Maya leaned back, the neon glow of her virtual world finally reflecting in her eyes, perfectly optimized and ready for the world.

She took a breath and tapped the 'Launch' button one last time. The game loaded. The protagonist moved through the alleyway, the baked light catching the edges of the character's armor through tweaks. The frame rate counter stayed a solid, beautiful green: 60 FPS.

The breakthrough came with . She couldn't afford real-time bloom, so she used a clever trick: a simple emissive plane with a blurred texture to "fake" the glow around the neon signs.