games are 16-to 24-year-old males. And do you know what that group likes in addition o computer games and science fiction? Sex, my man. Can't you just see some teenage nerd retreating into his room to play this game and whack off? Eeee yaaa!' Troy fell down on one of the easy chairs and beat his chest.
'You're crazy, Jefferson,' Nick said, watching Troy's display. 'I don't know if I can ever again be alone with you on a boat. You are a certified nut case. I mean, just imagine the reviews. Alien Adventure features an encounter with Susie Q the queen of pornography, in an underground castle on the asteroid Vitt. Which reminds me, how in the world did you get all those movie pieces in there?'
'Lots of research and hard work, Professor,' Troy answered, starting to calm down a little. 'Lanny and three of his friends have spent maybe a thousand hours watching film for me, trying to find exactly the right clips. And none of this would be possible, of course, without the new data storage methods. We can now store an excellent digital version of every movie ever made in the United States in a warehouse not much larger than this duplex. I've just used data base capabilities to the fullest.'
Nick crushed a beer can in his hands. 'It's fabulous. Really. But I don't know about the sex business. And why do you have the player register his race at the beginning of the game? Don't you think that will offend some people? I never saw anything in the game that was based on the racial information.'
Even though he was drunk, Troy became momentarily serious and almost somber. 'Look, man,' he said firmly, 'sex and race are both a part of life. It may be true that people play computer games primarily for entertainment, and that they would prefer not to be confronted by some topics when they are amusing themselves, but I must be allowed some creative license. Race is with us every day and ignoring it, it seems to me, only contributes to the problem.'
Troy brightened up. 'Hey, Professor. That lizard-man who warned you on Thenia was black. You went ahead anyway despite his warning. What if he had been white? Would you have turned around and gone back to the shuttle? A black man playing the game encounters a white lizard-man on Thenia. It's part of the show, man. There are twenty or so changes in the scenario that are based on racial input.'
Nick's expression was clearly disbelieving. 'Really,' Troy said, standing up to return to the room where they had played his game, 'I'll show you. Watch how the game starts if you register that you are a black male.'
Nick followed Troy back into the computer room. His curiosity was clearly piqued. Troy turned the game on and Nick entered the biographical data, changing his race to black. This time, when the television picture in his space station cabin came into focus, Princess Heather was black! The princess this time was, in fact, Angie Leatherwood. 'Well, I'll be damned,' Nick said, looking over at a beaming Troy. 'You are one clever dude, Mr. Jefferson.' Nick walked out of the room whistling and shaking his head again. Troy turned off the game and followed.
'Okay,' Nick began, once they were back in Troy's living room and seated on the couch, 'one last question and then let's forget the game for the time being. How did you get my name into it? I thought that was very impressive.'
'It was originally Lanny's idea, based on a movie he watched about a speech therapist. Lanny had all the minor characters spend a day mouthing all the vowel and consonant sounds in a test session. Then we just put the sounds together with what are called audio analytic continuation techniques.' Troy laughed. He was feeling ebullient and basking in the compliments. 'But it does have its drawbacks. Our interpreter only knows how to read simple English words. We may have to suppress that feature if we sell the game abroad.'
Nick stood up. 'Well, I've run out of superlatives By the way, are there more of you, brothers, sisters, anything? I guess I'd like to warn the rest of the world.'
'Only me now,' Troy replied. a faraway look fleetingly crossing his face. 'I had a brother, Jamie, six years older than me. We were very close. He died in an automobile accident when I was fourteen.'
There was an awkward silence.