AN : Happy Eid Mubarak for my muslim friends!
Zaboru smiled, then strolled toward a nearby PC connected to FTTH. It had Steam already installed. He paused just long enough for the cameras to catch the machine—beige tower, CRT monitor, and a neat tangle of cables taped down along the stage floor—then leaned in and double-clicked the dark blue icon on the desktop, almost the same shade as the dye in his hair.
The big screen mirrored everything.
A clean login window appeared. The audience saw a simple interface—no clutter, no gimmicks—just a new door waiting to be opened.
Zaboru rested one hand on the mouse and spoke lightly, like he was inviting them into a secret. "Watch closely."
He typed his username. Then his password, steady and practiced. The keys clicked softly under the hall's microphones, and the cursor blinked once, twice, as if holding its breath.
He pressed Enter.
For a moment, there was only the loading bar—short, quick, confident. Then the main Steam window opened, snapping into place with an organized layout: a top menu, a clean sidebar, and a wide central pane that looked ready to become a storefront, a library, and a meeting place all at once.
Zaboru's smile widened. Not a showman's grin this time, but the satisfied expression of someone finally unveiling something he'd been carrying in his mind for years.
"This…" he said, letting the single word hang so the room leaned in with him.
Zaboru lifted the microphone and nodded at the screen. "This is Steam. And what is it for?" He glanced over the audience, letting the question breathe. "Plenty. But first—digital games."
A few people repeated the phrase under their breath. Digital games.
Zaboru grinned and moved the mouse. "And what do I mean by digital games? I mean you can buy the game right here, inside this application, and download it directly to your PC. No waiting for delivery. No running to the store before it closes. No praying the disc isn't scratched."
He clicked into the store section and typed into a search bar with quick, confident keystrokes: Warcraft 3.
The results page appeared. ZAGE Games: Warcraft III — Reign of Chaos. The page looked like a proper product shelf, just on a screen: a banner image, short teaser screenshots, a clean description, and a few basic details. A new section labeled Reviews sat empty for now, like a fresh notebook waiting for the first page.
Zaboru leaned slightly toward the audience. "This is the game page. In the future, this part will be full of player impressions—what they liked, what they didn't, and what you should know before you buy." He chuckled. "But tonight, we're still early. So the first review is going to be from all of you."
The crowd laughed, and Zaboru continued. "Now. Digital games means you can buy games digitally with Steam. How do you do it?" He pointed at the screen. "Watch."
He clicked Buy.
A small window popped up: Not enough Steam Wallet. Add funds?
Zaboru nodded as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "Steam uses a wallet system, so you can keep your purchase simple and secure." He clicked Yes.
Options appeared: Steam Gift Card or Credit Card.
He selected Steam Gift Card.
"And this is the part that matters," Zaboru said, patting his jacket pocket. "Because I know not everyone has credit card right?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek card, held it up to the cameras, and turned it slowly so the lights caught the print. Steam Wallet — 5,000 yen. The card looked clean and deliberate, like something you'd actually want to keep in your wallet.
The crowd leaned in as the cameras zoomed.
Zaboru produced a coin, smiled, and scratched the sealed strip on the back. The sound was small but sharp, amplified by microphones. A hidden code appeared.
"This is the code," he said. "You buy the card at stores, you scratch it, you enter it, and the wallet fills."
He typed the code into the Steam pop-up.
A confirmation message appeared: Successfully claimed Steam Gift Card.
A small number in the corner updated, showing his Steam Wallet balance rising.
Zaboru grinned, and without wasting time, he clicked Buy on Warcraft III again.
Another prompt appeared: Confirm purchase?
He clicked Yes.
The purchase completed, and the button changed immediately from Buy to Download.
The room murmured, surprised by how fast the transition was.
Zaboru clicked Download.
A download window appeared, showing the file size—around 7GB—and then the speed began to climb. With FTTH, the progress bar moved at a pace that looked almost disrespectful to the idea of waiting.
Zaboru turned slightly, letting the audience watch the numbers update in real time. "Seven gigabytes," he said, voice casual, as if he was talking about buying a snack. "On a normal line, this would be a nightmare. But with fiber…" He gestured at the screen. "This takes about fourteen to fifteen minutes."
He let the crowd absorb it. For many people, it wasn't the fifteen minutes that hit hardest—it was the fact that a game could be treated like something you simply acquired, cleanly, from a single place, without a disc ever changing hands.
"And that," Zaboru said softly, eyes bright, "is digital games."
Zaboru grinned. "And… done!" He gave a small, satisfied chuckle. "Hehehe. Do you understand what I'm doing right now?"
He pointed at the screen with the tip of the microphone. "That's right. I'm buying a game. A ZAGE game—Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos."
The crowd reacted immediately, surprised laughter and excited murmurs blending together.
"And the important part," Zaboru continued, voice rising with enthusiasm, "is that I didn't install it with a DVD. No disc. No drive. No swapping boxes. You can buy it right here, from Steam. This is what I mean by digital games."
He paused just long enough to let the words land.
"Awesome, right?"
This time, the cheer was louder—especially from the gamers who understood the convenience instantly. Some clapped, some whistled, and a few leaned toward their friends, talking fast like they were already planning how they'd use it.
Zaboru nodded along, pleased, then lifted a finger like a teacher about to reveal the next trick. "And not just that. Watch."
He walked to the back of the PC cart where the fiber cable fed into the system. The staff on the side stiffened for a second, worried he was about to break something live on stage, but Zaboru's expression was calm—mischievous, even.
With a quick motion, he unplugged the fiber cable.
The connection icon on the screen changed. The download window froze.
A wave of "Ohhh!" rolled through the hall.
Zaboru leaned toward the microphone with exaggerated sadness. "Ouch. The connection is gone. Dad!"
The hall burst into laughter—sharp and relieved, because the joke was absurd and the timing was perfect. Even some of the serious press people smiled, scribbling notes while trying not to look amused.
Zaboru chuckled, then plugged the cable back in.
The connection returned.
And the download resumed—right where it left off.
For a half second, the audience didn't react. They stared at the progress bar as if they expected it to reset, corrupt, or throw an error like so many downloads in the past.
But nothing broke.
The progress continued.
Then the room erupted—louder than before. This time, it wasn't only gamers cheering. It was everyone who had ever lost an hour of waiting to a random disconnection.
Zaboru lifted both hands like he was catching the applause. "See?" he said, grinning. "Steam doesn't punish you for one bad moment. If the download gets interrupted, it doesn't just collapse and force you to start over."
He tapped the download window on-screen. "It protects your progress. It remembers what you already got."
He looked out at the crowd, eyes bright. "So you don't need to fear the nightmare scenario—when you're at ninety-nine percent and something goes wrong."
The laughter returned, mixed with groans of recognition.
"Not with Steam," Zaboru said, voice confident. "We built safeguards into the system so your downloaded game files stay safe. You can relax. You can step away. And if something happens… you won't lose everything."
The audience cheered again, this time clearly excited—not just entertained, but convinced.
As Zaboru paced while the download continued in the background, he raised a hand as if catching another question midair. "And you might be asking, 'What was that card I used to put money into my Steam Wallet?'"
He reached into his pocket again and pulled out another card, holding it up for the cameras until the blue-and-white design was clear on the big screen. "Here it is," he said. "This is what I call a Steam Gift Card."
He turned the card over and tapped the back where the sealed strip was. "It's simple. Think of it like a voucher. You buy the card, you scratch the code, you enter it in Steam, and your Steam Wallet fills with the exact amount you paid. Then you can use that wallet money to buy games."
The audience murmured, understanding growing. A few parents nodded immediately, and a few teenagers looked at each other with the same thought: this was something they could actually use without begging for a credit card.
"And before anyone worries," Zaboru continued, voice steady, "this isn't limited to ZAGE's official store. We partnered with supermarkets and electronics stores across Japan, and we're expanding to other retailers too. The goal is simple: you should be able to pick one up anywhere—on the way home, after school, after work, whenever you feel like it."
He smiled, then added with a playful shrug, "And yes, the value is straightforward. If you buy a 5,000 yen Steam Wallet card at a ZAGE official store, it costs 5,000 yen."
He leaned toward the mic as if sharing a small secret. "But if you buy it somewhere else… well, some stores may add a small handling fee."
A ripple of laughter moved through the hall.
Zaboru chuckled along with them. "Hehehe. That part isn't my decision. But the important thing is this: the card works the same everywhere. You scratch, you enter, and you're ready to buy."
Zaboru started pacing again, like he was keeping the room's heartbeat moving. "Now you might be thinking, 'That's it?'" He smiled and shook his head. "No. What I just showed you is only one feature."
He pointed back at the Steam window. "Steam is not just a button that lets you buy a game. It's a place where your games live."
He clicked a tab, and the interface shifted to a clean list. "This is your library. Every game you own is here, organized. You don't have to remember which shelf it's on, which disc case you lost, or which friend borrowed it."
A few people laughed at that, a little too loudly. Someone definitely had a missing disc at home.
"And look at this," Zaboru continued, tapping another section. "Play time. Steam tracks how many hours you've played. Not to judge you." He raised a hand quickly as the crowd chuckled. "But to help you. You'll know what you actually spend time on. And if you want, your friends can see it too."
He flicked his gaze across the front rows. "And yes, trophies."
The word caught attention immediately.
"You know how it feels when you finally clear something difficult, or complete a challenge that only a few players can do?" Zaboru said. "Steam can record that. Your friends can see what you achieved, and you can compare your progress. It makes games feel more alive, because your accomplishments don't disappear the moment you turn the power off."
He clicked again, the cursor moving with practiced confidence. "Now, here is the part that matters for the future." His tone sharpened. "Updates."
A few journalists leaned in.
"Right now, if we find a bug after release, what happens?" Zaboru asked. "We can fix it, but sending that fix to every player is painful. Sometimes we have to wait for a reprint, or we have to ask players to do something complicated. With Steam, we can update our games directly. Patch improvements. Balance changes. Performance fixes. And you don't need to hunt for files or worry you downloaded the wrong version."
He lifted a finger. "And not just fixes. Additional content."
The gamers perked up.
"If we want to add a new map pack, new missions, extra characters, or special events, we can deliver it through Steam. Cleanly. Safely. And you always know what you're getting, because Steam keeps everything organized."
He gestured toward the store page again. "And yes, there will be discounts. Real ones. Seasonal promotions. Weekend deals. Bundles. Sometimes we will do it to celebrate a release. Sometimes we will do it to help new players catch up. Either way, it means games become easier to access over time, not harder."
Zaboru paused, then gave the crowd a knowing look. "Now, one more important thing. Steam is not only for ZAGE games."
The room quieted.
"Other developers will be able to publish their games here too," he said. "Big teams, small teams, anyone with something worth playing. And don't worry." His smile returned, friendly but firm. "We are not going to squeeze them with a ridiculous fee. We'll treat them the same way we treat developers on our home video console. Fair rules. Fair terms. A real chance to succeed."
He spread his hands as if setting something down in front of the audience. "Because if Steam is going to become the home of PC gaming, then it needs to be a place where creators can actually create."
The cheer that followed was louder and cleaner than before, rolling through the hall like a wave. Even the people who didn't fully grasp every detail could feel the shape of it.
This wasn't just a new store.
It was a new system.
Zaboru paced to center stage again, letting the excitement settle into attention. "Now," he said, lifting the microphone, "here's the next rule."
He tapped the Steam window on the big screen with the cursor so everyone could follow. "From this point forward, all ZAGE PC games will launch through Steam."
A ripple ran through the hall—surprise, curiosity, and a few cautious murmurs from people who didn't like change.
Zaboru raised his free hand quickly. "Don't panic. This isn't to make your life harder. It's to make it smoother." He nodded toward the earlier demo. "Steam will elevate online play overall. Fewer mismatched versions. Fewer connection headaches. And when we improve a game, everyone gets the same update without hunting around like detectives."
He walked a step closer to the edge of the stage, voice warm and direct. "And for those of you who already bought ZAGE games on CD or DVD—don't worry. Steam is free to download. It's not a huge application. Once it's installed, it can read your currently installed games and register them in your library."
He smiled as if he could already picture the relief at home. "You won't have to reinstall everything from scratch. You install Steam, you point it to your games, and—voilà—you can play."
The audience murmured, relieved. A few people nodded hard, as if the sentence had saved them from a weekend of frustration.
Zaboru's grin turned playful. "Well… except if you're playing a pirated version of our game."
He paused for half a beat, then leaned into the mic. "Then you can't use Steam for it. Hahaha."
Laughter burst across the hall, loud and messy. Even some of the staff at the sides cracked smiles.
Zaboru waited for it to die down, then glanced back at the download window. The progress bar was full.
"Perfect timing," he said.
He returned to the PC. The Download button had become Play.
Zaboru clicked it.
The screen flickered, and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos launched cleanly. The opening appeared on the big display, crisp enough that the front rows could read it without squinting. The crowd cheered again, because now it wasn't theory. It was real.
Zaboru turned his head slightly so the cameras could catch his smile. "See? It works properly. Bought, downloaded, installed—ready."
He let it run for a few seconds, long enough for the music and the first visuals to prove the point, then exited back to the desktop. Steam remained open, calm and steady, as if it had been there all along.
Zaboru stood, faced the audience again, and lifted the microphone.
"Oh—one more thing," Zaboru said, and the way he smiled made it clear he'd been waiting to show this part. "You can chat with your friends in here, too."
He clicked a small icon on the Steam interface, and a compact window opened on the right side of the screen. A list appeared—simple names, small status indicators, and a few icons that looked almost like a tiny social room inside the application.
"See this?" Zaboru pointed at one name. "I already have a friend added."
The cameras zoomed in as he hovered the cursor.
"And yes," he continued, voice playful, "it's Gabe Newell."
A laugh rippled through the hall. Some people clapped lightly, impressed that the rumor about Gabe being involved was apparently true. A few journalists immediately started scribbling.
Zaboru clicked the profile. A small card popped up showing a profile picture—an unimpressed-looking cat, perfectly framed like it had been chosen specifically to annoy everyone who wanted something serious.
The crowd laughed again.
Zaboru typed into the chat box with deliberate slowness so everyone could read it on the big screen.
Hey, Gabe.
Behind the stage, tucked near the side where staff and cables formed a small maze, Gabe Newell sat at another PC with a headset resting around his neck. He'd been watching the feed, grinning like a man enjoying a well-timed prank.
He began typing.
A second later, the reply appeared on the big screen.
What's up, boss.
The room reacted instantly—more laughter, more cheers, louder than before, because now it wasn't just a feature being explained. It was alive. It was happening in real time.
Zaboru chuckled, tapping the chat window with the cursor. "See? It works. This is built in. No extra software, no separate mess, no strange setup."
He scrolled the friend list again, then looked back to the audience. "And here's the part that makes it even easier for ZAGE players."
He clicked a settings option and a small panel opened, showing an account-linking prompt.
"You can align your ZAGE Forum account with Steam," Zaboru said. "If you already have a forum ID, you can connect it. Your friends list, your identity, your community—everything becomes one place. That means you can meet people in the forums, add them here, and then jump into a game together without having to trade phone numbers or write long email addresses on paper."
The crowd murmured, clearly interested now. Gamers leaned forward. Some parents looked relieved at the idea of something organized instead of scattered.
Zaboru smiled, satisfied. "Steam isn't only a store. It's a hub. A place where games and people can actually connect."
Zaboru smiled. "That's what Steam does. It's going to revolutionize gaming."
He let the excitement settle for a beat, then his expression sharpened with purpose. "But ZAGE's plan isn't just this. We have more. This is only the beginning—and this is our plan for the future."
Zaboru grinned and turned toward the next slide of the Digital World.
To be continue
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