The year is 2076. Technology has advanced to the point where
virtual reality has become fact, rather than science fiction. Gone are the days
of clunky controllers or goggles, that only gave a crude facsimile of reality.
Artifacts of yesteryear are the huge pods that forced users to lie immobile in
order to work. Those primitive aids couldn’t compare to the abilities of the
Chip.
The original implanted computers were designed for the
military. Give a soldier the ability to process data faster, identify threats,
run facial recognition, use a tactical network to triangulate the source of a
sniper’s shot? The benefits were obvious. However, they were simply computers
placed in a soldier’s skull, linked to their gear by short range radio
communications. The real breakthrough didn’t come until 2025, when
neuroscientists were first able to have an implant interface and be controlled
directly with the human brain.
By 2035, all children were ‘Chipped’ at birth. The younger a
user started with the chip, the more neural connections formed, and using the
chip became as natural to them as breathing. The effects of this were profound,
increasing learning speed and memory retention. Even older people showed
benefits the longer they used the chip. As with any technology, familiarity
increased proficiency, but the pliable minds of children took that to a whole
new level.
In 2050, World of Destiny became the first VRMMORPG designed
exclusively for use with the Chip. Two weeks later, another company based in
China came out with the first pornographic Chip game, but people barely batted
an eye, and wondered what took them so long. Anyways, WoD was a major hit,
boasting a previously unheard of 88% realism rate.
One of the major finds during this time was that there was a
major ‘bleedthrough’ effect when using VR with the Chip. While the phenomenon
had been seen to some extent in the Pods of yesteryear, with the Chip, it
became pronounced. Bleedthrough referred to when traits learned in the real
world would manifest in the virtual environment, and vice versa. Of course,
this included things like skills and knowledge, but the effect of some titles
and achievements, especially those dealing with mental or social abilities,
could be seen as well. People who had social achievements in games gained
confidence in the real world, and people who had suffered hardships in real
life found that their gaming suffered as well.
However, even with 88% realism, the makers of WoD tried to
keep their game world as ‘safe’ as possible. Many actions that would be illegal
in real life were punishable with a system ban in game. Though many decried
this ‘easy mode’, none of the so-called ‘hardcore’ games were able to get any
traction against World of Destiny.
In 2072, Icestorm, the makers of World of Destiny announced
that they were developing a new VRMMORPG, which they were calling Age of
Anarchy Online. Set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, AAO proudly boasted a
110% ‘Better Than Life’ realism rate. Because of the high realism, and the long
time demand for something more ‘hardcore’ from their audience, Icestorm
announced that there would be no system rules in AAO. So long as you weren’t
hacking the system or exploiting bugs, the company wouldn’t stop you, whatever
you did. When asked about ‘virtual crimes’ in such a setting during an
interview, Icestorm’s CEO simply smiled, and said, “Just because there aren’t
system laws, doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. If you’re in a city, and
you break a law of the city, the guards will attempt to arrest you. If you kill
the guards, the city will post a bounty on your character. If you are caught,
then you will go on trial. If you are convicted, you’ll be sent to jail.”
“With AAO, we’re giving the players a chance to do literally
anything they can imagine. But don’t be surprised if you take your imagination
too far, and the NPCs, or other players, get imaginative on you. For this
reason, AAO is going to be restricted to users who are over 18.”
Now, in 2076, AAO is finally ready for launch.
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