Create a character. Write a brief scene of them in a setting. Also use this paragraph to introduce the character to the reader by how they react to their setting.

It’s the newest craze in realistic gaming. Once upon a time there was table top, then LARPing, video games, Virtual Reality (or VR as we call it). Now the gaming world needs things to go a little further yet again. I’m in line with my brother. He’s chatting with his best friend about how great this new system of gaming is going to be, I’m doing my best to tune them out.

What’s so great about a game that taps into your synapses so you can feel every stab of pain or breath of ecstasy? Besides getting them to stop and speak without techno babble for five seconds and explain to me what makes this development so special is impossible. The line is nearly a hundred feet long and it’s pushing ninety degrees according to my slip phone.

I’m only here because I have my driving clearances. Technically Rys does too, but they were recently revoked by our parents. I feel bad for myself that it coincided with the new gaming model.

I try to avoid making eye contact with any of the enthusiastic crowd members. This is beyond a different world for me. I prefer a low light room, a cozy seat, a printed book in my hands with the air conditioning set to suit my creature comfort level.

“Anon?”

I groan and try to act like I didn’t recognize the name. Unfortunately that name is ingrained in my memory; I still have to fight down the urge to turn and see who spoke it.

“Hey, Vic.”

I breathe in slowly trying to slow my racing heartbeat.

Six years ago when the VRs were just getting popular I’d used that as my network handle. It was foolish of me to think that someone didn’t have claim to that nickname is reality.

“C’mon Lana, the line’s moving.”

“Great.”

Rys and his friend Simon both shrug at my “excitement”. Less than a second goes by before they’re on about the Gaming Administrations ruling. I try to pretend that I don’t care about the GA deciding to roll all handles from the previous version of <game name here> into this new system version. All character data is intact with only a few exceptions.

If I weren’t so disturbed by the concept of letting a computer tell my brain what sort of stimuli I was experiencing, I might actually consider playing. Just to see what the new base world is like.