For our friend and mentor Janet "Sydski" Gaëta,
who created Good Game and Good Game: Spawn
Point. It is because of her that we began to share the
wonderful, imaginative world of video games with kids
(big and small) everywhere.—S.B. + S.O.
Rocketpig, to our games past, present, and future.—C.K.
Text copyright © 2016 by Stephanie Bendixsen and Steven O'Donnell
Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Chris Kennett
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920,
557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks
and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
This edition published under license from Scholastic Australia Pty Limited.
First published by Scholastic Australia Pty Limited in 2016.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded,
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Scholastic Australia, an imprint of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited, 345 Pacific
Highway, Lindfield NSW 2070 Australia.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
e-ISBN 978-1-338-23757-3
First printing 2018
Book design by Baily Crawford
the FLoor
is lava
T
he gamer’s skin prickled with heat as he
leapt from stone to stone, narrowly avoiding
glowing sparks of fire and popping explosions of
molten rock. One false step and it would be
GAME OVER. All he had to do was clear this
platform section and make it to that narrow
doorway, glowing bright atop the final stepping-
stone.
There were several paths ahead.
Some of the rocks looked cracked and
unsteady. Others bobbed in and out
of the bubbling river of lava that
surrounded him. He would
only have one shot at
selecting the correct
stones to bear his
weight.
He waited as a boulder emerged momentarily
from the molten river before leaping onto it, limbs
flailing as he struggled to regain his balance.
Immediately, he took another step, right before
the boulder disappeared again beneath the lava’s
surface.
Beads of sweat started to appear all over his
skin. The heat was fierce and distracting, making
him dizzy.
Keep going. Don’t stop!
He carefully selected the next set of stones
and made a confident leap toward a large, flat
rock that sat a little higher above the boiling river.
As soon as his foot touched down, he knew
he’d chosen incorrectly. Something clicked
beneath his boot—and his heart stopped.
He had barely a moment to turn and see the
flaming arrow that had been triggered by the trap
he’d stepped on before it plunged directly into his
chest. White-hot heat engulfed him.
He opened his mouth to cry out, but he already
4
felt his body dissipating into pixels—and he had
no voice to speak with.
Looking down, he saw his hands fading,
shifting, pixelating—until they had blinked out of
existence completely. This was it.
NOOOOO!!!
GAME OVER
He had failed. The burning, molten river
continued to churn and surge against the rocks.
The gamer waited to be taken back to the menu
screen, so he could respawn and start again.
Nothing happened.
Why . . . why am I still here?
6
things are
about to get
inreal
R
ipley stared at the digital alarm clock on his
bedside table.
6:59.
He glared at the
numbers from his pillow, willing them to tick over.
Any moment now . . .
7:00.
BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEE—
7
Ripley slammed a hand down onto the clock,
silencing the alarm. He leapt out of bed with such
a strong burst of excitement that his foot got
caught in the sheets and he tripped, almost
landing on his face.
“Whoa!” he yelped, relieved no one saw his
first act of clumsiness for the day. He gathered
himself up, catching sight of his disheveled and
slightly red-faced reflection in the bedroom
mirror. His features settled into an expression of
fierce determination.
“Today’s the day, Rip,” he said to himself. He
smoothed his hair over, trying to coax back the
flattened part that
always seemed to get
stuck in the same
position when he slept,
making him look like
he’d been caught in a
windstorm.
Today was the day of
the school field trip.
8
Like everyone else, Rip liked getting the
chance to spend a day out of the classroom.
But most field trips didn’t really thrill him
beyond that. They were more fun for the kids
who were good at math or science or sports or
music.
But Rip—he was one of the best gamers in the
school. Everyone knew it, and it was something
he was very proud of. So that’s why this field trip
was a BIG deal for Ripley. Today they would be
visiting INREAL GAMES—one of the biggest gaming
companies in the world.
They were responsible for all the greats:
TEAMFORCE SPLATTER
Dungeons of Direworld
Space Horizons 1, 2, 3, and 4
. . . and so many others. He couldn’t wait to
see the very place where all these games were
made.
Besides, who knows? Maybe today he’d be
able to take a peek at some secret, unannounced
game that INREAL was working on. He could show
9
off some of his skills, and they’d see what a
dedicated, highly skilled gamer he was. “This kid
has a bright future in video games!” they’d say.
“Perhaps he should skip school altogether and
come work for us
!”
Caught up in the daydream, Rip quivered with
glee at the thought. He hoped to create his own
games for INREAL one day . . .
“RIPLEEEEYY. I DON’T HEAR THE SHOOOWEER.”
Ripley snapped back to reality.
“SORRY, MOM!”
He fished around for his towel amid the messy
chaos of his room, managing to retrieve it from
beneath a pile of video-game boxes (none of
which had the correct games in them).
No more time for daydreaming. Today, he
absolutely would not be late.
Mei Lin grabbed the last empty seat on the
school bus and plonked her schoolbag down
next to her. Perfect. With no one next to her,
10
she’d be able to just play on her portable
gaming device without any fuss or interruptions.
She liked it better that way.
Mei pulled out her Digi-Play and loaded up
Dungeons of Direworld
—it was her favorite,
and she was on the second to last boss. So far,
she hadn’t been able to beat it, but she knew she
was close.
As she waited for the level to load, she cast
her eyes around the bus.
11
“Why haven’t we left yet?” she asked one of
the kids behind her. It was Angela, who had
decided to start munching on her packed lunch
already.
Angela shrugged. “I think we’re still waiting for
someone,” she said, chewing with her mouth
open. Seeing Mei’s unimpressed reaction, she
grinned. “Do you like see-food?”
She opened her mouth wide, giving a decent
view of half-chewed peanut butter
and jelly sandwich.
“Ugh. Gross, Angela.” Mei
scrunched up her face and
turned back around to see
Ripley standing alongside
her seat and glaring at her.
Mei didn’t know Ripley
very well, but she knew
he was a good gamer. She’d seen him posting
his high scores and speedruns online, and some
of them were better than hers. A lot better. It
was annoying.
12
“I said, move your bag,
please.”
Mei begrudgingly pulled
her bag off the seat and
glared back at him. Rip sat
down next to her and
sighed. It looked like he’d just been running.
He shot a sideways glance at her. “I missed my
train,” he explained.
“Oh. So you’re the reason we’re going to be
late to INREAL,” Mei replied. “Thanks a lot.”
Rip didn’t say anything. He just folded his arms
and stared ahead.
Mei went back to her game, letting her hair fall
down over her face like a curtain to block out the
world. Mei’s hair was like her safety net. It was
glossy and black, but she liked to clip a blue
hairpiece into the front for a bit of a “punk vibe.”
She figured it made her look rebellious and
people would be less likely to mess with her. Mei
hit start on the console and the boss fight
began almost immediately. She had only managed
13
to get a few hits in, however, when she noticed
Rip leaning over her.
“I know a better way to win that fight,” Rip
said, matter-of-factly.
Mei scowled slightly. “No, thanks. I want to
figure it out for myself. Besides, I need the
practice. I’m going to win the competition today.”
Rip’s heart almost stopped. “Competition? What
competition?”
“Are you serious?” Mei’s eyebrows went up in
disbelief. “I assumed you’d be all over it. The
contest being held at INREAL GAMES today
between all the students. The gamer with the
highest score will get to test out some new title
they’ve been working on.”
Rip’s mouth fell open. A BETA test! That HE could
be a part of? How did he not know about this?!
“It was on the permission slip,” said Mei, as if
reading his mind.
14
She went back to her Digi-Play, her fingers
deftly skating across the buttons on the game
pad.
He’d been so excited when he saw the words
“FIELD TRIP” and “INREAL GAMES” that he hadn’t
even bothered to read the rest of the note. If he
had known about a competition, he would have
been putting in extra gaming hours to really get
his skills up. He glanced nervously over at Mei.
The bus engine suddenly roared to life. Rip’s
mind was racing. This could be it. This could be
the day that changed his life forever.
“HA!” Mei exclaimed, then blushed, clearly
embarrassed that she’d been so loud. “Got ’im!
See? Told you I could do it.” She held up the Digi-
Play casually, showing off her score.
She was good. Curse it!!
Rip sank down into the seat. If he didn’t win
the INREAL competition today, this could turn
what was meant to be the best day of his life into
the worst.
15
un-fun
factory
I
NREAL GAMES was surrounded by a massive
cement wall that seemed unusually tall.
Surely this wasn’t the game studio? Ripley and
the other students were expecting an exciting,
bustling fun factory, but this looked more like a
prison.
They drove alongside the wall for what felt like
hours until they reached a smooth, blue section
which appeared to be the way in. There was a
man with a clipboard, waving them down.
The bus came to a halt, the doors opening at
the same time. The bus driver leaned her head
down the aisle and barked, “EVERYBODY OUT!”
Rip leapt up, pushing past the other kids to
exit the bus. Mei shook her head, and carefully
powered down and packed up.
16
Rip stepped off the bus. He was sweating, and
still panicking about the contest. “It’s OK, Rip.
You can do this,” he mumbled. “Rely on your
skills. You’ve been in competitions before. You’ve
got this.” He looked up to see Mei directly in
front of him, staring.
“Do you talk to yourself a lot?” she asked.
“It helps me focus,” he said, frowning.
“Please focus more quietly,” Mei replied.
The man with the clipboard raised both of his
hands up in the air and waited until everyone
was quiet.
“Welcome, students,” he said in a
slow, monotone voice. “I am your INREAL
GAMES tour guide. Before we enter, I
need to go through the rules. We have
many rules. Rules make our company
work. Obey the rules and you will
have a fun day. Disobey the rules and
you will be removed and permanently
banned from all INREAL games. Rule
One, NO talking. Rule Two, follow me, in
17
a single line, as
soon as I stop talking. I will now
stop talking.”
The blue wall parted in the middle, opening
inward and revealing a long, smooth tunnel.
Clipboard Man walked through the doors, and
everyone lined up and followed politely.
Rip moved behind Mei and nudged her. “Can
you believe this guy is our tour guide?” he said.
“You’d think that he’d be a bit more excited, you
know, working in a video-game company and all.”
Mei glanced at him. “He said no talking,” she
replied, and turned back around, walking at a
slightly faster pace.
Soon the tunnel opened into a massive hall.
The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made out of
gray squares. The hall was filled with row after
row of cubicles. They were gray too. The chairs
were gray. The pens were gray. The computers
were gray. Each desk had one mouse, one
keyboard, and a computer. All gray. There was
nothing else on them. No video-game boxes, no
consoles, no controllers. Just rows of computers,
18
desks, and chairs. This did not look like the sort
of place where awesome games were made.
Rip knew that it took hundreds of people to
make video games, especially games with the
quality of INREAL GAMES titles. Where did the play
testing happen? Where were the exciting conver-
sations the developers were having, coming up
with new game ideas?
For that matter, where were the people?
“Where is everyone?” Mei uttered quietly.
“Shh, no talking!” said Rip, mocking her.
Walking through the deserted hall, they all
approached another large blue door, with TEST
CHAMBER #10481337 printed on it in white.
Clipboard Man raised both his arms high in the air
again, and everyone shuffled to a halt. He turned
around and said, “This is test chamber number
10481337. This is where you will be tested.”
The group of students looked at one another
uncomfortably. This was all happening very
quickly.
Sam, a talkative boy, and also a bit of a class
clown, put up his hand and started speaking
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