Jason Lynch was ecstatic. His parents were finally taking him to the store to buy Living Legend, the first virtual reality MMORPG that he has been begging for months for. It was not without cost though. His parents agreed to buy it for him for his birthday instead of helping him buy his first car. On the plus side though, since the game is a little bit cheaper than a car, they also agreed to help pay the monthly bill for as long as he keeps his grades up.
When they entered the store, they followed the signs to a counter that was set up just for Living Legend. Luckily as they approached, a clerk was just finishing up with his current customer so they barely had to wait in line. As they stepped up to the clerk once the previous customer left, he greeted them with a smile and a “How can I help you today?”
“Yes, I would like to buy Living Legend for my son.” Jason’s father said while stepping forward with credit card in hand.
“And would that be the Living Legend headset or the Deluxe Capsule version?”
“Deluxe Capsule version?” Jason’s father repeated with a confused look on his face.
Jason quickly stepped forward. “The headset will be just fine.”
“Are you sure?” The clerk persisted. “The Deluxe Capsule version allows the user to use Awake Mode along with the Sleep Mode that the headset only comes with so that the user’s body is actually awake as they play. This makes the virtual reality feel even more real.”
Jason who already done his research knew that even though using Awake Mode sounded so much better, the game was purposefully designed so that any advantages to using it instead of Sleep Mode were minimized to the point of being negligible. Because of this, he had no regrets with saying, “Yeah I am sure.”
“OK then, I just need you to slide your credit card here.” The clerk said while picking up one of the boxes for the headsets. “You will need to login to NextGen Gaming Company’s website using the headset’s ID number to fill out all of your account information before you can create your avatar. You will also need to calibrate the headset. Don’t worry though, it is mostly an automated process and there are simple directions inside the box that will walk you through the set up. Have a nice day.”
As they were exiting the store his mother asked him if he was sure he was fine with not getting the Deluxe Capsule.
“Yes I am fine with it. If I got the Deluxe Capsule and played using Awake Mode during the day and Sleep Mode at night, I would not have any time for studying to keep my grades up. Anyways, the Deluxe Capsule was not really made for the game. It was made so NextGen Gaming Company could market its virtual reality technology to travel agencies and the military for extra revenue.”
“Alright, it just seemed like the clerk was pushing it a bit.”
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“Mom, that’s because it is more expensive and he would probably get a bigger commission if we bought it.”
After they got home and his dad helped him set up the account billing information, Jason went up to his room to start the calibration process. It was very easy just like the clerk said but the instructions said it will take at least a couple of hours to finish. So Jason spent another 30 minutes looking stuff up online before leaving for his part-time job.
Jason’s part-time job was about a 10 minute bicycle ride at his uncle’s restaurant, where he pretty much did whatever was needed. This normally involve either filling in for any waiters who called off or helping out in the kitchen by cleaning the dishes and helping prepare the meals. Jason didn’t really enjoy working there but he didn’t hate it either. Especially since his uncle is normally a laid back person, though he can be really stern if the situation calls for it. Jason even learned enough about cooking to be able to make his own meals whenever his parents left him home alone.
After his uncle’s restaurant finally closed and Jason rode his bike back home, it was already pretty late. Thankfully, the calibration of the headset was done so he decided to go to bed early to finally play the game. Once he was lying in bed with the headset on, he booted it up.
Jason’s vision suddenly went black and he felt like he was falling. After a few moments, Jason suddenly found himself standing in a white room.
“The scans of your iris and brain waves have determined you are a new player,” a voice said from nowhere. “Would you like to create your avatar?”
“Yes.”
“Then please choose one race out of the three playable races. I can give you some information about each race to help you decide if you need it.”
Jason then saw three figures standing before him. They were the human, elf, and dwarf versions of himself.
‘Well, the dwarf is definitely out. I don’t want to be that short, even if it is just the avatar for a game. The elf also looks a little too skinny and frail for my tastes, so I guess that leaves me with the human.’
“Human.”
The other two versions of himself disappeared followed by the next prompt.
“You may alter your appearance a little bit if you want, but you will have to pay a fee if you want to make any major alterations.”
Jason spent a minute tweaking his avatar a bit. He mainly made his hair a darker brown with some gold highlights instead of its original brown. He also made his eyes a brighter shade of blue and gave himself a little bit more of a tan.
“This will be fine.”
“What do you want to name your avatar?”
“Ace.”