© Jerry Harris 2013
(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)
THE VIRTUAL WORLD
Basically, people’s virtual lives break down into two
different experiences. The
Non-immersive, that is the Net, and the immersive, which is Artificial
Reality. The Net is accessed by Data
Pads, Video Screens, Com Devices, and even old terminals. Artificial Reality is pretty expensive and is
generally only available at Sim Shops (Sims).
By law, a site or facility must say up front whether their
users are allowed to be anonymous or must use their Real ID. Most people will have variety of alter
egos/profiles in different venues. At
the Sims, most non-Real Avatars try to be distinctive and people spend money on
custom appearances, even renting special Avatars. Someone in a base generic model is either a
newbie, a looker, or someone trying to be anonymous.
Some Sims, such as Brothels, will take your usage payments
through an escrow or credit laundering service.
Black Listing is the term, and it means that your real identity
is anonymous at the Sim. Tracking a user
back through a Black Listing is a difficult, though not impossible, task. Of course, all this ID stuff doesn’t apply to
your Zero characters living in the Shadow World. All of your ID’s are fake. The characters are always effectively
anonymous.
Sim Shops usually fall into four distinct categories.
Theaters: Here you can watch movies, concerts, and
sporting events, like you’re really there.
(Of course, you can watch pay-per-view over the Net too.) Celebrities even sell being able to watch
their glamorous and exciting lifestyles.
If that’s not meta enough for you, there are even virtual celebrities
selling views of their virtual “real-life” adventures.
Salons: These are social zones. There’s no combat, no virtual sex (though
they are often a place to meet to setup real sex), and sports are limited to
board-like games. Many aren’t totally
immersive, as they are combined with bars (which are often called Zoos) and
restaurants. There can be theme
environments set up in private rooms.
You can have dinner with Holograms of far off spouses on business trips,
drinks with friends across the country, family reunions, Church services, and
other social get togethers. Most require
Real ID and Real Avatars (your actual look).
Famous immersive salons in your area, Seven-Sixes (exclusive
club/restaurant, Black Listed), Speakeasy (a Zoo/bar), and The Black
Hole (a somewhat unofficial hangout for Zeroes).
Arcades: Athletic, combat, and other physical games
are played here. This is totally
immersive. People with Data Jacks
can’t even tell the difference with reality.
You will work up a sweat. There
are professional sports leagues set up virtually, and people pay to watch games
at theaters. There are automatic cutout
switches and manual game ejections to avoid psychological trauma from intense
game action. Most require a Real ID, but
the Avatars are custom. Arcades make
quite a bit of money selling Avatar upgrades to those who don’t want to work to
unlock them. Famous immersive arcades in your area, The Senator’s Club
(an Elite athletic league at a gym) and Lynn’s (premier zone of hardcore
gamers).
(Your character’s stats will not carry over into an Arcade
Avatar. I’d recommend narrating any
action inside an arcade game. If you
have to roll it out, I’d recommend a single, competitive roll off between
combatants. The roll is modified by the
Avatars’ quality. You can buy and rent
good Avatars.)
Brothels: You can guess what happens here. This is a virtual sex zone (though real sex
can be negotiated here, too). All the
Avatars are fake. The users are
generally Black Listed to allow anonymous access. Whatever scenario you want with whoever you
want can be set up. Famous immersive Brothels
in your area, The House of Blue Lights and The Green Door. Ironically, Brothels are usually
anesthetically clean and very professional, especially compared to Zoos and
Arcades. Given the “invasiveness” of the
customer experience, they have to be.
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