Andy-Yes

I opened the large cardboard box and dug through the packing materials until I found the FutureGameX console and the VR headset.

I found the user manual with the words "Welcome to the FutureGameX family" across the top.

The headset in my hand was very large, similar to a motorcycle helmet. Even though it was large, it was extremely lightweight.

The console was about the size of shoebox, with LED indicators for power, online status, active players, etc.

I was excited to try this system out. The online reviews were all very positive. I really wanted to try Epic Quest. A full-immersion, internet-based, RPG-style game world, like virtual reality, but enhanced with Artificial Intelligence. It also had a neural interceptor. The neural interceptor allows you to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell things in the world just as if you were actually experiencing those things. It also helps to monitor your body's vital signs to ensure that you keep breathing, and your heart keeps beating, and you remain free from actual harm.

The Epic Quest game world had many different realms within it. There were sci-fi realms with lasers and space ships, similar to Star Wars. There were fantasy realms with elves and orcs and wizards, similar to LOTR. There were realms which were more historically based, from the dark ages to the modern age. Some realms were based on Earth and others were in galaxies far away. There were even realms that had not yet been settled and were therefore able to be shaped by players if they chose to claim it and spend the time and gold to develop it.

After I had the console all set up and everything plugged in, I sat down on my gaming chair, took the headset in my hands and looked around my bedroom one last time. I slipped the headset on and pressed the power button on the helmet and waited for the console's modem to connect...

Suddenly I couldn't feel my body anymore. I looked around, but everything was black. I couldn't see anything. I held my hand up in front of my face and could not see it. Then I heard a melodic voice,

"Welcome to Epic Quest, adventurer! I am Bella and I will be your guide."

"I have set your Reality Check to 1 hour. Would you like to change this?"

This was the safety feature built into Ether, to remind you every so often that what you're doing is playing a computer game. I heard there were difficulties in bringing game testers out of the virtual world if they weren't reminded. It must have felt too real for them or something. And it's probably dangerous to remove the headset from someone if they're still connected. Shock, for one thing. So, they created this Reality Check, like an alarm clock, to wake you from your dreams.

I said, "Yes, I want to change the Reality Check."

"Please specify the new time value for your Reality Check."

"Three hours will do," I said. I wanted to get a good play out of this thing before being reminded that it's only a game.

"3-hours. Very well. You can change the reality check whenever you wish by accessing the player interface known as a HUD."

"Now on to the creation of your character/avatar. Here you will be able to edit your avatar's appearance as well as your stats."

Suddenly a monitor appeared in front of me with a black background and blinking white cursor. Just a suddenly, letters began to form words...

CHARACTER CREATION:

NAME:

GENDER:

RACE:

APPEARENCE:

ADVANCED APPEARENCE:

CLASS:

PROFILE:

SPECIALITIES:

ITEMS:

"Please select what you wish to alter, or you may choose the randomizer."

The screen emitted a beam of light that coalesced into a 3D, wire frame model of a humanoid, slowly rotating. It was an androgynous model waiting to be molded by someone. This must be the basic model, I thought. Have to change that, then. I thought about advanced appearance options, and all of a sudden, I was presented with a screen full of measurements, each one paired to a scroll bar.

Making a likeness of myself suddenly became a little more daunting. Then it hit me. Why should I bother making an avatar that looks like me? Here I could be someone else entirely. I mean, this is just a game, right? Why not choose an avatar and character class completely different from the real me? What do I have to lose? With that in mind, I set about creating my avatar...