good about getting home to see his wife of just under ten years.

Thinking of Casper made Ty’s lips curl into a small smile. He also felt a twinge in his pants. Before he could get lost in his playful thoughts he heard a woman’s voice.

“Here you go, sir,” she said as she placed a large margarita in front of him. “Your nachos will be out shortly.”

Ty smiled at the waitress and thanked her as he lifted the cold glass and took a large sip of the frozen beverage. His mind returned to Casper. Her real name was Jennifer, but the first time they met she mentioned that she was from Casper, Wyoming and Ty found that very amusing. He alternated ribbing her about being a ghost with coming from such a small town and going to school in LA. In the end, only Ty called her Casper. Jennifer was able to dissuade their friends from adopting the new moniker. She would never admit it, but she secretly loved having a pet name that only her husband used.

The nachos arrived and Ty signaled for a refill of his drink.

“Refill coming up, sure you’re not driving the plane?” joked the waitress with a tagline she undoubtedly said dozens of times per week.

Ty finished his second drink and the majority of the nachos. He used his corporate card to pay for meal, including a generous tip for the waitress. He was just about to stand and move to the gate when he heard the announcement all travelers fear.

“Ladies and gentlemen on Flight #4431. A problem has been found in the cockpit of your plane and there will be a short delay while the mechanics address the issue. Please do not leave the gate area until further notice.”

Ty slumped back in his booth. He reached for his phone to send Casper a heads-up that he would be even later than expected.

“By your expression, I assume that delay was for your flight?” asked the waitress as she took his plate and glass.

Ty nodded glumly as the waitress shook her head in commiseration. He watched her retreat to the bar before he finished texting Casper the bad news.