Jin-ho, with his usual casual grace, took centre stage. The Realm Device, a sleek, futuristic headset, was already adorned on his head, its sensors lightly glowing as they aligned with his brain's electrical signals. He sat down in the seat Hae-won had prepped for him, adjusting the headset with ease, and gave a nod to Hye-su, signalling that he was ready. This was their moment—the culmination of all their hard work.
As Jin-ho settled into the chair, the screen behind him flickered to life, and the audience held their breath in anticipation. The name NexaRealm flashed across the screen in bold letters. Hye-su, standing beside the display, began her part of the presentation.
"NexaRealm," she began confidently. "Is the next evolution of gaming and virtual reality. Derived from 'nexus,' which means to bind or connect, NexaRealm aims to bind the real world with the fantasy world in ways never seen before."
The judges leaned in, intrigued. They had seen virtual reality tech before, but something about this presentation seemed different, more ambitious.
Jin-ho, now fully immersed in the system, sat motionless in his chair, but on the screen, his avatar was alive, standing in a vibrant, open world. The graphics were stunning, far beyond what most VR games could achieve. Every movement, every blade of grass swayed as if it were truly real. Jin-ho's avatar looked around, taking in the landscape, and the audience could feel the immersion radiating off the screen.
Hae-won, stationed at the control panel nearby, monitored the system carefully. She checked the data, ensuring that everything was running smoothly. Her eyes darted between the feedback on her screen and Jin-ho's gameplay projected behind them. She couldn't afford any technical glitches now—not with the judges watching so closely. Her nervousness from earlier was gone, replaced by the steady focus that came from hours of working on this project.
Hye-su continued speaking, her voice clear and confident.
"Unlike traditional virtual reality, which limits the player's interaction to a superficial level, NexaRealm goes beyond that. VR still anchors players to the real world—they can feel the headset on their head, their feet on the ground, and their body's limitations. The movement is often clunky, and while you can see and hear the game, there's a certain detachment that breaks the immersion."
Jin-ho's avatar in the game world began to run, the fluid motion a stark contrast to the robotic movements of typical VR games. His real body didn't move an inch in the chair, but in the virtual world, his character sprinted across a lush green field.
"What makes the Realm Device revolutionary," Hye-su explained. "Is that it interacts directly with the brain's signals. Using EEG technology, the device bypasses traditional input methods. Jin-ho doesn't need to use his hands, a controller, or even his voice to interact with the game. Instead, his thoughts and brain activity control everything. Watch."
The audience's eyes were glued to the screen as Jin-ho's avatar approached a tree. Without any physical movement from Jin-ho himself, the avatar reached out and touched the bark. The texture, the roughness of the tree trunk, looked so real that the judges instinctively leaned forward as if they could feel it through the screen.
Jin-ho's hand didn't physically move, but the avatar grasped the bark, testing its strength. Hye-su glanced at Jin-ho before continuing.
"In NexaRealm, you don't just see or hear the game—you feel it. The brain is tricked into perceiving the game world as real. When Jin-ho touches the bark, his brain receives feedback, making him believe that he's feeling the rough texture of the wood. This extends to all senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, even smell. Every part of the game is as real as it can get."
One of the judges raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed, and leaned in closer to observe the gameplay more intently. The room was filled with murmurs of astonishment, the weight of their achievement sinking in.
Jin-ho's avatar moved smoothly through the game's environment, interacting with objects as if they were real. He didn't have to move his real body at all; the connection between his brain and the game was seamless. The Realm Device had eliminated the need for physical input, offering a far more immersive experience than traditional virtual reality ever could.
"In NexaRealm," Hae-won chimed in from her station. "Your imagination is the only limit. You don't have to worry about controllers, restrictive movement, or even physical space. You can sit down, lay back, or even close your eyes, and the game will still respond as if you were inside the world itself. Every sensory experience is translated through the brain, making it as real as possible."
Hye-su advanced the slides, now showing the intricate EEG diagrams, as she continued explaining,
"What you're seeing now isn't just a virtual world—it's a direct interaction between the brain and technology. Jin-ho's thoughts tell the device what he wants to do, and it sends signals back to his brain to simulate those experiences in the game world. This is what separates NexaRealm from anything else. The brain believes the game world is real."
As Jin-ho's avatar ventured deeper into the virtual landscape, the judges watched in awe. The avatar knelt, picking up a small stone, and Hye-su's voice continued, calm but impassioned.
"Imagine the possibilities. No more clunky controllers or VR headsets that remind you you're still in the real world. Instead, players experience every detail as if they were there themselves—because to the brain, they are there."
The judges exchanged glances, clearly impressed. One of them, a professor, leaned back in his chair and whispered something to the guest beside him, nodding with approval.
From a team of students, they were witnessing something revolutionary.
As Jin-ho's avatar continued to interact with the world around him, Hye-su and Hae-won worked seamlessly beside him, explaining and monitoring every detail. It was clear now: NexaRealm wasn't just an ambitious project—it was the future of gaming. And this was only the beginning.
As Jin-ho's avatar finished its final interaction in the NexaRealm, the virtual world slowly faded from the screen, replaced by a simple logo: NexaRealm - The Future of Gaming. The presentation had reached its conclusion, and for a moment, there was silence in the room. Hye-su, standing next to the screen, took a breath, feeling the weight of the moment settle on her. Hae-won, still focused on the system's control panel, glanced nervously at the audience.
Then, the applause started—quiet at first but quickly growing louder. Soon, the hall was filled with the sound of hands clapping enthusiastically.
Jin-ho, still seated, removed the Realm Device from his head with a calm smile, as if he had known this reaction was inevitable. He looked over at Hye-su and Hae-won, giving them a small, knowing nod. His confidence in their project had been unshakable from the start. But for Hye-su and Hae-won, the overwhelming response was unexpected.
Hye-su, who had been somewhat sceptical of the project's impact, stood in shock. Sure, they had worked hard, developing and refining the Realm Device alongside Jin-ho, but in her mind, it was still just a prototype—a first-generation model that had a long way to go. She'd often considered NexaRealm nothing more than an ambitious school project, something that would fade into obscurity once they graduated. After all, they were just students, with limited resources and knowledge.
She glanced at Hae-won, who stood wide-eyed next to her, equally stunned. The applause continued, echoing throughout the hall, and for the first time, the reality of what they had accomplished began to sink in. They had done something truly groundbreaking.
"I can't believe it," Hae-won whispered, her voice barely audible over the clapping. "Did we… did we just pull that off?"
Hye-su nodded, though she was just as astonished. They had seen NexaRealm as nothing more than a foundation, a starting point, but it was clear now that the impact was much greater. What they had presented wasn't just another tech demo or a minor improvement on existing VR technology. They had introduced a concept that could change the entire gaming industry—possibly more. And the judges, the audience, everyone in the room could see that too.
As the applause finally began to die down, one of the judges, an industry expert, stood up and spoke into the microphone.
"This is, without a doubt, the most impressive student project I've seen in years. The potential here is immense, and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that you've just opened the door to a new era of gaming." He smiled, looking directly at the trio. "You should be proud of yourselves."
Jin-ho, still relaxed in his seat, finally stood up, stretching as if the presentation had been nothing more than another day at the office. He grinned at Hye-su and Hae-won, who were still reeling from the praise.
"You saw this coming, didn't you?" Hye-su asked, her voice low but filled with admiration.
Jin-ho shrugged casually.
"I had a feeling," he said with a smirk. "But it's only the beginning. We haven't even scratched the surface of what NexaRealm can be."
Hae-won shook her head, still unable to believe it.
"But… it's just a prototype. We don't have the resources, the time, or even the expertise to make it any bigger. We're students."
Jin-ho chuckled softly.
"True. But now we've shown them the vision. And that's how every revolution starts—with a vision. We may not have the energy or resources to build the world of NexaRealm just yet, but we've laid the foundation. The rest will follow."
Hye-su took a deep breath, the weight of what they had just done sinking in fully. They had created something much larger than they had ever anticipated. Something that could change the course of not only gaming but perhaps how people experienced reality itself. The project they had doubted, the technology they thought was just a small step forward, had turned into something far more significant. They had opened the door to a new world, and there was no turning back now.
"Well," Hye-su said, a small smile creeping onto her face. "I guess we've just created the future."
Jin-ho grinned wider, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of what lay ahead.
"A new world. A new generation. And we're just getting started."
The three of them stood together, side by side, as the applause faded and the hall began to empty. Despite all their doubts, they had just introduced the world to something revolutionary. And while they had no idea what the future held, one thing was clear: NexaRealm was no longer just a project. It was the beginning of something far, far bigger.