Sim City. Worlds of Warcraft. Second Life. Tron. The Matrix. Examples of Virtual Worlds... places where everything exists inside a computer database and pretends to be real. People become "avatars," and move around in the virtual space the way they do in the real world... more or less. Users become voyuers to their own virtual lives.
Despite today's relatively primitive and limited technology, the idea of being able to live inside a virtual space, and living out the most unattainable fantasies, has an undeniable attraction. Users, unable to wait for a really immersive experience, log into virtual worlds they can only experience through a computer screen. Yet, someday, we may be able to experience a virtual world as if it's the real one, seeing, touching, tasting, and partaking of our unattainable fantasies, as if it's all real.
And when we can "live" in virtual worlds, what will they be like? There's no reason to expect that they won't offer all kinds of exciting possibilities that are beyond real life... otherwise, what would be the point? Opportunities to fight bad guys, to date celebrities, to act out elaborate fantasies or assume fantastic identities... all of these things would attract people to the virtual world.
This is the world of As the Mirror Cracks: Set not that far ahead of our own, when the virtual world known as the Mirror allows users to experience the virtual world through their standard or custom-made avatars, or "reflections," just as they experience the real world. The Mirror proves so popular that it becomes an indispensible part of life, providing distraction, entertainment, and even livelihood, for people around the world. And as it has grown in popularity, it has become a major financial source, strongly influencing the economy of the world.
Not surprisingly, these ideas are not so much the stuff of fantasy as they were once considered. Engineers and scientists are already developing headsets that can tap into a user's brainwaves, allowing them to directly control virtual characters. Tied into visual and aural outputs, these would give the user a much more immersive experience in a virtual world. And if sensory feedback, including sensations of touch, can be added, it may be possible to fool the mind into believing it is actually inside a virtual landscape.
And in virtual spaces like World of Warcraft and Second Life, users trade virtual objects, and even the credit for purchasing those objects, as if they represent actual currency, and initiatives are underway to create a real connection between real and virtual funds. As I write this text, a lawsuit is in the works between a man who wrote programs for "augmented" body parts and "sexual motions" that he sells as accessories for Second Life avatars, and the party whom he claims has stolen and resells his custom programs. As time passes, the objects in virtual worlds are establishing a corresponding real-world value. It's only a matter of time before virtual world objects and currency can be traded on the real-world open market. And when virtual objects and currency are as good as real, there will be a need for insurance, security, and an entire infrastructure to support it all.
If some people have already figured out how to make money in virtual worlds... is there any reason to expect that this wouldn't take off, too? Offering your services to virtual clients could be potentially lucrative, and especially if the virtual currency you earn can be spent in the real world. The possibility for holding a second job in the virtual world... or even a primary job, if it pays well enough... boggles the mind. This, too, will add to the virtual infrastructure... the real world bureaocracy imported into the virtual world.
In time, virtual worlds could easily become tied to real-world fortunes and property, becoming a sort of "alternate universe" where users can live multiple lives and choose which one they spend the majority of their time in. And people's personal finances could become as dependent on their virtual income as their real-world income, maybe moreso, to the extent that its loss could have severe personal and financial consequences.
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Zenith, the greatest hero of the Mirror virtual world |
All of these ideas are explored in As the Mirror Cracks, as the main characters attempt to thwart a plan to bring the Mirror virtual world crashing down. The main character, Tom Calavero, finds himself in a unique situation: Formerly enjoying his experiences in the Mirror as its preminent superhero and ultimate fantasy character, he soon finds that he has a duty to save the virtual world, and the real world along with it. He is aided in the real world, and in the Mirror, by an incredible cast of people and reflections whose experiences in the Mirror have had lasting effects on their lives, good and bad.
But even in a fantasy world, we find that people are still people, whatever masks they hide behind. And we discover that we cannot escape reality. The book's title alludes to the truth of the story:
As the Mirror cracks... so cracks the world.
Copyright © Steve Jordan. All rights reserved.
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