Living in an Alternate Universe
Have you ever wanted to live in an alternate universe? Thanks to Oculus Rift, you can.
The book “Eye of the Minds” by James Dashner brought to life the fact that children and adults wanted to go past their daily mundane lives and live in an alternate universe where they could eat, drink, and play games with their friends.
Each ‘level’ of the universe holds a different set of games. They have kiddie games, ring-toss games, and even adult (killing) games. Throughout the whole of the VirtNet, there are shades of people who live there but are the ghosts that are the ones who are forced to live there. These people were created by the men who invented the VirtNet. These are avatars that cannot leave their specific spot and they are always the same to everyone who meets them.
Each person who wants to be in the VirtNet has to buy a ‘coffin.’ These coffins protect the bodies of the people while they are in the AU (Alternate Universe). Besides protecting the bodies, the ‘coffin’ helps the body maintain their level of life. The ‘coffin’ feeds them by inserting robotic wires into the bodies of those inside their coffins. The quality of the coffins depends on the amount of money the person wins throughout his time in the VirtNet. Everything in the real world parallels the AU. Other than each person needing a ‘coffin,’ a microchip is implanted into each person’s wrist. This is a key component. If the person dies while in the VirtNet, they will reappear somewhere else (similar to spawning). If the person has taken out their chip and dies in the game (either purposely or accidentally), then they are stuck in the ‘coffin,’ basically dead, balancing between the VirtNet and the real world (limbo).
The book stars three kids who are playing the VirtNet. These kids never met in person. They met each other over the VirtNet. They would meet once every week at a cyber café through the VirtNet. They made plans to meet in person, but it was so much more convenient for them to meet online, never leaving the comfort of their homes and ‘coffins.’ Once they defeated the many games, they continued playing. They had met each other once out of the VirtNet, but they never planned on meeting again.
Now, I don’t want to give away the plot of the story and everything that James Dashner has tried hard to show the world. I am going to compare this wonderful interpretation of the future of our world to the very real possibility of this coming true with the Oculus Rift.
Palmer Lucky created the Oculus. He created the Oculus project on Kickstarter in order for everyday gamers to get ahold of the Oculus and enjoy the possibility of being involved and immersed into the gaming world. He wanted an immersion of gaming. He wanted the ‘matrix’ of being able to plug it in and be a part of the game. Everyone who had tried the prototype said about the same thing: “The immersion was amazing.” This is what he wanted everyone to experience: the immersion of the character (person turned avatar), the involvement of the person in the game. Once the screen becomes the eyes of the player, everything will change.
Yes, many gamers will want this experience, but once we build more games that interact peoples’ avatars (like Runescape, League of Legends, and World of Warcraft), the gaming world will change. Once we build more games that include these features, but involve more ‘everyday’ features, people will start meeting others through these experiences involving the Oculus.
Many people stated: “It is a high end virtual reality experience available to the average gamer.
The reason for the Oculus is for the gamers to “No longer look at the screen. Actually being there in the world.”
While these are valuable reasons, we need to look at what James Dashner is showing us. A world where this is a very real possibility and that people ignore personal and physical interactions and focus on the virtual and ‘fake’ relationships and interactions. Many authors have an innate sense and ability to show insight into the future and show readers how a future many work if something comes true. While James Dashner is not a prophet or fortuneteller, he could very well be showing us how the world may end up one day with the help of the Oculus Rift.
