Aquarian Age: Dreamworld Games

[Steve]

One of the hottest things to hit public awareness are the new "virtual reality" RPGs offered by Dreamworld Games. Utilizing the power of glamour in a new form of magitechnology, their patented "Dream Boxes" allow players to participate in shared, sustained illusion worlds. Like our Earth's MMORPGs, players construct an avatar using the character creation matrix before entering the game, allowing for total customization of appearance.

 

The games themselves are highly realistic experiences, and a player feels like they are really in their avatar's body, the glamour in the game creating a near-perfect illusion. Some only use the games for the social experience, staying in one of the various safe zones and roleplaying as their avatars. Others strap on gear and head out to seek adventure, gaining experience and earning new abilities.

 

The Dream Boxes contain a small quantity of solidified Glamour, which powers the game engine. A slender wire and circlet worn on the head connects each player to the game they wish to play.

 

The company's original offering, "Forever Quest" still draws millions of players each year. They have since expanded into other genres and licensed their game technology to other companies to fill smaller, niche markets.

[Steve]

Because playing the game mimics REM sleep as far as the body is concerned, Dream Boxes contain a timer that will warn players when they are exceeding safe amounts of time in the game. Attempting to go past four hours of play in a twenty-four hour period will trigger an automatic termination of the game, but some users will hack the software controlling their Dream Box to bypass that.

 

Extended use of the game can cause mild to severe sleep disorders and over-frequent play can cause a draining of vital energies similar to the way an Unseelie feeds on human prey, that energy being absorbed by the bit of Glamour within the Dream Box.

 

In addition to games, there are also "canned" sensorium entertainments available for purchase, which are essentially copies of a person's memories that can be experienced as if the viewer was really there instead. The most advanced versions of these can present a sandbox sort of play, allowing a player to explore the setting and try out different things.

 

There are a number of VR stars who are beginning to eclipse their peers in traditional entertainment such as movies and television.

[Cancer]

There would be a backlash against the games with the suggestion that playing the games causes abrasion of the soul, with the ground-off bits being collected for profit and power by the company, and the game-player permanently loses some inherent virtue and resistance to hostile magics. The company spends a lot of effort trying to discredit the backlash movement, which of course makes those who believe them even more convinced of the soul-reduction suggestion.

[Steve]

Yes, there are protests against the game, but bad side effects are not common. A person would have to bypass all the safeguards and play the game for twelve hours or more per twenty-four hour period to start having bad things happen to them. Rumors that the company has nefarious goals do hinder sales a bit.

[Lucius]

And of course every time some politician or group talks about banning them, sales go up

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Hey, maybe I should encourage someone to try banning palindromedaries....