Zack entered his apartment and looked around. It had been only a few weeks since he was here last, but in his mind it had been over 70 years. Everything was as he remembered it, and he shook his head at how different his situation was in this life versus in the Game. Soon this would be the only life for him; his 18th birthday was in five weeks, and although he was certain that he would be able to go in one more time, it still made him sad to think he was near the end of his gaming career. Zack had been playing the game for 13 years, with over a hundred playing sessions, or incarnations as they were called, and he was going to miss it.
Zack’s apartment reflected his rank in the Game. It was significantly more than most people could afford, with two floors, state-of-the-art furniture and appliances, and all the gadgets and toys that an average person could only dream of. His credits had enabled him to get the apartment; all of the furnishings and interior items were gifts, given to him by his Patron.
The good players became popular and developed a following much like movie stars did in the past. Because a Game was inside virtual reality, it was possible to digitally record and store a player’s virtual life during their play. The Game was its own fully functional world, and just because adults didn’t play, that didn’t mean they weren’t interested or involved in what was going on within it. Television programming had started, like soap operas, only it followed players’ lives inside the Game. The best players had entire channels dedicated to them while they were playing, following them from start to finish in their plays. Everyone in society knew what was happening in the Game, and everyone followed their favourite stories and players. Sports and reality shows? Why watch some tame version when you could follow living and dying inside the virtual world? Why bet on a boring sporting event in real life when you could bet on whether a dictator would succeed and live or fail and die inside the Game? Would your favourite player overcome divorce and financial failure during his life in this play? Or would he end up destitute and poor for the remainder of his virtual existence?
There was another expensive option available to society’s very wealthy. They could pick an adventure and plug themselves in virtually, spending large amounts of money to experience actual moments, emotions, fears, joys, and everything else from a first person point of view as it had taken place in a play. This was called ‘Firsting’ and it was one of the best aspects of the game.
Top level players attracted Patrons, rich people who paid to keep the player comfortable in real life, so that they could focus on doing their best in the Game. In exchange for this support, Patrons gained part of the future profits of the player, which was a good deal for both people. A kid with a Patron could live in comfort and all it cost them was some of their future earnings.
When Zack entered his apartment he found his Patron sitting in the living area, enjoying a drink and watching a program recapping the top news from inside the Game. He smiled warmly at Zack and turned the volume down so they could talk. “Stunning adventure, my boy! Likely one of your best plays yet.”
Zack smiled at the compliment. “Thanks. Give me the highlights. Which parts were the most profitable for us?”
Zack’s sponsor pulled up a list of notes from his computer pad and Zack listened to him speak in depth for the next two hours as the highlights were read. Each high point represented an opportunity for making money in a variety of ways, and there were many high points. Another benefit of having a good Patron was the skills, resources, and experts that they hired as a team to assist in making the most of the player’s accomplishments. Zack’s Patron was the absolute best a Player could hope to acquire.
Eventually the list was covered, and both of them sat back to let the information sink in.
After a few minutes of silence, Zack spoke. “So what do you recommend for my next play? How many points should I spend, and on what?” Zack’s Patron put his hands behind his head thoughtfully. “There are two ways to play it. You can do what most who have a lot of credits at this point in their careers tend to do, and that’s play it cautious. Make it a short, cheap game that ensures you come out with the majority of credits that you already possess. It’s not exciting for the fans, but it’s safe. You have so many credits that this is your best strategy...”
“Or?” Zack asked.
“Or,” his Patron continued, “You spend 75% of your credits on a list of power ups and skill set buys that we make for you. Then you hope for the best and rely on your experience and knowledge — which, in the Game, means intuition and listening to your gut, to take over the number one spot and finish on top of the lists.”
“I was number one a few times over the years. It’s not as fun as most people would imagine.”
“It is when you finish number one
on your last play
,” Zack’s Patron said confidently. “Number one out of just over a billion players, and that’s the spot you retire from playing in.” He paused to let the enormity of that statistic sink in. “That puts you in some very rare company, my young friend. In the entire history of the Game it’s only happened 11 times.”
Zack smiled at the hype, but he knew the truth. There were millions of people playing the Game, yet only a small percentage ever made it to the top ranks. Those who did tended to stay there until they retired. Some poor kid who wasn’t able to buy into his seventh game stayed on the lists until he was 18 which kept the statistics looking good, but the truth was that most players couldn’t afford to keep playing until the mandatory retirement age of 18. Every time you had a birthday, and every time you left the Game, it became much more expensive to play again. The system had been invented to replace the school system, which it did, to a degree. The original goal was to train productive members of society, which it had also accomplished. But it had also become big business to the real players and followers. The average age for a kid to drop out of the Game was 14. At that age they likely had enough credits to go to an old style school (they still existed) or a government funded facility. Then, when they turned 18, they could get a job that would allow them to live a normal, decent life. There were perhaps six million players still playing at 17, and almost half of them would lose all of their credits in the high risk Game that it became at that level. That still left many who would profit, and profit hugely… a hope and dream which kept them all in the Game until the end.
Zack’s patron set down his drink and leaned forward confidently. “I believe in you, Zack. When you went into the Game last time you were ranked number 752. Today you’re ranked number
two
. My advice is take the bold route and play the absolute best you can for your last turn.”
“And if I mess up and lose all my credits?” Zack asked. “Will you cover me? Give me something in writing today, a legal document saying you'll pay me the dollars to credits even if I lose them all?”
His Patron chuckled, “You know I can’t do that, Zack, it's against the rules. A law, in fact, and one that even I dare not break.”
“Then, when it all boils down to it, I’m on my own,” Zack said. “Same as always.”
“Amen.” Zack’s Patron said solemnly.
After a brief silence, the man spoke, “There are…
unique
options that I can provide for you, Zack. If you want to make a brave play for number one...”
“Tell me.” Zack said.
For the next half hour, Zack listened to what his Patron was willing to do to help him in his last play. “It’s risky, and dangerous, what you’re proposing,” Zack said. “I could lose it all.”
“Or
win
it all, and that’s how you must think of it, should you decide to move forward, Zack.”
“I’ll want time to think about this.”
“You have time. It will be a few days before you know when you can play again. My guess is that it will be a week or two before you can re-enter. Even if you can go in sooner, I advise waiting for a couple of weeks to get it set up as perfectly as you can. The press wants to interview you, as well.”
“Which stations?” Zack asked.
“
All
of them.” answered the Patron. “There’s a bidding war to get you first. Number two from 752 is a huge leap. Everyone is clamouring to get you on their program for interviews.”
“Who are we leaning towards?”
“The Buzz. They have worldwide coverage, and the owners are significant sponsors of yours. It’s best to reward them for backing you.” The Patron smiled. “As long as they're one of the highest bidders. The real carrot that's being dangled from their hand is a promise to have Angelica interview you if we decide to go with them.”
Zack sat forward excitedly “Are you serious?
The
Angelica interviewing me? She's one of the best to ever play the Game! She finished her last play four years ago in the number one spot and hasn't been seen or heard from since. That would be an incredible opportunity!”
“Then let’s plan for that interview to kick off your press tour. Quick but busy for the next few weeks, starting as soon as we find out when you're eligible to go back in.” Zack’s Patron stood up and walked towards the door. “I’ve got to get out of here. Lots of work to do, and Kyle is on his way up to check on you.”
“When will we meet again?” Zack asked his Patron.
“As soon as possible. The face-to-face meetings are difficult at the moment, but we can keep in touch electronically, as always. I’m very proud of you, Zack. If you retire as number one, I will make good on the reward you asked for when we first met. I have to admit it was a silly boy’s request all those years ago, but nothing would make me prouder than to officially give you my surname.”
Zack grinned. “Zack Strayne... I’ve always liked the sound of that, Brandon.”
Chapter 5
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Strayne.” The female reporter shook hands with Brandon before sitting down across from him on the television studio soundstage. She was your typical television interviewer; pretty face, heavy with makeup that looked ridiculous in real life but helped her appear normal on camera. Dark rimmed glasses to help announce her intelligence to viewers. Striking blue eyes, black hair cut in a cute pixie style. Perfect white teeth and a charming smile. She was dressed in a dark and professional business suit, the knee length skirt revealing her tanned, shapely legs which were crossed properly at the ankles. Brandon guessed that she was single and looking for a rich husband; the single reporters often competed for the opportunity to interview and impress the world’s richest bachelor.
“Please, call me Brandon,” he replied. ”Do you mind if I call you Lisa? Or would you prefer Miss Rohansen?”
“I would prefer other things from you, Brandon.” She flashed a comfortable, seductive smile, her eyes looking him up and down appreciatively. It took effort not to laugh at her obvious attempt to engage him. “I would be happy if you’d call me Lisa. Thanks again for agreeing to do this interview. Have they told you how the program is scheduled to play out?”
Brandon nodded his head. ”You’re going to play some old footage that explains the Game, why I came up with it, the history of its rise in popularity, covering some key points throughout. Then you’re going to talk to me about Zack and his chances for retiring at the top. Does that sound about right?”
Lisa smiled pleasantly. ”Sounds exactly right. It’s a fluff piece, really, Brandon. You’re paying for it, so none of us intend to ask uncomfortable or difficult questions about the Game. We are going to try and help you build a following for Zack, or should I say, increase his already incredible fan base.”
Brandon chuckled. ”Thanks, Lisa. Zack definitely leads the pack in fans. His following has been huge for years now. This is a rare occasion, though, and it deserves special attention.”
The intro music started in the studio, the stage went dark, and both Brandon and Lisa turned their attention to a large screen which opened the show. The deep, soothing voice of a male narrator began to give the history of The Game:
“Thirty years ago, the education system was in ruins and the average person suffered from an overall lack of motivation to live in the real world. Multiple generations of video gaming had put society in a dangerous crisis. Adults who had spent their entire lives sitting in front of computers also allowed their children to do the same. Middle and lower class workers were plagued with physical and mental health sicknesses that come from eating poorly, not exercising, and interacting less and less with their fellow man. The upper class recognized the problem but they were unable to solve it. The middle class all but disappeared and the lower class was in serious danger. Historical experts of today look back on that period and agree; civilization was on a collision course with extinction.
Then a man came along who changed everything. Brandon Strayne, the only son of the world’s wealthiest computer developer, joined a small company named VirtDyne. VirtDyne had invented Functional Virtual, the ability to send a person’s consciousness into cyberspace. However, they were unable to bring a person out of it, and after the deaths of several test volunteers, they had no choice but to give up and shut down the company.
Brandon Strayne heard about VirtDyne's problems and approached them with a proposal. If he could solve their issues and save their company, they agreed to give Brandon a 51 percent controlling interest in the company. In a short time, Brandon was able to fix VirtDyne’s problems, making it possible to safely be put into, and brought out of, virtual reality. VirtDyne celebrated his success by quickly transferring majority ownership over to Brandon. With true virtual reality now
—
pardon the play on words
—
a reality, every major and minor company in the world got in line with trillions of dollars in hand, hoping to harness this new technology to gain competitive advantage in their markets. Brandon had different plans for his new technology, however, and he quickly announced that there would be only
one
virtual reality product, developed and controlled entirely by VirtDyne. Not long afterward, he introduced the product to the world. Brandon called it 'The Game.'