From Novice to Ocean King: How I Turned Fishing into a Existential Game Design

The First Cast Was My Existential Crisis

I didn’t start as an Ocean King. I started as Kairo—a confused kid throwing lures like random numbers at dawn, convinced the sea was just a slot machine with fins. But then came the moment: what if ‘winning’ wasn’t about odds… but about presence? Like Rick and Morty in a stormy Pacific, I realized fishing isn’t about catching fish—it’s about choosing when to cast.

The Budget Was My Flow State

I designed my ‘Ocean Budget’: $50 per session, no more. No debt. No rage. Just 20 minutes on the pier, coffee in hand, watching ripples like slow-motion UI feedback. Every small bet became a meditation—each dollar, a pixel of intention. In game design terms: this is dynamic difficulty scaling applied to human anxiety.

The Deep Duel & Coral Feast

I call it ‘The Deep Duel’: when the tide turns blue and the nets glow neon-pink under moonlight. And ‘The Coral Feast’? That’s not an event—it’s an ancestral ritual where your last coin flips into legacy. When you hit that 800-NZD jackpot? It’s not luck—it’s alignment.

Four Rules of the Fisherman Philosopher

1. Start small—learn the rhythm before you roar.
2. When the bonus appears? Don’t hesitate—jump in.
3. See good? Stop.
4. The net is empty—but that’s when you hear the sea whispering: “Return to shore—that’s mastery.”

Victory Is Not Luck—It’s Choice

My therapist said: “You’re not chasing fish.” My therapist was right. The ocean doesn’t care if you win. But it remembers how you showed up—and that’s all that matters.