The Game (The Game is Life)

by Terry Schott

  THE GAME

  Terry Schott

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright ©2012 by Terry Schott

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Dedication

  This book idea came to me years ago, and I became very good at making excuses for not writing the story down. None of them were very good, but they were extremely effective.

  One day I decided to post the first six chapters (all I had written) and ask my Facebook friends to take a look. My commitment was that I would post one chapter a day for six days. I thought maybe one or two people would say it was pretty good and encourage me to write more, which would push me to write maybe a chapter every week or so until the book was finally complete. By the sixth day of posting my friends had shared my website with over 140 others and people were beginning to get excited about the story.

  This continued for the next three months and I didn’t just write a chapter or two, the support and encouragement allowed me to write the entire first book!

  There have been over three thousand visits to my website and many, many excited people who could not wait to read the next chapter as I wrote it.

  I dedicate this book to all of you… my friends who wanted more from me than I wanted for myself.

  It is with a smile on my face that I deeply thank you for your encouragement and support.

  This book exists through me… but because of you, and for that I am extremely moved.

  Special thanks to Kerstin Hutchinson for putting my cover together, and for also being an awesome webmaster.

  Thank you, Alan Seeger, for proofreading and editing so quickly and efficiently. I am thankful beyond words that you entered my circle at this point in time. I look forward to a long and mutually prosperous relationship with you.

  Chapter 1

  He woke up in a white room.

  The walls, ceiling, floor, lights… everything was white.

  He couldn't remember how he got here. He recalled pain, followed by a sense of leaving his body, floating above it and watching people surround him. Then he was enveloped in darkness and moving slowly towards a tunnel of bright light. The closer he got to it, the faster he moved, until he was streaking towards it at an incredible speed. Suddenly he slammed to a stop and lost consciousness. Now he was in this room, lying on a table with a white cloth draped over his body. He remembered stories like this that involved people dying, or almost dying, and being drawn towards a bright, white light. People sharing these stories had all been revived by doctors, moving away from the light and returning from death's door. He'd never heard of anyone going into the light and living to tell about it. Near death experiences? That was it! The white light was associated with dying, or almost dying. No story had ever mentioned a room like this.

  “Am I dead?” He asked out loud. His voice was different than the one he had used just a short time ago, much different. No longer deep and raspy, it sounded younger, more like 16 than 74. He distinctly remembered being 74. Holding a hand up, he noticed it wasn’t a 74-year old, thin, frail, wrinkled hand. It was the strong young hand of a teenager. He groaned softly, “Ah, crap. I am dead.”

  “Kind of,” a voice said. “But not quite.”

  Turning his head towards the voice, he saw a kid, about 18 years old, with a friendly smile on his face.

  “Welcome back, stranger. You had an incredible run that time! Glad to see you back safe and sound.”

  “Back? From where?” The man sat up much quicker than he imagined possible. His body was strong and young, not old and weak. It felt both strange and exhilarating at the same time. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and turned to face his visitor. “And where am I? I think I’ve been here before... but I’m not certain.”

  The kid laughed. “Oh yes, you’ve been here before, many times. Don’t worry, Zack, your disorientation won’t last long. You remember reality quickly once you come out. We’ll have you out of here and home in no time at all.”

  “Come out?” Zack asked. “Come out of where?”

  The visitor grinned. “I always enjoy the look on your face when you realize you’re not dead. You just came out of the Game, Zack, and on this last play, you got your best score ever!”

  Chapter 2

  Memories began to return. The young man sitting in front of Zack… he did know him!

  “You’re Kyle, right? We’ve been friends for...”

  “For forever, man.” Kyle nodded. “Yeah, there you go. You're going to slowly remember real life over the next few hours. Your brain has to fit a lot of information back into your head that it left behind when you entered the Game — you can’t remember life out here when you're playing. Are you hungry yet?”

  Zack nodded. At the mention of food, he realized that he was starving. Kyle laughed. “I bet you are! It’s been a while since you’ve had real food. While you’re in the Game, the nutrients they pipe into you keep you alive, but that goop is nothing like the real thing. Let’s go to the dining room and get something to eat.”

  Zack stood up, bending down to put on shoes that were sitting beside the bed. He was dressed in white, comfortable clothing, and he had a bracelet on his right wrist. It pulsed with colour, gold flecks inside a green light. Zack asked Kyle what the colours in the bracelet meant.

  “Those colours mean you’re a celebrity!” Kyle said. “But we can worry about that once you’re fed and up to speed on what’s happening.”

  “How long have I been out of touch?” Zack asked.

  “A little while, but nothing to worry about,” Kyle assured him.

  They entered a long white hallway lined with closed doors on both sides, each door with its own number and small badge of colour near the handle. They passed people traveling in pairs made up of a person dressed in white like Zack, and the other dressed in regular clothes. Zack noticed that each person in white was younger than him, and their bracelets pulsed with different colours; one was red with silver flecks, another blue with bronze — many different colour combinations. Some were the same as others, but none were green with gold like Zack’s. They entered the dining hall, a large white room with tables and a cafeteria style eating line. Kyle guided them to the line and gave Zack a tray to carry. Kyle ordered some items and handed one of the two plates of steaming food to Zack to put on his tray.

  The two friends found an empty table and sat down to eat. A few minutes into their meal, Zack couldn't help but notice that many people were staring in their direction. When he asked Kyle about it, he chuckled. “Everyone in here knows who you are, Zack. Like I said earlier, you’re famous. Many of them want to come over and talk to you, get your autograph, talk about parts of the game they liked, stuff like that. The rules don't allow that, though. No one is permitted to talk to other players in here. It could mess up their minds. So they are all excited to see you, but considerate enough to leave you alone.” Kyle smiled. “For now, at least.”

  The boys ate in silence. Zack was famished and shoveled the delicious food into his mouth as fast as he could. Kyle seemed content to eat in silence, standing up to get more food for Zack when he ran out.

  Finally, Zack announced he was stuffed, and the two stood up. “What’s next?” he asked.

  “Now we make sure your brain and body are fine. Follow me.”
<
br />   Kyle walked over to the wall by the door where a white box with an opening in the bottom was attached. “Put your hand with the bracelet in there, count to five, then pull your hand out.”

  Zack did as he was instructed. The white box flashed gently with each count and when he pulled his hand from the box it flashed a soft green five times before resuming its white colour.

  Zack looked towards Kyle to see if that was good or bad. Kyle seemed pleased with the results. “Okay, that means you’re in great shape. We can get you unlocked, then be out of here and on our way home. Are you ready?”

  Zack wasn’t exactly sure what Kyle meant, but he did feel like leaving this place, so he nodded his head yes and followed Kyle back to the room in which he'd awakened.

  “OK, man, lay back on the bed and put these on.” Kyle handed Zack what seemed to be a fancy pair of sunglasses. When he put them on, he realized they had a video screen built into them. The screen was filled with static and he could hear a hissing noise coming from small speakers on the earpieces of the glasses. “I’m going to press play now. Just sit back and enjoy the show.”

  The static disappeared. The screen turned into a beautiful blue sky; the chirp of birds and other pleasant sounds replaced the hissing noise in the speakers. Zack watched the video that began to play, teaching him all about the Game he had just been playing...

  Chapter 3

  Twenty minutes passed while Zack watched the video. Kyle sat patiently and waited. He'd been playing the game all his life too, so he knew what Zack was going through.

  When the glasses turned off, Kyle got up and removed them from Zack’s head. He folded them quietly and watched Zack for any telltale signs of cracking; remembering reality could be stressful. If Zack cracked, he would need another day or two of rest before being able to go home. If he did more than crack — if he actually broke… Kyle wasn't too concerned about that happening. Not many kids broke these days.

  Zack smiled and nodded his head; he was just fine. Kyle pulled out a clipboard with a paper on it and got a pencil, tapping it lightly on the clipboard. “Okay, Zack, answer these questions to prove you’re fully out of the Game and then we can get out of here.”

  “Fire away.” Zack said. His attitude had changed. He no longer seemed confused. The video was intended to fully bring a person to their senses and it appeared to have worked very well.

  “Who invented the Game?” Kyle asked.

  “Brandon Strayne.”

  “What is the Game?”

  “The Game is a virtual reality simulation designed to teach kids about life and the rules of reality, letting them learn and make mistakes in the safety of a computer simulation.” Zack answered.

  “How long does the Game last for a person?” Kyle asked.

  “The Game lasts until you die inside of it. When that happens you exit the Game and come back to reality. If you’ve earned enough credits during your play, you can use them to buy back in for another play and re-enter the Game.”

  “How soon can you re-enter the Game?”

  “It depends on how you left it.” Zack answered. “There are a lot of reasons for you to die in the Game. The computer ranking system determines how soon you can go back in. It’s difficult to predict, but you could re-enter as soon as a day after you come out, or sometimes you might have to wait up to a month. As long as you can pay to get back in and you’re not older than 18, you can re-enter the Game.”

  “How many people are playing the Game?” Kyle asked.

  “Billions of kids are in the Game at the same time. All in the same world, all interacting with each other.”

  “What can credits from the Game buy you in real life?”

  “Nothing, until you’re 18.” Zack answered. “Then the credits you’ve earned in the Game are converted to real money which you use to begin your life as an adult. The money can be used to purchase admission to a high quality university, a great job… tons of things.”

  “You're almost 18, Zack.” Kyle said. “How much money will you have when you are done with the Game?”

  Zack smiled, holding up his rare coloured bracelet. “Turns out I’m one of the top players to have ever played the Game. I’m going to be filthy rich when I turn 18 and get my credits converted into real money.”

  Chapter 4

  Zack passed all the tests to confirm that his mind was stable, then was released to go home.

  Kyle drove him to his apartment, dropping him off at the front door and saying he would return to check on him soon. Zack was almost 18 and he’d been living on his own for the last two years. He was an orphan, and as soon as he'd been able to afford it, he’d left the orphanage. ‘Officially,’ kids weren’t allowed to benefit from their Game credits until they were 18. ‘Unofficially,’ at the age of 15, a player could trade current credit against future dollars for comforts in the real world. A top ranked player with a lot of credits could convince banks and institutions to lend real money against future money. Of course they charged interest on such risky transactions; they were gambling on getting money that might not be there when the player turned 18. Many players did well early on, only to lose most of their points when they were 16 and 17. Game credits were used during a player’s career to buy better lives, skill ups and situations in the game. The older a player got, the more complex the Game became, and the more expensive the power ups. For banks to lend against the future was very risky on their part.

  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 sup
port, 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.”