Year 2100. It was the start of an era, and the beginning of a new century. The 22nd century.
The world celebrated like crazy, as if commemorating that rollercoaster of events that happened in the last century. War almost broke out several times, pandemics, culture craze, anime became a hit after becoming mainstream…
Indeed, looking back on it, it was quite a wild ride. Too bad, I was born during the early 2080s. There was quite a lot I've missed. However, if there was one thing I was proud of, it was the the fact that the VR Pods were perfected in my generation. The so-called dream of all early 21st century gamers.
It came quite late, but it had finally arrived by 2088.
I wasn't exactly sure how it worked as I wasn't much of a geek, but I loved playing the games in it. Modern Warfare Reimagined, League of Legends Arena, Halo… some classics from the early generations that we're remastered into Full-Dive editions!
The world of gaming had completely made a transformation from its invention. The filming industry began to decline as even players could make their own movies now, the movies were also moving into the world of virtual reality…
The virtual world had marked the beginning of a new era!
However, if there was a problem, it was that fact that there wasn't a function for online gaming in these pods. Sure, local area was possible, but that required expensive specialized equipment and the latest models of the VR Pods that only came out after 2092.
But now, at the year of 2100, the new device for VR technology was released, and it was completely different from all the others until now.
The Neuro-Reality Implant. It was a tiny device that could be implanted into one's brain, allowing one to have assisted calculations, could be linked to a device for remote access, and a lot of extra functions. It could also serve as a verification device for identity as it stored unique brainwave signature which was impossible to replicate. That alone took the interests of the politicians.
However, this isn't a story about politicians. This is a story about gaming, so there is naturally a few functions that could be called as the most important inside the world of gaming…
And the most important function it had, was that it allowed one to enter a virtual environment without a VR Pod. Its internal processor was simply that quick, and it also sent the data in a different manner from the VR Pods.
Unlike a VR Pod that directly sent sensory signals into the brain, the Neuro-Reality Implant converted these signals into a something similar to dreams, and all the grunt work was all done by the Implant's processor. Therefore, the brain took much less burden compared to using the VR Pods.
There was also many more differences, but I wasn't a tech fan, so I wasn't sure how it really worked. All I that I cared about was the claim that it was capable of networking. Not the local area one, but a worldwide connection.
Which meant it was capable of online multiplayer!
It was a new era for gamers!
The hype when it was first announced reached the roofs, but as should be expected, it also gathered a lot of mistrust.
There was a lot of controversies when it was first unofficially released five years ago in 2095, regarding how safe it was, and how it could affect real-life, but every gamers was practically "Who the fuck cares?!"
Indeed. It was a chance for all the VR Gamers to showcase their skills to the world, and experience the joy and pains of online gaming.
In VR edition!
The momentum of gamers was unstoppable!
As such, on its official release into public this year, it instantly became a massive hit that took the world by storm. At unprecedented scales that marked its influence on the world of technology itself!
* * *
May 21, 2100. 8:21 AM.
It was early in the morning, but I was already lining in a line that was as long as…I don't know. I couldn't see how much its stretched back. Maybe several hundred people?
My stomach was complaining, reminding me about the fact that I had yet to eat breakfast.
It was a massive miscalculation on my part. If I had known that the line was gonna be this long, I would have brought more food and drinks with me. It had been the second day since I began lining, but it seems that I was gonna be stuck here for long.
'Hm… from the looks of it, maybe it'll be my turn by the afternoon?' It was a damn long line.
And why was I lining in such a long line? Simple.
It was from the fact that the very first Neuro-Reality Implant VRMMO was going to get released today! As a man with the hobby of gaming, how could I miss such a historic event!
And it would be a shame not to—My house was just nearby!
And did I ever mention that I knew all of the faces that was lined up ahead of me? They're all my neighbors!
'Hm… It is indeed an unfair advantage, but the world had never been fair. I can only apologize for being so lucky, oh poor souls who will never reach get the game for today. Ha! ha! ha!' I thought to myself with a nod.
And so, I continued to wait as I slowly proceeded forward. The line was slow-progressing as usual, but by the afternoon, I finally got the game.
* * *
I went directly back home right after I bought my own copy of the game. Man, it was damn expensive. It took almost half of all my money I've saved up till now.
I returned to my room, and began to boot the game. Since the Implant was a wireless device, the game that I was gonna play needed to be plugged into a power source, and it worked like a server for the Implant to connect to.
It meant I could connect to it, and play it even if I'm away from home. As a gamer, having the reassurance that your game was with you without pretty much carrying anything, was priceless.
It was a genius piece of work, really.
I laid on my bed and prepared to connect to the game, but I almost forgot one thing.
"Ah, I forgot to eat…"
Eating was important. Even though I wasn't feeling any hunger due to my excitement, I wasnt the kind of person to lower the priority of my health. Health is wealth, people.
I quickly went downstairs, ate a hearty meal for the next half an hour, making sure my brain and body would get all the nutrients it needed. I then took another half an hour break, to let my body digest the food, and checked the time once more.
It was 3:44 PM.
'Hm… the server opened by 12:00 PM so maybe the others have reached level 3 already?'
It was my secret, but I was one of the very few alpha testers of the game. It was a miracle on how I managed to get my hands onto it, but it was just an accident where I was randomly surfing the net, and an ad about alpha testing of a game came out. It sounded interesting, so I signed up.
I didn't know what was going on with my head that time, bit I filled in even my personal address!
'Seriously, I'm still thankful I wasn't scammed or anything…'
What actually happened was that a delivery guy came, carrying a box with the copy of the game's alpha version, along with letter containing some money, instructions on how to start the game, and some reports I'd need to submit along with feedbacks to an email address.
'But the game that time didn't have any online multiplayer yet, so it was just solo playing on a massive open-world game.'
There was a lot of games like that on the VR Pod, so it was quite a letdown.
In any case, it was an interesting game overall, but I heard the beta version differed greatly from the alpha one. Now I was quite excited. Even though the game was a bit bland, it was still quite a fun game that tested one's reflexes.
'Well, I guess I better start logging in.'
And so, I went upstairs again, inside my room, and connected to the game.
I laid in a comfortable position in my bed, and closed my eyes. A panel appeared in my vision.
[Initiate game: Sword Phantasma MMO?]
[Yes] [No]
Without hesitation, I chose [Yes]. My vision immediately turned black, but I didn't panic like the first time. I had experienced this a lot of times before, and knew better now. The black vision suddenly flipped in color as it turned white, and a message appeared.
[Welcome to Sword Phantasma MMO!]