In the year 2070, the current world was beyond recognition. Gone was the past and once-familiar cities. To an incredible degree, technology was so advanced, The world was now a place of incredible wealth and privilege, but also of stark inequality.
Cities became bustling metropolis'. The streets were a maze of towering skyscrapers that pierced the clouds. The skies was full of neon lights, and flying cars that zipped through the air. The sky was a canvas of artificial stars, each one shining brightly and casting a surreal glow over the city below.
Humanity was at its highest peak ever. Technological advancements had changed everything. Humanity's population was at 14 billion, the highest that it had ever reached. The wealthy lived in sprawling mansions and penthouses, high above the clouds, while the rest of the population lived below them. For the less fortunate, home was an abstract term. Slums filled with apartment complexes so densely stacked one on top of the other in grim fashion was the norm for the impoverished. The world was sparse on land and space. It was a place where the divide between the rich and the poor was stark, where those at the top lived in luxury and those at the bottom struggled. For those who could afford it, life was a dream. For those who could not life was nothing but a daily fight for survival.
Robots and AI technology created long ago became part of daily human life. Each advanced to the highest degree that would not pose any risk to humans and animals. They had taken over most jobs, leaving people free, more free than ever before in history. This left people with the ability to spend more of their time.This ranged from the way people lived and worked to how they entertained themselves. This enabled them to pursue their passions and hobbies.
Jobs had become scarce, and the competition for them was fierce. Humanity's third frontier arrived.
Virtual reality was at first a means of escape. By logging into vast MMO game worlds where one could be whoever and whatever they wanted to be, became the norm. The technology eventually advanced beyond anything anyone had ever seen. It was indistinguishable from reality, and it was easy to lose oneself in the endless possibilities of the virtual worlds.
The world of virtual reality games has become even an increasing number prevalent. As the large conglomerates poured in immense amounts of time, effort and money into monetizing virtual reality. Entire industries had sprung up around VR, from game development to virtual real estate.Everything moved towards the digital world. This turned into a second life for humanity as the possibility to earn a living from exploring these vast worlds materialized.
With so much valuable data stored in the virtual worlds, it was only a matter of time before someone people started to exploit it. Virtual currency, selling valuable items on the VR markets started manipulating the the real world into having two currencies, digital and physical. Yet digital currency has become, the more more important and regularly used option and way of living daily life.
However, as with any new technology, there were downsides. VR addiction was a real problem, with some people spending months or even years logged in without ever leaving. The line between the virtual world and reality had become blurred, with some people unable to distinguish between the two.
This led to a blurring of the lines between reality and virtual reality, with people increasingly treating their virtual lives with the same level of importance as their real ones. As a result, traditional moral and ethical codes began to shift, as people's actions in virtual worlds began to have real-world consequences.
Players started to engage in behaviour that would be considered immoral or illegal in the real world, such as stealing, cheating, and even killing. For many it was acceptable as Players could act out their darkest fantasies with little real-world consequences, leading to a desensitization of violence and other harmful behaviour.
Simultaneously, virtual reality also provided an opportunity for people to explore and express aspects of themselves that they may not have been able to in the real world. It became a place where people could experiment with different identities. The virtual world gave people the ability to play as different races, species and otherworldly creatures.
This new-found freedom and anonymity led to the rise of online communities and subcultures, where people could connect with others who shared their interests and identities. However, this also led to the creation of echo chambers and the reinforcement of extremist beliefs and ideologies, as people became increasingly isolated from those who held different viewpoints.
Overall, the advent of virtual reality technology brought about significant changes in the way that people interact with each other and the world around them, leading to both positive and negative consequences for humanity's morals and values.
It was a dangerous time, but for those who could navigate the risks, the rewards were worth it.
The world and reality still existed, its challenges could only be faced head-on. However grim or bleak it was a reality that many had to face, including Leiff.
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Leiff had always struggled in the real world. Growing up in a lower-income family, he knew what it was like to scrape by with the bare minimum. His mother had always been sick, and his father had passed away when he was young, leaving him to take on the role of the family's breadwinner.
Leiff had tried his best to provide for his mother, working hard labour for long hours on end. It was never sufficient.The cost of medical care kept rising, and he found himself falling deeper into debt. He could not remember the last time he had a decent meal or even a good night's sleep.
Leiff heard about about Brave World, the new VRMMO that was being advertised as humanity's new journey. Brave World could provide the possibility of a new life for those of at the lower rungs of society. The conglomerates and the world government stated that with new inventions and technology it had co-produced Brave World with an autonomous AI. This would offer society a sort of reset, so that those in poverty could have a second chance at a better life.
The launch of Brave World was the opportunity for Leiff to start his life anew. If he could succeed in Brave World, he could cure his mother and offer her an easier life. He, himself could even afford to live life actually, instead of slaving away like he did.
started playing a variety of games, but it wasn't until he stumbled upon an MMORPG that things started to change. The game allowed players to earn real money through in-game activities, and Leiff had become obsessed with it. As he lay in bed at night, Leiff couldn't help but think about his future if successful within virtual reality. He wondered what new technologies were available, what would be possible to create, and what new worlds he could explore.
The government press release provided only basic information about Brave World. It was set in a fantasy world with Medieval and RPG influences. Brave World's promise was that it was so vast that it was equivalent to ten times that of the size of Earth.
Within Brave World, there was a choice between six races and three factions to create your character. It was referred to as an Avatar within the game.
Based on the forums and news released, when you start in Brave World every person had to choose a race. Each had a select set of stats and each would spawned in different parts of the globe in Brave World. Classes would only be possible when in game after the tutorial stage was completed.
The six races available were:
Humans
Dwarfs
Elves
Beast Races
Halflings. (A select combination of two of the above races.)
Dark Constructs
The Three factions where known as:
Element
Dark
Light
According to the main forum there would be sub factions. There would be story quests for each main and sub faction as well as each race would have a possible quest.
The main forum also stated that Brave World has nine continents and 12 main kingdoms. Each Kingdom had 2 sub territories and 3 beginner villages that one would randomly be teleported to after selecting a faction.
Before the release date Leiff had told himself that he would do research and plan his entry into Brave World carefully. Leiff would prepare to put in all his effort into creating a new life for himself. He would have to ensure that everything he did inside of Brave World was to maximize his money making efforts. He would have to calculate all the debt to acquire the game and its required hardware and the maximum amount of time that he could spend in the virtual world.
It would after all be the most important decision he would make regarding his current life and possible future.