Everything started with a closed beta release of a new MMORPG.
Chris had entered into an online random lottery held by a new Game Studio startup called Next Level Games, or NLG for short. The winning prize was a beta key to their first game which was promoted as -
"Beyond realistic, venture into the next level of VR gaming. Be the first one to actually explore a fantasy world as if it were real."
Chris never thought he would really win, but his username had clearly been called out as the winner. Shortly after he received an email with a download link and beta key.
After having downloaded the game, equipped his VR gear, and entered the key, Chris starts up the game. He is met by a welcome screen of an elegant, but slightly underdressed woman. It's not that Chris has an issue with games relying on sex appeal, but the concept was starting to become a bit worn out.
Then out of nowhere the welcome screen, which had just been a still image, seamlessly turns into a full and interactive world. The leaves of the trees in the background, which in all honesty Chris had yet to notice behind the gorgeous woman, started fluttering in the wind.
The woman has long white hair, and purple eyes and was dressed in a short blue and white dress with a deep neckline. With her perfect skin, she looked like a goddess.
She turns her head to Chris and cheerfully exclaims, "Finally an adventurer! My name is Nina and I'm a fairy tasked by the gods to welcome new adventurous souls to our world."
Chris waves and say, "Hi Nina, this game is absolutely amazing! I have never seen such graphics. It feels as though I have traveled to a whole new world."
Nina briefly looks a bit confused, but then she quickly regains her warm smile. "I have the power to grant you three wishes. However, I must warn you that my power is limited. If you were to wish for the world, I might give you a map of it."
Chris answers, "Oh, that sounds exciting and perhaps a bit tricky. Do you have any suggestions as to what I might wish for?"
Nina seems to think of an answer for a few moments, but then readily answers. "You could wish for almost anything. It could be wealth, a home, or special equipment. Or qualities such as beauty, charm, strength, or intelligence. It could even be special skills like martial arts, magic spells, or proficiency in a craft."
Chris is already imagining all the possible things he could wish for. This is really exciting, but it also feels like an important decision.
Nina continues, "I would suggest that you wish for something that would help you defend yourself, something to survive in the wild, and something that would help you earn a living. Oh and one more thing, you have to decide within 5 minutes or I will choose for you."
After hearing that last part, Chris becomes stressed and decides to not overthink things too much.
Chris responds, "Since there are plenty of trees around I want to be a master woodworker. This could help me with all three areas you suggested. I could craft weapons, and tools, gather wood, build a home and trade my creations with others."
Nina is pleasantly surprised by this well-thought-out wish. "Then you shall be a Novice Woodworker. There will still be a lot of room for improvement, but your skills with wood will certainly be solid enough for your example uses. Your strength and dexterity will also be improved."
Nina asks, "What is your second wish?"
Chris answers, "I want to be in excellent health and form. I hope this will help me survive mild poison, avoid colds, and have good stamina."
Nina responds with a smile and simply says, "Done, you will be in above-average shape, with added resistance. What is your third and last wish?"
Chris takes a few moments to consider what his last wish should be. Then he realizes that he has always been jealous of people who could easily charm others, especially of the opposite sex. "I want to be really handsome and charming!"
Nina finds it difficult not to laugh at this last wish. It is so typical of boys. She lets out a slight chuckle. "I will improve your looks and give you a small tip as to how you might charm others. Smile, be polite and most of all confident."
Just as the last wish is granted, there is a gust of wind, and Nina the fairy disappears. You could hear her last words in the wind. "Good luck on your journey Adventurer!"
Chris realizes that he hadn't had much time to look around. The world is bright and colorful. It feels like summer, the sun is shining and it is warm and comfortable.
He is standing in the middle of a small clearing with trees all around. Chris thought to himself, I must be in a forest. The only structure here is this small shrine.
"I might as well go explore for a bit", he says to himself.
Chris starts going towards the sun, which seems to have risen fairly recently. This told him that he was heading East.
Chris thought of how he could keep track of where he was and realized that he had the same clothes and accessories on him as he did outside of the game. A pair of washed-out jeans, socks, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and most importantly a watch.
It didn't seem like the game had an easily accessible map, but he could at least use his watch to keep track of how long he traveled in a direction.
He walked toward the sun for fifteen minutes and saw nothing but trees, moss, and plants along the way.
This must be a fairly large forest. I should head back to the clearing and try a different direction.
Chris turns around and make his way back. It takes some extra time for him to find his way back again, but after thirty minutes he manages to step into the small clearing where he had started. He recognizes it by the distinct shrine. He takes a closer look at it.
It is shaped much like a small oriental house. Maybe you could think of it as a small pavilion in stone. On one side of it, there is a depiction of a woman. She looks a lot like Nina, but with a darker expression. She is also completely naked.
The level of detail, freedom of movement, and overall graphics really are stunning. The game mechanics seem completely realistic too.
The only downside Chris had seen so far, was being stuck in the middle of a forest. It didn't even seem like there was anything special to do out here.
Maybe it would be best to take a break and find something to eat. Chris hadn't even had breakfast yet.
This is when he realized that he didn't know how to quit this game. All the controls and feedback from all his senses were so realistic, too realistic. He could no longer find reality.
Chris started to panic. How can this be? How can I really be stuck in a game? This is like some sort of unrealistic nightmare. The type of thing that only happens in made-up stories.
Maybe I actually managed to fall asleep without noticing. I am a bit of a zombie in the mornings, so that could have happened. I should try pinching myself, hard. "Ouch!", he exclaims loudly.
After what felt like ages in a panicked state of trying to hurt himself to wake up, Chris calmed down a bit.
Maybe I should just try lying down a bit. I will probably wake up eventually. He was so exhausted after panicking that he immediately drifted off into his dreams...