As Raven pulled off his Virtual Reality headset, his eyes were greeted by the bright light of his VR room. Blinking as his eyes adjusted, he began to take off the rest of his VR setup. He started by removing the device that replicated taste from his mouth, and then unstrapped the cords strapped to each section of his body. Lastly, he removed his full-body haptic suit.
Stepping off the Omnidirectional treadmill, Raven stepped back and looked at the complicated VR devices. 'How surreal... this might be the last time I use this setup. I still remember the day I set it up. Man, that was such a pain in the ass!'
Raven yawned and began walking out of the room. 'Hell, a lot of the time I spent in there was a pain in the ass, as well! I swear, I spent four years of my life grinding trash mobs!'
As Raven walked through the hallways of his house, the smart lights automatically turned on. A short walk later, and he had reached his kitchen.
Raven's kitchen was a modern wonderland. Its stainless-steel appliances and dark, granite countertops were a marvel to behold. It had a built-in oven, microwave, and even a wine cooler. The lights were dim, giving the room a cozy feeling.
In the middle of the kitchen, Raven was pouring himself a cup of water. He had a tired look on his face, as if he had not slept well.
'Good god, I have spent way too much time in VR lately... I barely got any sleep the past week!'
As soon as it was announced that LGO was shutting down, the VR game they had been playing, Ella had wanted to make squeeze as much enjoyment out of the game as she could before it shut down.
'I swear, she has some kind of addiction. I don't mind playing the game, but there is no way I can keep up with her. Well, that's not surprising. After all, I only really play to spend time with Ella, and play pranks on people.'
LGO had been a masterfully crafted game. The combat, the progression, all the systems had been perfect. However, without a goal, and once the novelty wore off, the game quickly became hollow. It was not a unique experience nowadays...
With nobody to tell you what to believe, and without any outside adversities, the defining struggle of this era was finding a reason to care.
The world had become a utopia. Everyone's basic needs were met, and the threat of death was no longer a part of daily life. As a result, humanity had stagnated. It had reached a peak and could go no further.
As Raven pondered about the state of the world, he was interrupted by an alarm he had set earlier. Looking at the time, he began to walk to his bedroom.
'12:30... guess I spent too much time thinking again. Well, what else is there to do? Anyways, hopefully I can get good sleep tonight. Tomorrow is a big day after all...'
Tomorrow would be a monumental day for humanity, and the first technological advancement in centuries. It would be the release of the first ever fully immersive VR game, with VR that directly interfaces with the mind.
Liegthaven Online: a fantasy RPG, where the player would have a virtual body and could experience a world as if it were real.
Raven was not too excited. He had never had the same passion for VR games as Ella did, and he could not help but feel that it would be a repeat of LGO. However, fully immersive VR was sure to be a spectacular novelty.
Raven yawned as he entered his bedroom. 'I probably won't be bored for at least a few months... maybe I will even find something fun to do in there...'
Raven walked towards his king-sized bed, which was covered with a silk, black comforter. Climbing under the covers, he closed his eyes and was immediately asleep.
***
10:30 AM, Six and half hours until the release of Liegthaven Online.
It was a typical morning for Raven. He woke up groggy, and was forced to spend several minutes just getting out of bed. It was a miracle he managed to get up at all.
Finally, Raven stumbled out of bed and began the arduous process of getting ready. He went to his bathroom, and began to brush his teeth.
Looking in the mirror, Raven's mind wandered. 'Average complexion, average height, average looks... how did I roll the most boring possible combination with my genetics? Well, I guess I am a genius... so it all worked out.'
After taking far too long brushing his teeth, he took his shower. He was quick today, because he wanted time to set up the Full-Dive capsule: The new device that would allow him to play VR.
Next, he walked into his closet, which was filled with dozens of shirts, pants, and pajamas. He just grabbed a random pair of pajamas.
Finally, Raven walked into his kitchen, and began to eat the food his smart fridge had automatically cooked. In the modern era, it was not even necessary to go to the grocery store. Food was automatically delivered through an underground network of tunnels to every home in the world.
As Raven ate his breakfast, he began to become a little anxious. 'Dear god, hopefully it isn't a pain in the ass to setup the Capsule. Really, I should've set it up before today, but Ella kept asking me to get online... Who am I kidding, it's definitely going to be a pain. It requires a connection with the Sewage system, the water system, and the food chute. No way that is quick to set up.'
Raven sighed. 'At least I got it upstairs. Man, it was a pain to get it up there...'
As Raven finished his meal, he looked at the clock.
11:00 AM
'Great, only six hours left. I should probably have time to set it up. It would be cool to log on right as it launches.'
After putting his dishes in the dishwasher, he walked upstairs, and began to set up the Full-dive VR capsule.
***
Raven collapsed to the floor, drenched in sweat. 'Holy fucking goddamn fuckshit balls, I want to kill myself!'
Setting up the capsule had been exceedingly difficult. The bulky tubes and wires of the capsule had been terrible to move around, and the process of interfacing with the Home's Smart System had required a copious amount of troubleshooting and reboots.
After looking at his wristwatch, Raven wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled. 'Well, I got it done in time. So, whatever. Let's just hope I did it correctly...'
Walking over to the Capsule, Raven pushed the button the side, and watched as the Capsule automatically opened.
The inside of the Capsule was a deep black, in beautiful contrast to the reflective silver of the outside. The inside was cushioned and smooth, except near the top and bottom. At the top, where the head would rest, there was a bundle of complicated machinery that would wrap around the head. And near the bottom...
Raven shuddered. 'A hole where my butt will be, and a tube that will... Jesus, how long do the developers expect us to be gaming? I mean, I should've expected it since it had to be connected to the sewage and water systems...'
After pondering for a moment the rather disgusting prospect of shitting and pissing while trapped in a tiny tube, Raven shrugged and laid down in the capsule. As he did, the capsule began to automatically adjust to his size, and became much more comfortable. Also, two tubes automatically connected to his...
'Nope, not going to think about that.'
Once the capsule had adjusted to his size, the machinery closed around Raven's head, and a tube was inserted into his mouth. Then, a robotic voice spoke into Raven's mind.
"Do you wish to enter the virtual environment?"
'Well, with this tube I can't speak, so...'
Raven thought "yes" inside his mind.
"Understood. Enjoy yourself, and play responsibly."
And then everything went dark.