-[Charlie's voice]
They say the greatest commodity
in the universe is time.
[maraca rattling]
Kind of surprising at first,
right?
That it isn't...
I don't know, money or land.
We've all got the time
we're given, I suppose,
but I just lost 30 days.
The whole month of my life gone
in the blink of an eye.
I'm honestly not sure
how it's gonna turn out
just yet.
But I do know exactly
how it began.
Christmas 1998.
Got a good thing comin'
And it's all I need
-[gasps]
Unreal Tournament!
[indistinct robotic voice]
No way!
-[shrieking]
Video game! Video game!
[screaming]
Just wait and see
It's a good, good thing
-I love you!
-[mom] I love you, too.
-Nintendo video games.
Definitely the hottest thing
this Christmas.
-[Charlie's voice]
I was eleven going on 12
when I knew I was meant
to do this...
video games.
Not just play them,
make them.
The moment I saw those pixels
explode in a blaze of victory--
man, I was hooked.
I think you're hooked.
-[chuckles] No.
-I love video games so much.
I had to create
a game of my own.
-A game engine
is a software framework...
-[Charlie's voice] Some kids
play sports on Saturdays.
Me?
I taught myself the world's
first commercially available
video game design software.
And by the summer
of sixth grade...
I had already met
my number one fan.
-[squeals]
[gasps] You made that?
-Yep, sure did.
[g*nsh*t]
[muffled machine g*n rattling]
['90s hip music]
Mom, look.
-Wow. That looks great.
You know what?
I got an idea.
But it has to wait
till tomorrow.
And it's a surprise.
-[groaning] Mom...
-[indistinct]
-[chuckles]
['90s hip music continues]
You hear that sound?
Oh, yeah
You hear that sound?
Get ready to play
['90s hip music continues]
Get, get ready to play
[electronic click, hums]
[game cartridge clicks]
[electronic humming]
[chiptune music]
[chiptune music]
-Go ahead.
No, sir.
This is where your game belongs.
[chiptune music]
[Polaroid clicks]
Now, this is you today.
Page one.
-[nurse] Charlie, your mom
has about 30 more minutes,
-okay?
-Okay.
-Bree, your dad's almost done.
-Final page, that is when
you get your first real game
on those shelves.
-[young Bree]
What are you reading?
-Oh. Uh...
I'm reading a book about
video game programming.
-[sniffles]
-What book are you reading?
-And then all the pages
in between...
-[indistinct chatter]
-That's how you get there.
-Whoa. That's pretty cool.
-Welcome to day one
of The Collective video diaries.
A little aftershock
with the g*n [indistinct]
-Yeah, yeah.
I get that.
[objects clatter]
-[mom] Having fun.
-Thanks, Mom.
[monitor beeping]
[chiptune music]
Okay, so watch out for those.
[kids laughing]
I win.
[poignant music]
[scrapbook rustling]
[poignant music continues]
-We're here for you, Charlie.
[g*n firing]
-Oh, wait.
Right there.
-[over game] [groaning]
[g*nf*re]
-[Charlie's voice]
Mom used to say
we were gonna change the world.
[weapons booming]
But life has a way
of throwing curveballs.
The one constant about time...
[indistinct robotic voice]
-[robotic voice] Double k*ll.
-Shotgun.
-[Charlie's voice]
It doesn't slow down.
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music intensifies]
So I grew up.
We all did.
And we're still waiting
on our big break.
Turns out creating a video game
with your friends
isn't that simple or easy.
[suspenseful music intensifies]
[phone alarm ringing]
[headphone clatters]
[exasperated sigh]
Whaddya think, Mary Jane?
I should still
have time, right?
[low, electric humming]
[objects clatter]
[bell ringing]
[gentle music]
-[Gibbs growling]
-[Charlie] Hey, Gibbs.
-Mornin'.
-[Charlie]
Hey, issue five come in yet?
-No, not yet.
Maybe later today.
Look, will you come help me out
in the warehouse for a second?
-Warehouse?
-Yeah. It's a big building
with aisles and boxes.
-Yeah. I know
what a warehouse is, Gibbs.
-No, boxes.
-Yep.
[door lock beeps]
[door slams]
[gentle music]
-[Gibbs] Great. You can just
set them down over there.
-I didn't know this place
had a warehouse, Gibbs.
What is all this stuff?
-[Gibbs] It's just my
grandfather's old stuff.
Whew. I gotta get my table up
for the Elven Tribe Gathering.
The next chapter
of our campaign drops tomorrow:
The Black Tower of Shenthiel!
[majestic music]
-Wow. Sounds amazing.
-Yeah.
-Hey. I don't suppose
you need an extra cleric.
-You're not ready.
-Whoa, hold up. Hold up.
I am a cleric, okay?
I've been playing D&D
since I was 10.
-[Gibbs] That's great.
-So?
-Well, our room is about
more than just a game.
[mysterious ambient music]
-This is interesting.
Hey, Gibbs, what is this?
-That is an energy amplifier.
My grandfather was attempting
to harvest subatomic energy
or something.
-Okay. How about this one?
-[Gibbs] That is a perpetual
motion machine, I believe.
-Doesn't that kind
of violate science or something?
-I dunno.
-[Charlie] Huh.
[machine hissing]
-Gibbs, what is this?
-[Gibbs] Don't touch it.
[electrical whirring]
[high-pitched ringing]
-Whoa! What just happened?
-I told you not to touch it!
Get out of there.
The metal on the inside
causes time displacement.
-Time displacement?
-Yeah, time displacement.
You're not ready
for that either.
Just help me with the dragon.
-[Charlie] Okay.
-[straining]
[phone buzzes]
-Oh, hold on. Just one sec.
I've got a text.
Oh. It's my boss, Barbara.
Yeah. I gotta go, man.
Off to another day to watch
other people make video games
and not my own.
Alright. Later, Gibbs.
-[strains] Alright.
Well, you have fun with that.
[funky music]
-[Charlie's voice] By day,
I'm the world's fastest burger
delivering extraordinaire.
[car door closes]
-Uh, soy sauce?
-I did ask the restaurant
three times for--
[door closes]
[Charlie's voice] I'm perfecting
the art of delivering happiness.
Please leave a review.
[door closes]
Review?
[Charlie's voice]
One greasy bag at a time.
It's all good?
[funky music]
[bell dings]
[Charlie's voice] By night
I'm an aspiring game designer.
[indistinct chatter]
-Cut!
Cut!
Cut! Cut! Cut!
-Hey, Barbara.
You might lose some of
the weight and size of the boss.
Plus, if you have them
go that fast
players won't be able
to react and well,
they'll think the game
is unfair.
-Shh.
- [Charlie's voice]
Who's still aspiring.
[bell dings]
And after all that
I come home to my real job.
[pill rattles]
Dad...
Dad. Wake up.
-Wakey-wakey. Dad.
-[sleepy groan]
-You forgot to take
your medicine.
-Oh, I'm sorry.
Must have slipped my mind.
-It's okay.
-Charlie...
if it weren't for you...
when I leave the house
I'd probably forget
to put my head on.
-I really need you
to remember this, okay?
Day and night
you gotta take your medicine.
-Yeah, yeah. I was just
too focused on the novel.
-Right. Also Maria
is coming by in the morning.
-Okay. Sounds good.
Who's Maria?
-Assisted care.
She gets the groceries for us.
I'll introduce you to her.
-[softly] Oh, okay.
-Again.
[bell dings]
[emotional music]
[seatbelt clicks]
[Charlie] Hi, there.
Here is your Timely Eats order.
Please leave a review.
[door slams]
Or not.
[exasperated sigh]
[car door closes]
[phone buzzes]
[phone dings]
[phone swooshes]
[electronic click]
[futuristic upbeat music]
[car honks]
[futuristic upbeat music
continues]
[tires squealing]
[car door opens, closes]
[door opens]
[background chatter]
-[Lucas] So you told me
you never thought about it?
-No, we've been friends
since we were 12, okay?
-Ah. So, I can ask her out then?
-No, no. Don't.
That would make it weird.
[Charlie's voice] Meet Lucas.
My best friend and a
self-pronounced theatre geek,
who's also one of the
best level designers I know.
We've been pals
since we were 12.
Oh, and this is Brian.
Think Silent Bob
but with coding skills.
He's got a lot to say
but doesn't say a lot.
Close friend and
the quiet genius of our trio.
-Someone's gonna
ask her out eventually.
-[Bree] Hey, guys.
Room for one more?
-Ah!
-[Charlie] Bree, hey.
-[in British accent]
Hallo, Lady Bree.
-[in British accent] Hello.
-Striking pant suit.
How's the Qube?
-Is that Australian, Lucas?
- [Charlie's voice]
And here's Bree.
Part of our crew but never
quite one of the guys.
She was always
there for me though,
even in the tough times.
Now she's all grown up
and stuck at Sugar Qube,
a kind of corporate sellout
mobile game studio.
She works for Miles
as an assistant.
I'm not really sure
what she does there,
but it's definitely
not her dream job.
We grew up together
playing every game
we could get our hands on
and eventually decided
to make one ourselves.
We called it Quicksand.
We tinkered on it
for like 10 years
and it went nowhere.
Total disaster.
But hey, we're still friends.
-Talk about a circus.
Sugar Qube is the circus.
Trying to keep my boss focused
on what keeps the lights on.
I need a margarita.
-Sugar Crush literally selling
10 million copies isn't enough?
-Sugar Crush accounts
for 90% of our revenue
but my boss wants to expand.
Can you imagine the company
that makes Sugar Crush
trying to do an M-rated
first person sh**ter?
-Peppermint Patty gettin'
her head blown off whif an AK!
Right, Bry?!
-Little accent drift there,
buddy.
A little slipping
into some c*ck?
-And thou hits
keepeth coming... Oop.
Don't look now, Sir Charles,
I daresay your good lady
is here.
-What good lady?
-He's been oogling the barmaid.
-[Charlie] No, no.
-Yeah look. Oh.
-[Charlie] Hey.
-[laughs]
-Oogling? I didn't--
[chuckles] I didn't oogle--
-I didn't oogle anyone.
-Yeah.
-[Charles]
I didn't oogle anyone.
-I need a margarita.
[soft chuckle]
[upbeat EDM music]
[indistinct chatter]
-[gagging]
-[Bree laughs]
I love some soda.
I love some soda.
[upbeat EDM music]
-Yeah. [chuckles]
[indistinct chatter]
[drink pouring]
[upbeat EDM music]
[indistinct chatter]
[Bree laughs]
-Whoa. Easy, buddy.
Easy, easy.
-That fourth margarita
was a terrible idea
and my 8 a.m. meeting
is gonna be so early.
-Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Do you want us to pitch
Quicksand to your boss?
-You're still working on that?
-Okay. Let's just say
it's a work in progress.
-It's more than a work
in progress,
it's basically there.
-Lucas. No man, okay?
The concept, the bugs,
it's just a mess.
The game has a long way to go.
-Well, there are
few tweaks to be made,
but we are close.
-Okay. Are you?
Hey? [giggles]
Come here.
[indistinct] car?
-Yeah, let's get you
to your Uber. Come on.
Hey, good luck
with that hangover tomorrow.
-[Bree giggles] Thanks.
[car door opens]
-Alright. [whistles]
[car door closes]
Oh yeah, never thought
about it once in my life.
-Never ever thought about it.
-Shut your mouth.
-You too, Brian.
-So I have childhood friends,
so explain this to me then.
-[Charlie]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.
-[male voice]
Rated E for everyone.
Where sweet candy
reigns supreme,
there's only one thing
that can upset the balance
of power-- dark chocolate.
-[Game Character 1]
This is my bittersweet pal.
[evil laughter]
- Who's ready to get
a sweet talk?
-[Game Character 1]
Milk chocolate. Horrible!
-[woman] I feel like a Claire
in a candy store.
-[robotic voice] Choco Blast!
-[voice] Get ready to crush
the dark choc-opocalypse.
Sugar Crush Dark Chocolate,
download this Spring.
-Well, what do you guys think?
-Yeah. [sighs]
It looks a lot
like the other 25.
-We're not here to talk
about mobile games, Miles.
-What's happening
with our triple A titles?
Doomshot?
-The triple A titles...
We are... working on them.
-Miles, we scheduled this call
to discuss future titles.
In particular
our first-person sh**ter
that we need to compete
in the market.
[sighs deeply]
Our established deadline
is three months.
Can you still hit that?
-Three--three months.
Uh...
Three months is a little fast.
-You've got three months.
[disconnect beeps]
[chair squeaking]
-Sheryl?
Sheryl, we need
to call a meeting.
I'm feeling suddenly
stressed out.
-[Charlie's voice]
This is Miles Sugar.
-If we can't show
the venture capital board
the demo that I am contractually
obligated to deliver
then all of our funding
goes away.
In 2008, he was
a college brat entrepreneur
whose mobile game
Sugar Crush blew up
and made him
Tech Magazine's youngest ever
entrepreneur of the year.
-Bree-onc.
[fingers snap]
Hit me with it.
-[Charlie's voice]
Since then he's been riding
the Sugar Crush wave.
But that can get old
after 15 years.
So his newest venture is to try
and get into triple A games.
-Why? Because, because
that's what sells.
That's why.
-[Charlie's voice] Which means
he needs venture capital,
which is where these guys
and gal from Texas come in.
Oil, cotton, natural gas.
Gotta love Texas money.
-In three months' time,
we will have
a first-person sh**ter
to present to the VC guys,
or all of you are fired!
Have I made myself
just crystal Sugar Crush clear?
-[Charlie] Dad, we don't have
any towels again.
Hey, that'll do.
Hey, Dad, you forgot
to get the towels.
-I need to talk to you.
-Whoa. Hey, hi.
-How did you get in?
-Your game, Sands of Time?
Sandwich? Something?
-Quicksand.
Can I have a second?
-Yes, that is the one.
It's a sh**ter, right?
-Yeah, it was a strategy
but then we changed it
to an FPS.
Two wildly different genres
so it's basically
all over the place.
Can I please just put
some pants on here?
-How close is it to being done?
-[sighs] Not even close.
Um, I mean, there's just been
so many versions
that in my opinion,
it would honestly just
be easier to start over.
Besides, the thought of working
with Lucas right now
-is exhausting.
-Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Sugar Qube needs a k*ller
sh**ter demo in three months.
You're the only person
I trust to do it.
This is your chance.
-Bree, I really wish I could,
with all my heart,
but there's no time.
-[sighs] Okay, I get it.
It's fine.
Just, if you think of a way,
you call me?
-Okay.
I will give it some thought.
-Thank you.
[rousing music]
-[Barbara]
Action. Let's go, Kevin.
Come on.
Faster. Faster.
Oh my gosh,
that looks awful.
Do you believe that?
Okay. Come on.
We'll take you, Becky.
Go.
-[George] Charlie,
watch this for me, man?
-Hey, George.
Of course, man.
Hey, watch Barb out there.
She's a real bear. Okay?
-[George]
You don't have to tell me.
-Watch your backs.
Hey, k*ll it.
-Thanks, man.
-[Barbara] Get up!
Gimme more. Come on.
Make it better.
Faster!
[mysterious music]
[rousing music]
[Charlie whooshes]
-Time displacement.
What does that mean?
-Well, it's basically
as it sounds.
-Like fast forward time,
rewind time?
Time travel?
-More stops time.
-Stops time?
Like the ring stops time?
Does it work?
-Yeah. It works.
-But how exactly?
Also, just saying.
I am a cleric.
[sighs]
-My grandfather
was the scientist in the family,
but from what I understand,
time displacement is relative
to the people moving
around you in the moment.
Yes, it stops time.
-You sure your grandfather
wasn't making it all up though?
-Yeah. I'm not going to tell you
the entire history of the ring
but it's been in our family
for a long time.
-Can you prove it?
-Yes, I can.
But my Elven Tribe Gathering
is in 20 minutes
and I want to be prepared.
-Gibbs. This is important.
-Whoa.
-Okay, this is important too.
-Yeah.
But I have an amazing
opportunity right now.
My entire life
could hinge on this.
[rock music on speakers]
-Okay. Come with me.
-Yes! Sorry.
-Alright, young Charlie.
Do you know where you are?
-Yeah. Of course, man.
This is your Onyx Guild.
-[chuckles] That's right.
This is the Onyx Guild.
Now, do you know how much time
each week I put in
setting up the table?
-I don't know.
At least two or three hours?
-[scoffs]
At least two or three hours.
So you can see why I might
be a little too busy to do this.
But because it's you,
I shall demonstrate.
-Okay. Let me know
if you need me to do anything.
[otherworldly warbling]
[dramatic music]
-Okay.
[otherworldly warbling]
-[gasps] Holy!
How is this possible?
-Satisfied?
-Gibbs. How did you do this?
-You have your proof.
Now it's time to run along.
Come on.
-You have to let me borrow
that ring.
-Oh. No, I don't.
-Gibbs, Sugar Qube needs
an FPS fast.
-I don't know what any
of that means.
-Bree can get my demo
in front of them.
I've literally been waiting
for an opportunity like this
my entire adult life.
And if that thing
can really stop time,
you have to let me borrow it.
-No, I don't.
You know, why don't you call
your friends
Lucas and Brian?
Aren't you guys a team?
-Oh, look. I just want this game
to be my own, you know?
-Oh, that's a bad look.
-They would just slow me
down anyway.
-That's worse.
-Gibbs, I want to do this.
-I'm sure you do.
But this isn't something
you take lightly.
Alright?
I'm not saying no, Charlie.
I'm saying come back tomorrow
and we'll discuss it.
Now, I have to prepare
to commence
chapter 316 of the
Chronicles of Onyx Guild.
-Gibbs, just let me try it once.
-Oh, boy.
[car engine revs]
[Gibbs] Attack rolls against
the creature have a disadvantage
and the creature attack rolls
have the advantage.
Or have an advantage.
Are advantaged.
It's advantageous.
[Gibbs] And thus begins
the foulest adventure
ever known in the land,
with terrible dungeons
and foul fiends galore.
Where's the D20 die?
[group indistinct chatter]
[Gibbs] No, the god die.
-[Group groans]
-[D&D member] Oh, damn it.
I left it home.
-[Gibbs] Mm-hmm.
Where is the die?
Oh, funny.
Right where I left it.
Got it!
[group indistinct chatter]
-[D&D member] Oh, here it is.
-[Gibbs humming]
[suspenseful music]
[Gibbs groans, exhales]
Shall we begin?
An invisible creature...
[continues indistinctly]
[distant objects clatter softly]
[clears throat]
The creature's location
can be detected by
any noise it makes or any...
[indistinct]
[machine whirring]
[dramatic orchestral music]
[ring whirring]
Gentlemen, allow me
to draw your attention
to a large five-headed dragon.
As yet she has no name.
[indistinct]
[dramatic orchestral music]
[machine whirring]
[clicks, whirrs]
[Gibbs] After five [indistinct],
I'm basically describing...
[kids laughing, shrieking]
[otherworldly warbling]
-[man's voice]
Now I'm becoming the...
[building crescendo]
[clock ticking]
[b*mb expl*si*n]
destroyer of worlds.
[high-pitched ringing]
[mysterious music]
[Frisbee buzzing]
-It works.
It actually works.
Holy crap.
I think I can actually do this.
[otherworldly thrumming]
[scene clicks]
[rousing music]
[skateboard clatters]
-[gasps]
[ring thrumming]
[kid laughing]
[ring thrumming]
[suspenseful music]
[cabinet door opens]
-[Bree] Oh my gosh,
the traffic was terrible
and I was like,
I almost hit this other car
but it was fine because,
like, I stopped in time
but basically
I was 35 minutes late
which was still 15 minutes
[indistinct],
but it was really,
really difficult for me
because I wanted to have enough
time to get a yogurt
and I didn't have enough time
to get a yogurt.
And you know that
if I don't have my yogurt,
I freak out.
So essentially the traffic
k*lled everything.
-Hey, Bree. I'm in.
I can make the demo happen
in three months.
-[chuckles] Wait, really?
Are you sure
you have enough time?
-Let me worry about that.
When can I pitch my game
to your boss?
- Um, well, he's out
this afternoon,
but I'm meeting him tonight
at the Barcade at like seven.
-Okay, great.
Uh, wait, uh...
At a bar?
Like a, like a date?
-[Bree] Seriously, Charlie?
-Uh, yeah. Sorry.
Seven o'clock.
I'll see you there.
- Okay. Bye.
[disconnect tone]
[utensils clatter]
[suspenseful music]
-Four hours.
Four hours?
I can do this.
[suspenseful music]
[thrumming]
-Freeze!
-[man] Freeze!
-Yeah, that never gets old.
[mumbling]
[Charlie's voice]
Settle down, class,
and welcome
to game development 101.
[dramatic music]
You can't have a game
without an idea.
Grab your favorite energy drink.
Gather your team.
In this case that's just me.
[keyboard clacking]
And let the wild ideas flow.
[computer bleeps, thrums]
[light g*n shoots]
Remember: There are no bad ideas
or good ideas.
Oh, crap.
I have no ideas.
-[Bree's voice] Alright.
Here's what we're gonna do.
-Alright.
What have we got here?
-[Bree's voice] We're gonna
prove your mom right.
-No. Terrible.
Derivative.
-[Bree's voice] I mean, look at
what you've already made.
-Phew!
-[Bree's voice] Oh! Lone State!
I love that one!
[light bulb dings]
It's Rambo meets
the apocalypse... in Texas!
-It's Rambo...
against the apocalypse...
in Texas!
-Yee-haw!
-We got it.
I got it.
[dramatic music]
[hissing]
[inspiring music]
Zombies.
Tower of downtown Dallas.
Environment's gotta be big.
[inspiring dramatic music
continues]
[blows on paper]
[drawing thumps]
[inspiring dramatic music
continues]
This is it.
This is it. Let's go!
I got it.
[inspiring dramatic music
intensifies]
And four feet...
Oh, yeah. Final piece.
[building crescendo]
Let's pitch this game.
[background chatter]
-[Bree giggles]
-[Miles chuckles]
So there I was,
on the 18th floor--
-[clears throat]
-Nothing but a five-iron--
-Hey.
-Charlie!
This is, um, this is Charlie.
Uh. He's the game designer
who's gonna save our skin.
-So this is the infamous
Chuckie.
I was just telling Breefcase
here about my 18th hole
with Bry-Bry DeChambeau.
I probably shouldn't go
into too much detail
due to some pending lawsuits,
but I rock up to the thing
with nothing but a five-iron.
-Is that bad?
-You don't know golf?
-No, uh. [clears throat]
I can learn it,
if it's important.
-You did all of this in a day?
-[Miles laughs]
-Yeah.
I had a little
extra time today, so.
-Alright.
Let's hear it.
-Okay. Um, so.
People still love
a good zombie sh**ter.
Survival. Crafting.
One man against all odds.
-Okay.
Thinking like a businessman,
I like it.
What is this, a hacksaw?
-Yes. Okay, okay,
so I'm thinking
an action RPG where one lone
g*nman gathers resources
to survive in a single player
hack-and-slash sh**ter
with weapons you level up
in round.
It's Rambo meets the apocalypse
in Texas.
-Charlie...
[loud background chatter]
-Nope. I don't like it.
Feels a little bit like it's...
it's derivative.
Like someone's already done it
before, but better.
Lacks the X factor.
So anyway,
thanks a lot, Chuckie.
Really appreciate it.
We gotta go over to catch--
-Well, uh--
-[Miles] Take care.
-It's like the PGA.
[thrumming]
[bird chirping]
[golf club swings]
[golf ball clatters]
[audience cheering]
[background chatter]
-I like golf.
-A tournament.
Every single player chapter
has a winner.
And those players
play each other
in a weekly online tournament.
We can hold a final championship
each year.
-Okay, I'm listening.
-It's esports events
like you've never seen before.
-And what's it called?
-I-- I call it
Lone State Chapter One.
Leaves room for expansion.
-Chapter One...
I like it.
It's epic.
Lone State Chapter One.
-I love it!
-Yeah?
-If you can deliver
this tech demo
exactly as you pitched to me...
then we're good.
-Okay. Yeah.
Yeah, okay.
-And you can deliver a full
tech demo in three months?
-Won't be a problem.
[Charlie's voice]
Alright, Charlie Fleck.
No more excuses.
Before today,
time was your enemy,
but now it's your best friend.
Your mission,
should you choose to accept it--
finally create
the epic video game
you've always dreamed of.
Step one: a great idea.
[dings]
One that will make people say,
"Wow, why didn't
I think of that?"
Step two: the pitch .
Showcase why the world
needs your game.
Asyou can see,
we nailed that one.
Step three: the tech demo.
Make things move
and prove it works.
Step four: production.
Code, design, animate,
bring it to life.
Step five: testing.
Eliminate pesky bugs.
No spinning characters,
no crashes.
Step six: the finish line.
Launch it,
brace for the reviews ,
and hope the world loves it
as much as you do.
Won't be a problem.
-You have come in,
in the clutch.
And I am telling you what,
we are saved with this idea.
It is epic,
it is time to celebrate.
To Chuck E. Cheese.
[glass shot clinks]
[thunder rumbling]
[rain pattering]
-[Charlie] Hey, I'll be one sec.
Okay?
-[Bree laughing]
Talk about the save
of the century.
You don't even play golf.
-[Charlie] I've played
Tiger Woods on Xbox.
-[Bree] Uh-huh.
Oh, yeah, you have.
-Do you want some help
with that?
Let me just--
-We should play Mario Kart N64.
-Uh, I've got work to do.
-Oh, come on!
We'll play best of three,
Rainbow Road.
[thunder rumbling]
-Sorry, rain check.
-Yeah.
I'm-- I-- good night. [giggles]
-[Charlie] Good night.
See you.
Hey, man.
-Ah! First night's kiss
at the door?
-No, no, it's not like that.
No. We're just friends.
-Ah. [indistinct],
it's overrated.
It's good.
Uh, water? [indistinct]
-I'm just good, man.
If we could just get home,
that would be... great.
[otherworldly thrumming,
warbling]
-Whoa!
[otherworldly thrumming]
-[straining] [groaning]
-Hey bro, you okay?
-Yeah man, I'm...
[panting] I'm fine,
don't worry about me.
-Cool.
[doorbell rings]
-Greetings, Gibbs.
-Hey.
-Prepping for the
Guild's arrival, I see?
-Yes...and no.
-I'm just checking in.
Seeing how things are going.
-Going well.
[rock music on speakers]
You know what?
Which name do you like better?
Gor-Long or Gor-Lock?
-As a warlock?
-Really?
-[Charlie's voice] Okay,
what Gibbs is asking me here
is the name
for the ultimate villain
in his Dungeons & Dragons
campaign.
Which is usually some kind
of big multi-headed monster
or dragon.
D&D, if you're not familiar,
is basically a storytelling game
where a bunch of friends
pretend to be heroes,
warriors, mages and yes,
warlocks.
-[warlock snickering]
-[Charlie's voice] On an
epic quest to save a kingdom
or destroy a dark overlord.
Or sometimes just
to get out of a dungeon
without dying.
[zombie snarling]
-Actually, Gibbs, uh--
-Yeah?
-I need to talk to you
about something.
-What?
-Time displacement.
-Yeah, what about it?
-Can you tell me a little bit
more about the ring?
-You may not borrow it.
-Uh. Actually...
[telephone ringing]
[rock music on speakers]
-You stole it?
-No, no.
I borrowed it.
-You stole it!
This is why you're not allowed
to play in the game.
-That is a breach of etiquette--
-Gibbs, just listen--
-You know what that is?
That's against the law.
-You broke the law.
-For one second, just listen.
I left--
-It's not even fun, it's uncool.
-That was uncool.
-Okay.
I know, I know, I know.
-You know what?
That was bad.
That was bad, bad,
bad, bad, bad, bad.
-That was bad.
-I know, I know.
-Well, what do you have to say
for yourself?
-Actually,
I may need to borrow it.
-What?!
You know what?
I can't even...
No, you... No...
I need to hear everything
-Okay. Okay.
-that happened, alright?
-You start from the beginning,
don't leave anything out.
-Okay, from the beginning--
-I want to know
what you remember,
I want to know
who you talked to.
I want to know what the color
of the sky was.
-Okay.
-You are risking an awful lot
for a video game.
-This isn't just
a video game.
-Yeah? Well, it seems
like just a video game.
-Gibbs, I need this.
Okay? This is my dream,
always has been.
I can't play sports,
I can't play an instrument.
I don't want to be
a doctor or a lawyer
or a toy shop owner.
[softly] Sorry.
Look, man, what I'm saying is,
if I can't do this, I'm useless.
It's what I have
to offer this world.
[emotional music]
-I have just seen so many
people's lives ruined
by this thing.
-Gibbs, no one wakes up
and dreams of failing.
No one looks in the mirror
and says,
"What should I give up on?"
I make video games.
That's what I do.
That's my passion.
My mom knew it.
[poignant music]
[Charlie's voice]
Watching people
enjoy an experience
I created for them,
it makes me happy, man.
I know you understand.
The only thing I need
is the time to do it.
-Oh. I hope I don't regret this.
As you've experienced,
this medal confers great power
on the wearer.
And with great power comes--
-Great responsibility?
-Rules.
-Rules?
-[groans]
Guidelines.
-Guidelines?
-Yeah.
Things that my family has,
you know,
figured out through trial
and error over time.
-Okay.
So how does a ring have rules?
-Well, for one thing,
I wouldn't call it a ring.
-Okay. What should I call it?
-Well, it's basically
a combination
of particle acceleration
and space time displacement
fueled by atomic energy.
My grandfather called it,
uh...
nuclear chronos.
-Yeah.
I'm going to call it a ring.
-[chuckles] Okay.
-Who is your grandfather?
-Oh. Frank?
[Gibb's voice]
He worked under Oppenheimer
on the Manhattan Project.
He would scavenge the test sites
looking for anything
that was unnatural
in the environment.
That's when he found them.
-[Charlie's voice]
Found what exactly?
-Little metal nuggets.
A new element,
not on the periodic table.
And when he had finally
fashioned them
into an infinite loop,
a ring...
Well, the effects of time
became more predictable.
-Okay. So, I get that
this thing stops time.
How did I end up losing time?
-You lose time
every time you use it.
-Every time?
-Well...
we found a sort of sweet spot.
One full rotation
of the earth, 24 hours.
If you use it less
than 24 hours,
generally you're okay.
If you go over that,
you can experience what I call
a parabolic leap.
And if that happens,
you can lose days.
-Man.
Wish I would have known this.
-Yeah. Well, that's what happens
when you take
other people's things.
-Sorry.
So, you're telling me
I could have all the time
I could ever want?
-No,
you have to make time to sleep.
This is about your
molecular relationship
to the metal.
It's not exact.
Okay, if you honor
the 24-hour limit, you're fine.
If you go over it...
[poignant music fades]
What I'm saying is...
You have to recharge yourself
before you use it.
-I can make that work.
-Hey, Charles.
Just take care of yourself,
alright?
And good luck
with your game design.
-Um, game design?
-Hey, guys.
-You working on a new game?
-Yeah, it's just a little
something I'm doing for Bree.
-It's no big deal.
-Oh. Okay, yeah.
Sounds cool.
So, like, what's the concept?
Do you want some help
with that?
-Uh, actually, I think
I'm gonna tackle this one solo.
-Oh. Okay, yeah.
Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.
We should go, Brian.
[rock music on speakers]
-See you guys later.
-Yeah. Peace out, man.
-Peace.
See you, Brian.
[rock music on speakers]
-Hey. Charles.
We both agree that Batman
is one of the top
five superheroes of all time,
-am I right?
-Yeah, no question.
-And of course,
he's always stronger
when he's with
the Justice League, right?
-Okay. And would you rather
watch the Justice League
or The Dark Knight ?
-Mm. Touch.
Well, if it's Snyder's version,
then you want...
No, no. Charlie,
what I'm trying to say is,
at some point in your life,
you gotta decide
what's more important,
your friends or your ambition.
-I get it.
You're trying to be Alfred.
But number one,
Alfred was British.
Number two, unlike Batman,
I have an actual superpower now.
[upbeat music]
I've got a game demo to get to.
Later, Gibbs.
[Charlie's voice] So Gibbs
says I can use this ring
for up to 24 hours
with no... problems.
So, what's a typical 24 hours
gonna look like for me?
First things first.
I brush my teeth,
say my prayers and try
and get a good night's sleep.
[digital clock beeping]
Next. I get up
before my day jobs start
a nd use the ring
for 24 hours of sweet,
uninterrupted design time.
[whooshing]
[upbeat rock music]
Cool. Let's see how much work
I can get done in 24 hours.
[error dinging]
Great.
My computer sucks in every time.
Okay, new plan.
First part remains the same.
[bell dings]
But instead
of using my old PC...
I use the powerful computers
at my day job
to get 24 hours of sweet,
uninterrupted design time.
Next. Try and get
through the day jobs
without falling asleep.
[bell dings]
And finally, go home,
check on Dad,
brush my teeth
and get some beauty sleep
so I can do it all again.
[bell dings]
If I can keep
to this daily schedule
for the next 12 weeks,
I might have a chance
of pulling this off for Bree.
[Charlie snoring]
New plan.
Try not to be late for work.
[upbeat rock music]
[body thuds]
-Hey, Maria.
-[Maria] Hey.
-[Bill] There he is.
-Hey, Dad.
Dad, your medicine.
You have to remember to take it.
-Maria?
-[Maria] He was waiting for you.
-[Charlie] Why won't you
to let Maria help you, Dad?
-Yeah.
I was just going back over
what I've got so far
in chapter 39.
You're gonna love it.
-[sighs] Sounds nice, Dad.
You don't have to finish
the book, you know.
-No, no.
I'm gonna finish it.
I just gotta get my bearings.
-It's okay, Dad.
[mysterious music]
-[Charlie's voice]
Over the remaining weeks
I settled into a good routine
with my game.
Work through the night
in real time.
[electronic beeping]
Then freeze time
and continue to work
for another 24 hours.
[upbeat music]
[Charlie slurps]
Aside from the odd time
loss hiccup--
[whooshing]
of which there were many--
This again?
[low thrumming]
Whoa! Hey.
[Charlie glitches]
Wait, who's driving my car?
Get me back!
[gibberish] [screams]
All I had to do was deliver
on my game demo,
and I'd never have
to worry about Barbara
or her abysmal game ever again.
[Charlie slurps]
Let's do this. Nice.
That's pretty good.
[dramatic music]
The only limit
was my imagination.
[powering up]
[shotgun c*ck, bangs]
[weapon rattling]
[mimicking Barbara] Charlie,
you're the best game designer
in the whole world.
Which, fortunately enough,
I had drip bed
with a steady diet
of video games
and movies since childhood .
[sword swinging]
[shotgun c*ck, banging]
[sword swooping]
Working in a time freeze,
there are no distractions.
Just me and the game.
Done.
[low thrumming]
[phone chimes]
[music fades]
Although I was getting
a lot done in the time freeze,
the isolation was starting
to take a toll.
Turns out, even if you're
doing what you love
it's pretty lonely spending
all your time by yourself.
How you doing, Barbie?
[claps] Let's do this.
Back to work.
-[Assistant]
You have a seat here.
Mr. Miles will be right in.
-Thank you.
[sighs] Okay.
[dramatic music building]
[machine g*n rattling]
[machine g*n rattling]
[machine g*n rattling]
[machine g*n rattling]
[dramatic music fades]
-[frantic breathing]
-We reviewed the demo
for Lone State.
We love it.
-Yes!
-Well, you actually delivered,
Miles.
-We want to make it.
-Now get the deal done, Miles,
and turn this prototype
into a full playable game
that we can sell.
-Mm-hm.
And we need this done by Q4.
You've got two months.
-Two months?
But that's--
-All you have.
And Miles, get Charlie Fleck
under contract.
-[Miles grunting]
I am buzzing,
Charlos Santana.
The board loves the demo
and I want to make it.
Here's the catch...
is that I need this thing
in two months.
-I'm your guy, Miles.
I can do this.
-Let's talk cash.
Hundred fifty K up front
as an advance.
Hundred fifty K
upon completion.
Then...
-Residuals.
-... residuals to follow.
How's that sound?
[cash register dings]
[coins singing]
We are the money
We are the money
-Yeah. [clears throat]
Yeah, that's,
that's perfect. Yep.
-Fantastic.
[taps on glass table]
[pen scribbling]
Okay.
Good luck, Chuck.
[clicks tongue]
-Charlie.
Welcome to the sanctum.
[soft chuckle]
Whoa!
-Hey, do you have
a young red dragon?
-Yeah. It's my favorite.
-Okay. What about a Medusa?
-Yeah.
-Gibbs, please tell me
you have Zariel.
-Charlie...
What do you want?
[ring clinks]
[soft chuckle]
Well, congratulations.
You were right.
All you needed was time.
-Yeah. About that...
Um, now they want me to finish
the game in two months.
So can I hang on to that?
-Finish the game in two months?
You've been using it
for two months.
How's it not finished?
I don't get that.
-I told you, I made the demo.
Now I gotta finish the game.
And two months isn't enough time
but I could try with the ring.
-No, you can't.
Absolutely not.
Look at you.
You look like
you haven't been sleeping.
You remember what I said?
-It's dangerous.
-Gibbs.
-Gibbs, I'm fine. Okay?
-No, you're not fine.
You're not fine.
You know what?
Why are you coming
to me right now?
You had the ring.
You could have just kept going.
It's because you know
something's wrong.
You know something's wrong,
and you want my permission.
Well, I don't give it.
You're my friend.
I don't give you permission
-I'm about to turn 30 years old
with a stack of unfinished games
in my closet.
I'm a game designer
that's never made
a game people actually played.
And I'm terrified
that I never will.
Gibbs, you gave me this chance
-but it's not finished.
-Yes it is.
-I know making a video game
may seem trivial to you,
but for me,
it's all I ever wanted.
It's all I've ever been good at.
Gibbs, please.
-You know what?
Charlie, you're my friend
and I can see
you're not gonna stop,
so all I can say is...
you're in uncharted territory.
Better be careful.
[upbeat music]
-[Charlie's voice]
I need to get out of the house.
Stretch my legs.
-[Mario] Charlie.
-Mario, my good man.
It's time.
[triumphant music]
[Charlie's voice] I figure
it's time to get my own space.
Hi, I quit.
-I quit.
-Excuse me?
-I'll take it.
-Fantastic.
Where do I sign?
[background clicks]
[low thrumming]
[triumphant music]
[background clicks]
[low thrumming]
[Charlie's voice] If I'm
gonna make this deadline...
I need to use every tool I have.
[scene whooshing]
[door hissing]
I need g*ns.
Lots of g*ns.
[otherworldly warbling]
Oh yeah, need that.
I'm gonna need that.
Add to cart.
Love it!
[device beeping]
[low thrumming]
[machine g*n rattling]
[zombie growling]
[exciting music]
[b*ll*ts clinking]
[guitar plucking]
-Not bad. Oh, sorry.
Not bad, Charlie.
I'm digging the storyline
and the gameplay mechanics
pretty great too.
-I told you.
Wait till you see it go live
with working network code.
-Come on.
I don't know.
I know that you're good
but you couldn't get this done
in a month with a team of ten.
What is your secret?
-What can I say?
I'm Charlie freaking Fleck.
-[scoffs] Okay. Give me a break.
Aren't you biting off
like way too much?
-Listen, it's growth mindset.
I've been learning new game
design software
since the seventh grade.
You know, I'm sure I can learn
some PVP parameters.
[crow squawking]
[horse galloping]
[dramatic music]
Hey. [clears throat]
-Wow. g*ng's all here.
Let the council begin.
-What's going on?
-Listen, um,
we know you've been focused
on the demo for Sugar Qube,
I get that.
But we're ready to restart work
on Quicksand
and bring it
into Unreal Engine 5.
You know, so we can really
flesh out the levels, add more.
-More levels?
-Okay, we want it to be epic.
And we want you back,
working on it with us.
-Justice League.
-It's just, like--
-Hey, man.
I know you weren't happy
with Quicksand.
[clicks tongue]
It wasn't ready.
You're right.
I'm sorry for not seeing it.
-Lucas, just--
-But, but...
I really think it has
a lot of potential.
And it's our thing.
You, me, Brian, even Bree.
Even your mom.
We can't do this without you,
Charlie,
and we don't want to.
-Guys, I really appreciate
the invite,
but I'm just--
I'm so swamped with work--
-No, I, I, um, I get it.
Me and um...
me and Brian are gonna
continue with it.
-Good luck.
-Yeah, you too.
-Well done, Master Wayne.
Of course, I hope it goes
a little more Bale
and a lot less Clooney for you.
-Can you not come up
with a single Marvel reference
every now and then?
You know I'm not a DC guy.
[phone vibrating]
[low thrumming]
[whooshing]
[phone buzzing]
[phone buzzing stops]
What do we got here?
[paper rustles]
[Charlie sighs]
-[Miles]
Breetles! Sheryl, let's go.
-[Sheryl] Miles? Miles?
-What? Paperwork?
I know, I'll do the paperwork
when it's not boring.
Besides...
you're not going anywhere,
are ya, Chuck E. Cheese?
-No. No, I'm, I'm here.
-Okay. Boom!
[mysterious music]
-Okay,
I should free up some space.
-[Lucas' voice] We can't do this
without you, Charlie,
and we don't want to.
-Focus, Fleck,
you got work to do.
[upbeat optimistic music]
Megazomb.
One evil mother.
[shotgun c*ck, bangs]
[Charlie's voice]
Megazomb's limbs grow back.
You need to sh**t off all four
before you can go
for the head shot.
-[Megazomb groans]
[g*nshots]
-[Charlie's voice]
I may have made him too strong.
[alarm clock beeping]
[Megazomb roaring]
[computer glitching, beeps]
No, no, no! Another bug.
[tense music]
I didn't do that.
I didn't do that!
[error tone]
[clock ticking]
[Charlie's voice] Turns out
a time-stopping ring...
Why does it keep crashing?
doesn't make me
a better programmer.
-Bit off more than you can chew,
huh?
-I can do it,
it's just this coding crap
takes time.
-Really? So you're telling me
that you need more time?
-Hey, don't time shame me,
okay?
A magic ring does not solve
all your problems.
-Really?
-Brian did this exact same thing
on Quicksand in less than a day.
-Then why don't you just ask him
for help?
He's your friend, right?
[rock music on speakers]
-He would help, wouldn't he?
-Yes, I think he would.
-Okay, gotta go hit the books.
This code isn't going
to write itself.
-Okay.
-[Charlie]
You're the man, Gibbs.
-[scoffs] Jeez.
[mysterious music]
-Open up Quicksand.
[keypad clacking]
Of course, Brian can do this.
[mouse clicks]
He would just write
the exact same code again,
so I'm basically
saving us both time.
[mouse clicks]
Okay, command copy save.
[keypad clacking]
Let's go. Okay.
Okay.
Hope you don't mind, Brian.
[mouse clicks]
[CPU humming]
[device beeping]
[steady beeping]
[uneasy music]
[device chimes]
Yes! That's it.
I like it.
Okay.
Thanks, Brian, you're the man.
There we go. [sigh of relief]
[background shifts, rumbles]
[running footsteps]
[upbeat music]
[car honks]
[crickets chirping]
[upbeat optimistic music]
[Charlie sips]
[whooshing]
[upbeat optimistic music]
[skateboard scraping]
What's going on, guys?
-What's up?
-What do you think you're doing?
-I'm going to work,
what's the problem?
-The problem
is you stole our code.
-I don't know
what you're talking about.
-No, no, Charlie, no.
Don't lie to me.
Last night, did you or
did you not access our drives?
You took our code
and put it in your game.
-Lucas, the network feature
was my idea to begin with.
Ninety-five percent of that
entire game was my work.
-[scoffs] Oh, 95,
you really believe that?
-Here's what I believe.
Here's the truth...
You didn't spend any time
thinking about game mechanics
and instead,
made 67 giant levels.
The game's all over the place
and isn't fun.
-It sucks.
-Sucks?
Apparently it's good enough
for you to steal the code.
-I'm not going to get
into this with you.
Quicksand is never
going to work.
It's just a bunch
of pretty levels
and nothing more.
Now, if you'll excuse me--
-Charlie--
-I have a real game to finish.
-Charlie, Charlie,
I'm trying to talk to you.
Listen to me, Charlie!
-That's the thing, Lucas...
-Charlie! Charlie!
-I don't have to listen
to anyone.
[emotional music]
[phone dings, swooshes]
[phone lock clicks]
[ambient somber music]
Deep breath.
This is it.
Final stretch.
Let's do this.
[chalk scrapes]
[ambient somber music]
No more distractions.
I'm not leaving till it's done.
[intense suspenseful music]
-My grandfather called it a...
nuclear chronos.
-I can have all the time
I could ever want.
-[Gibb's voice] No!
You lose time
every time you use it.
-[Charlie's voice]
Come on, Fleck.
You can't afford to be tired.
Why does it keep crashing?
Focus on the details.
[dramatic sting]
Don't lose track
of the big picture.
You got this.
[intense suspenseful music]
Gibbs, I'm fine. Okay?
-[Gibbs's voice]
You're not fine.
-[Charlie's voice]
This isn't just a video game.
-Yeah? Well,
it seems like just a video game.
-[Charlie's voice]
If I can't do this,
I'm useless.
[alarm clock beeps]
I have to finish this game,
I have to!
-You have to recharge yourself.
[alarm clock beeps]
[low, uneasy music]
[Charlie snoring]
[Gibb's voice] This is about
your molecular relationship
to the metal.
It's not exact.
If you go over
a 24-hour limit...
[uneasy music]
[Charlie snoring]
[otherworldly warbling]
-[groans]
[alarm clock beeps]
Again?
What's happening?
Oh my god.
[intense dramatic music]
-Good luck, Chuck.
-[groans]
-[Gibb's voice] I have seen
so many people's lives
ruined by this thing.
-[Bree's voice echoing]
Charlie?
[otherworldly warbling]
Charlie?
[phone buzzing]
-What time is it?
[message alert tone chimes]
What?
- [Bree] Hey Charlie--
it's [indistinct]
-and I haven't heard from you.
-No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
-I lost a month?!
-[Bree] Where are you?
-The meeting is in 10 minutes.
-Oh, shh--
- [Bree]
Charlie, you're scaring me.
-No, no, Charlie--
what did you do?
- [Bree] Miles almost fired me,
so there's that.
[multiple dings, pop-ups]
Okay, Charlie.
I've filed a missing
persons report.
It's been three weeks.
Please, if you're getting
this call me back.
[dramatic music]
[somber music]
Charlie?
-Bree.
Hey.
-You're alive.
I thought you were dead.
We all thought you were dead!
Where were you?
-It's hard to fully explain,
but I'll tell you everything.
-I am sincerely glad
that you're alive. Okay?
But you left for a month
without telling me.
You screwed me
over with Sugar Qube.
What is that?
-Bree, you have to tell Miles
I can give him the game.
-Are you telling me
that you have been working
on the game for a whole month?
He doesn't want it now!
[dog barking]
What he wants
is his advance back
and your nuts in a vice.
[somber music]
-I don't have the money.
I had to pay for it.
It's a long story.
You have to get me
in the room with Miles
for five minutes.
-Do you think that Miles
trusts me anymore?
I am the idiot
that supported you.
And now I'm lucky
to have a job at all.
-I would never hurt you
like this on purpose.
-You may not have meant
to hurt me but you did.
It's over.
It's done.
I'm done too.
[forlorn music]
[car revs]
-[mumbling]
-Gibbs.
-Charlie?
[groans]
Dude. So good to have you
back in the flesh.
[sighs]
How far did you go?
-A few hours.
Four weeks lost.
-I tried to warn you.
-I messed things up
with Lucas, Brian, Bree.
-I told you, the Justice League
is always stronger together.
-Seriously, man.
What do I do?
-Come with me.
[mysterious music]
Charlie,
allow me to introduce you...
to the Onyx Guild.
Now, Charlie,
we don't just play Elven Tribes
because it is the greatest game
ever invented,
which it is.
No, we've kept this campaign
going for nearly 20 years
because we're there
for each other.
Toby is our monk
and he wrestles with depression.
Elliot is our ranger.
And he battled cancer
two years ago.
As for me, I would love
to introduce you to Mrs. Gibson,
but that hasn't happened.
Yet here we are,
there for each other.
-A tribe?
-A tribe.
What I'm saying,
Charlie is that...
is that it's not worth
losing your friends over a game.
-I think it's too late, Gibbs.
I really hurt them.
I almost ruined Bree's career.
-Look, if I've learned
one thing from my group...
it's swallow your pride...
-[laughs]
-be honest...and go first.
I know you can do this, Charlie.
I'm proud of you.
But now,
if you would be so kind
as to vacate this sanctuary,
for the group
of warriors you see
before you are
about to do battle
with the most
extraordinarily violent
and evil creatures ever
to walk the land, the...
-Gorlock.
-Gorlock.
-[shouts] The Gorlock
of Shenthiel!
Fight!
Wait, is that a cave troll?
-[Charlie's voice] There has
to be a way to fix it all.
- I am the idiot
that supported you.
-[indistinct]
-[Bree's voice] Charlie...
[chiptune music]
Charlie...
-[Mom] Alright.
Who's hungry? I've got--
[Mom clears throat]
-Are you okay, Mom?
-Yeah, yeah.
I'm fine, Charlie. [coughs]
[heart monitor beeps]
-[Young Charlie]
I made some updates on the book
while you were gone.
-Wow. It's getting full.
[chuckles]
-Yeah.
[heart monitor beeps]
-You and your friends
are gonna change the world.
[heart monitor beeps]
[heart monitor beeps]
[emotional music]
-I know this is hard,
but it gets easier.
And your friends will always
be there for you.
-[Charlie's voice]
I think I got it.
Go back to the beginning.
[closet door opens]
[objects clattering]
[paper rustles]
[softly] No.
[paper rustles]
[softly] Oh, my god.
[sighs]
[softly] Okay.
- No, no, no.
Wow.
[mouse clicks]
[mouse clicks]
[mouse clicking]
[mouse clicks]
[mouse clicks]
[heartfelt music]
-This is incredible.
[machine g*n rattling over game]
-[sighs]
What are you doing here?
-You remember this one?
You drew the levels
on like 20 pages of graph paper?
-[Lucas] And what about it?
-You failed history class
because you spent the whole week
working on a level design
for our game.
That was pretty cool
of you, man.
-Oh, yeah.
My mom was pissed.
She took away my DS
for the summer.
-Is that why you borrowed mine
for a month?
-Okay. Stop.
Seriously,
why are you here, man?
-I came here to apologize.
I suck and I admit it.
-Agreed.
Suck for what specifically?
-Okay. Yeah.
Specifics.
I suck...
for being a know-it-all.
For thinking my career
was more important than yours.
For thinking my ideas
were better.
For wanting to make a game
without you.
For stealing the code
and for saying you held me back.
-That's a pretty
substantial list.
-You guys are my Justice League,
you know?
-Justice League?
What are you, a DC guy now?
-Well, no,
but Justice League Batman
is like the best version
of Batman.
Like remember when
George Clooney played Batman?
That wasn't nearly as good
as Ben Affleck.
-You think Ben Affleck
was a good Batman?
-Look, what I'm saying
is I'm Batman,
but I want to be Batman
with the Justice League.
Make sense?
-Not even a little.
Stick to Marvel, dude.
-Look, what I'm saying
is I miss you guys.
You all are my bros, my tribe.
My Justice League.
Whatever.
You know what I mean.
Here's the deal...
I saw the work you've done
with Quicksand.
The new levels
are beautiful, bro.
Really great work.
-Ah, I see you're accessing
the drive again.
Notice the code's
all locked down now?
-Yeah, I did.
Look... if you and Brian
can somehow forgive me...
I have an idea.
I would love nothing more than
to restart The Collective.
Combine Quicksand
and Lone State
and take it to Sugar Qube.
Think about it.
The game mechanics of Lone State
with the scope of Quicksand.
-I mean, that's not a bad idea.
I don't know.
You bailed on us.
That really sucked.
-It did.
And I'm really sorry, man.
If I could go back
and change it I would.
And if you can't get past it
I understand that.
But if you
can somehow forgive me,
I think we could have something
really cool here, man.
What do you think?
-[sighs]
But I'm Batman.
You can be the Flash.
-Okay. Yeah.
-And you have
to apologize to Brian.
-Brian? Where's Brian?
Brian. Hey, man.
Been here the whole time?
Um, well, I know
you're deep waters, bro.
But, uh, do you think
you can forgive me?
-I always considered you to be
an emotionally safe person.
But then you belittled myself
and Lucas,
and set yourself above us.
I can forgive,
and that wound can heal,
but if you disregard
our friendship,
that inflicts pain,
and I'll have to erect
an emotional boundary
and find other meaningful
relationships.
-I, uh, yeah.
Yeah, bro.
Emotional boundaries.
Understood.
So do you forgive me?
Let's go, bro. [chuckles]
-But I want to be the Flash.
You can be Wonder Woman.
-Okay. You know what,
enough Justice League talk.
We're going Avengers.
I'm gonna be Tony Stark.
Lucas, you can be Thor.
-No, no, no, no.
I'm Iron Man.
I have the quippy one liners.
Okay. We'll talk more.
-Thank you so much.
Yeah, in just a minute.
-Bree...
-I don't want to hear it,
Charlie.
-Wait. Safe space?
-You have exactly one minute
of safe space
before it is decidedly
not safe to be in my presence.
-This is my mom.
-I know that, Charlie.
-The only person
who ever really believed in me
on my dreams of doing this...
until you.
-Would you just tell me
the truth?
-The truth-truth?
-Yes, the truth-truth.
-Fine. The truth is
I stole a nuclear power device
that stops time.
Bree, I screwed up
and I'm sorry.
-I-- I am working, okay?
You can't just come in here
and interrupt me
in the middle of a work day--
-Bree, I don't want all this
to be for nothing.
-A lot of things happen
for nothing, Charlie.
-That's the way it is.
-No, no, no. Come on.
You don't believe that.
-I don't know
what I believe anymore, Charlie
or... or who I believe in.
[footsteps approaching]
-Don't do it for me.
Do it for Lucas and Brian.
[telephone ringing]
We're putting The Collective
back together.
Combining Quicksand
-and Lone State.
-You are?
-It's the best of all
of our talents
and I realize that now.
Brian's network code,
Lucas' level design,
my game mechanics, his story--
-But they were pissed at you.
They were more pissed
at you than I was
-and I was pissed at you.
-I know.
You put it all on the line
once for me
and I didn't deliver.
I don't deserve it,
but if you can give me
one more shot,
could you get us in front
of Miles again?
-Talk about an unsafe space.
You being anywhere near Miles
is really bad
for your physical safety.
He's getting raked
over the coals by the VC board
and he's ready to snap.
But...
if I'm being totally honest...
-[Young Charlie] Oh! Over there.
-[Young Bree] I see him.
-Sugar Qube really does need
an FPS ASAP.
-So, will you call him?
Yeah? Yes?
-I'll call him,
if I can be your producer.
[indistinct chatter]
-Deal. Yeah.
-[suppressed giggle]
-I know, I wasn't good
to my friends.
I thought
I could do it alone...
What's the point
of climbing a mountain
if you're all by yourself
when you get to the top?
-[reading] Later is better
than never. [scoffs]
[flash drive beeping]
[CPU powering up]
[sighs] Let's see
what you got for me.
Lone State.
Here we go
[triumphant music]
-[Charlie's voice]
Funny how things turn around.
I messed up but now
we're all back together.
It's not just my game.
It's our game.
[chiptune music]
[triumphant music]
Quicksand and Lone State,
two games brought into one.
We're all in this,
side by side.
And the best part?
We've got the perfect spot
to make it happen.
Gibbs' warehouse.
It's a small start,
but it feels like a fresh start
for all of us.
-Okay. Well, thank you so much.
[clicks tongue]
Well, there's good news
and there's bad news.
-Okay. What's the good news?
-The good news is--
Ave Maria
[machine g*n rattling over game]
-Oh! Mr. Sugar, I'm so sorry.
I didn't know
that you were still here.
-[softly] It's beautiful.
-He's gonna give us
another shot!
-[laughs] Alright!
-[Charlie]There we go. Let's go!
-But, but, but--
there's bad news.
They're only
gonna give us two weeks.
After that the VC board pulls
all of Sugar Qube's funding
for their entire game slate.
-Okay.
Well, Lone State is finished.
-And Quicksand levels
are ready to go.
-But merging these games
is gonna be really, really hard.
It'll take a lot of work
and I just don't think two weeks
is long enough.
-Uh, g*ng.
You know the Onyx Guild
had a very similar,
near impossible
seeming task last week.
In the Cavern of Dongoleth,
fighting the Gorantial Overlord,
our wizard was able
to devise a spell
that amplified the ranger
and mage's range attack
while the paladin healed
the tank
in the middle
of a melee as*ault.
Now I admit, the dice lords
were with us,
but you get my point.
-Yeah, I'm not following, Gibbs.
-Guys, he may be onto something.
Right, Gibbs?
-What, I have to spell it out?
They worked together
strategically
-to find a way to win.
-Okay.
-[muttering]
I gotta point out everything.
-It's not like we haven't done
this before, right guys?
-I think we can do this.
-Let's do it.
Come on.
-Alright.
-[claps] Let's go.
[upbeat music]
Oh, baby can you show me
what you made of
Okay, Lucas,
animation level design.
Bree, compilation.
Brian, code.
-Alright, let us
Frankenstein these zombies.
Oooh, oooh
Feels so sweet
So, so electric
Oooh, oooh
This could be
Some kind of magic
-How you doing, man?
Hey, hey
What do you see?
Looking great. Let's go.
-Alright, check this out.
-Yeah.
Okay, and now headshots.
-Booyah. Let's go, bro. [claps]
-Alright, get in on this,
get in on this.
So, so electric
[Lucas] Lead, overgrown freak.
-Ooh, no aim assist needed!
-Let's go, bro.
-Let's go!
-Great.
[cup clinks]
Staring at me
You're stone-cold stunning
-I've been defeated
by your shadow attack.
Enter the Plains
of the Dying Light.
-Hey, Brian.
Can you send the level 5 files
over to the shared drive?
[bell dings]
Yes, this is exactly
what I'm talking about.
I wanna see them clashing,
you know?
-Okay.
-Hey, Lady Bree,
I've got a gift for you.
-Oh! [giggles]
-Look at that.
-[Bree gasps] Megazomb!
-Old Megazomb.
-Wait, the Megazomb?
-Get over here, Charlie.
-Yeah. You have to see this.
-Brian,
I'm gonna send it to you.
-Hold on, give me two seconds.
-Bro, what does that look like?
-Oh, dude! That's crazy.
-[Bree] Right?
-Yeah. And the scale compared
to the grunts,
it's perfect.
-Wow, bro.
Hey, is this a Quicksand level?
-Can't tell the difference,
can you?
-No, bro, I can't.
-[Bree] Can't even tell!
-[laughs]
-What?
Dude, that's crazy, man.
-I know, this is my magnum opus.
Let's go.
-Render that.
-It'll be rendered
and ready to go, alright?
-Don't get too c*ck,
you have encountered
a fire elemental.
[groans]
-[Toby]
I wanna cast an ice bolt.
-I want more sinew in this.
-[Lucas] More sinew?
More sinew, you've got it.
-You know, and more blood.
I mean, look at these guys,
it's the apocalypse, right?
-[Gibbs] You need a 17 hit.
What'd you get?
-[Toby] Twenty-one.
-[Gibbs]
Oh! Alright, roll your damage.
-[Lucas] Yeah, I think levels 1
through 20 are ready to render.
-One through 20?
-[Lucas] Brian, you get that?
Oooh, oooh
Look at that.
Right there.
Seems so sweet
So so electric
[grunts] God, I love it!
-[Bree] To The Collective!
-[all] To The Collective! Whoo!
-Oh, it tastes like victory!
[Bree giggles]
-And here's
to our lead producer, Bree.
-Guys... but you all worked
together so well,
it didn't even feel like work.
-It didn't.
It felt like the old days,
actually.
-Okay. Okay.
Stupid question,
but what if we go independent?
We'd make a lot more money.
-Absolutely not, okay,
he is this close to his dream.
I am this close
to my dream job.
-Dude, I owe them $150,000
if we don't deliver.
-Alright. Well,
what if we go out tonight?
-I'd like to celebrate.
-Let's do it.
-Yeah.
-No, no, no.
No, no, because you
have to work tomorrow.
Tomorrow's the big day.
Okay, just a little bit?
-Yeah. Just a little bit.
[laughs]
[zombie growls]
[expl*si*n echoing]
[heavy footfalls]
[Cowboy grunts]
-Nervous?
-Surprisingly no. Just proud.
-The completed game is great.
I'm seeing sequels, prequels,
spin-offs, merch.
This is a franchise.
- I mean, guys, what can I say?
I've got a special gift
for unearthing new talent.
- Yeah, you also have a
special talent for losing them.
Where are we
on Charlie's contract?
-What I am gonna need you to do
is I am gonna need you
to sign a contract
here at the Qube.
It's just a three-year
standard thing, alright?
-Me, here at Sugar Qube?
Wow.
-And Breezy,
you have saved my bacon
and it won't be forgotten.
Raindrops!
It is time for you to sign
over that game
and collect your giant paycheck.
Do it, Charcoal.
[snickers]
[rubbing hands]
[heartbeat pulsating]
[low, emotional music]
-What are you reading?
-[Young Charlie]
Oh, uh, I'm reading a book
about video game programming.
-Why do you wanna make games?
[heartfelt music]
-[voice echoes] Charlie?
-You and your friends
are gonna change the world.
-[Young Charlie's voice]
And that's my dream.
- [Young Bree's voice]
Here's what we're gonna do.
We're gonna prove
your mom right.
I mean, look at
what you've already made.
Swords of the Flame...
Ooh, Lone State.
I love that one.
[Young Bree's voice] It's Rambo
meets the apocalypse in Texas.
-Charlie? Are you okay?
-No, um, no, I'm not.
This, uh, this isn't right.
-What did he say?
-We can do it ourselves, Bree.
Come join The Collective.
We can go indie,
publish it ourselves.
-Charlie, we talked about this.
-Working here isn't my dream.
It wasn't your dream either.
Making games together,
that was the dream.
-Hey! Look here, guy.
This is my game.
-Actually, it's our game.
And I'll sign the game
over if you want.
But we have a chance to do
what we've always wanted, Bree.
Think about it,
you, me and the guys
make the games
we wanna make together.
-Bree, Bree, you listen to me!
You make him sign that contract.
You make him pick that pen up
and sign that contract.
[seething] I made you.
I took all of your little clay
and I put it together
and I gave a big check in there
and now you are mine.
-What do you say?
Let's do it.
-You need to sign that contract.
That's my game.
-Come on.
-[Bree chuckles]
-Ugh! Sheryl!
[running footsteps]
-I can't believe
we just did that.
[triumphant music]
-Hey, Bree.
-Yeah?
-Sorry, I've wanted to do that
since the seventh grade.
-I've wanted you to do that
since the seventh grade.
[triumphant music]
-Let's go put this game out.
-Yeah.
-Come on.
-Gotta love Rainbow Road.
Watch out for the blue shell.
Blue shell.
Wow, look at this.
Seems like you two
figured it out.
[Bree laughs]
So, uh, what happened?
-I didn't sign.
-You're messing with me.
-Nope. He couldn't do it.
-[Lucas]
Whoa. We're gonna self-publish?
-If that's okay with you guys.
-Okay?
Of course it's bloody okay!
Wait, wait, wait.
What about the 150K?
-Well, we either deliver
a whole bunch of Timely Eats...
-Or we make this game a hit.
-Whatever we do,
we do together.
-Wow.
-A tribe.
-Well, you know what's better
than one tribe?
-Two tribes.
Welcome to the Onyx Guild.
-[Lucas] Wait, what?
-No way, Gibbs. What?
-You need a warlock, right?
-I can join you, right?
-Hey, hey.
We'll talk about it, guys.
We're not ready yet, okay?
-[Gibbs laughs]
-[Charlie] It's alright. Okay?
[Megazomb growling]
[suspenseful music]
[expl*si*n echoing]
[rapid g*nf*re]
Okay, all that's left to do
is press Submit.
-Hey. The game is good.
The game, it's great actually.
Most importantly,
the game is finished,
and it's ready for the world.
-Let's just go through
one more round of QA.
-Hit the button!
-Okay, fine.
[mouse clicks]
[rousing music]
Alright, let's get some sleep
and we'll check back
in the morning, okay?
[Charlie sighs]
[rousing music intensifies]
[zombies grumbling]
[horse galloping]
[exciting music]
[lamp clicks]
-Time to wake up. Sorry.
[soft chuckle]
Big guy, time to wake up.
-[sleepy groan]
-Morning. Time to wake up.
-I'm up. I'm up.
-Got that for you.
-[softly] Thank you.
[groans] Oh, my gosh.
Okay.
Good morning, Charlie.
-[Charlie] Hey.
-Hey.
-Hey. Come here.
-So, this can't be good.
-Yeah.
-You hiding from it?
-Something like that.
-Mm-hmm.
Let's look at it together.
-On three.
-I don't wanna.
-One...
-Please don't make me.
-Two...
-I'm not ready for this.
-Charlie, if you fail
with friends, you still win.
-Three.
-Aw man,
you guys checking out the count?
Listen up.
I think even if we never
get a single download,
we still did the right thing...
together!
-That's good, Lucas.
That's really good,
'cause we didn't get
a single download.
-Oh. Bummer.
-[Gibbs]
Have you tried refreshing?
-What?
-Have you tried refreshing
the browser?
-[Charlie] Uh, no actually.
Got a good thing coming
And it's all I need
We got 17,000 downloads.
-Seventeen thousand four hundred
-ninety-three downloads.
-Oh my god, guys!
Come here, come here!
-[Bree] Guys!
-Is this real?
-[Bree laughs]
-[excited chatter]
-Seventeen thousand--
-Four hundred and ninety-three!
-Oh my god!
-This is crazy!
-Okay, how did this happen?
-Hold on.
-Guys, can we--
-We did it.
-We did it.
-[laughs] Oh my god!
-Guys, we are on the front page
of Dark Gaming.
-What?
-No way!
-Yeah, yeah.
KTR needs a full walk-through
on our YouTube channel.
-[Charlie] I can't believe it!
-[Lucas] Can I refresh?
-[Bree] No, no, no.
-Hold on, hold on guys.
Okay.
-[shouts] Seventeen thousand
eight hundred!
-What? Holy!
-Oh my gosh!
-Keeps climbing!
[indistinct chatter]
Okay, okay, okay.
Go, go, go, go,
go, go, go, go.
-[Bree] Ready?
[all shouts, cheers]
Oh my god.
-Oh, my god!
-I can't believe
we just finished--
-Alright, Bry.
Go, go, go, go.
-[Vlogger 1]
What's going on, you guys?
I was bored last night.
I was up and this game
just randomly dropped.
-You guys,
I am only two hours
into Lone State.
-Lone State.
-Lone State.
-And let me tell you,
this game is incredible.
-Let's go to Texas
and check it out.
-Yours truly will be
at San Diego Comicon cosplaying
as James from Lone State.
-What do you think?
Cause I know what I think.
I think this is a 10 out of 10--
-From the world
to the level design,
it's a 10 out of 10 for me.
-And this is their first game.
Go support these devs.
I would love to see more
from them.
-I heard that there
is an all day event tomorrow
at Galactic Games
where you can actually pick up
a physical copy of this,
where they're promising a ton
of cool bonus content.
Uh, the first DLC
is called "Quicksand."
That sounds awesome.
[music fades]
-[laughs]
[muttering] Stupid.
[somber music]
Touche, Charlie Fleck.
Don't
Tell me to calm down
Look all around us here
[store door chimes]
-[Charlie] I don't believe it.
It's out of stock.
-That's a good thing. [giggles]
-I couldn't have done it
without you guys.
Wouldn't want to either.
Join the journey,
right, guys?
Alright.
Beer's on me tonight.
-Let's get out of here.
-Hold on.
Aren't you forgetting something?
-This is you today.
Page one.
And the final page,
that is when you get your first
real game on those shelves.
And then all the pages
in between,
that's how you get there.
Working hard,
failing, learning.
And having fun.
-Thanks, Mom.
[poignant music]
-Your mom would have been
really proud of you.
-She'd be proud of us.
One pic for the scrapbook?
-Yeah, let's do it.
-Alright. Alright, here we go.
One, two, three!
[camera clicks]
[all laughing]
[Charlie] Alright,
let's get out of here.
-[Lucas] Alright.
[inspiring music]
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Matter of Time (2026)
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Watch on Amazon Sci-Fi Merch Collectables
Space, Time-travel, Futuristic, Aliens, Sci-Fi movie collection.
Space, Time-travel, Futuristic, Aliens, Sci-Fi movie collection.