• Chances of Peril

    "We are here live outside Peril Inc.'s front gates. Those who went to see the ball drop in New York are missing an extraordinary event. What we have here are two citizens volunteering to test out the first virtual reality game ever created-- Chances of Peril. This game promises to revolutionize the genre itself, featuring multiple environments, characters, and the most amazing thing of all - every set connects to another. That's right folks: it allows massive multiplayer combat. You just can't get enough of this. Look – what they are experiencing within their minds are being projected for the audience! You would think that they would with terrible graphics, but it looks quite real aside from the generic characters. Peril Inc. certainly has their rivals beat this time! More when we get back. This is Leo Vennedi, 23:59."
    --NBC news
    Meanwhile...


    "Greetings, gentlemen. How are the preparations coming along?"
    "This better be worth it. I spent half our treasury on this project."
    "I assure you it is worth much more then that-- when this process is finished, there will never be war again."
    "I would have thought the Israeli War was enough to keep us from doing anything rash in the future."
    "It did, but this is to ensure it for decades-- until the serum runs out. As of now, we probably have an unlimited supply."
    "Nothing is unlimited.”
    "Yes, well, once we announce this to the public they will be thrilled."
    "I am highly skeptical of what you say their reactions would be. I am more of the impression that they would be appalled.”
    "Positive thinking is the key, here. Even if they disagree with the idea, our disappearances will assure our safety."
    "Say, did anyone hear about the company that released the first virtual reality game?"
    "This is not a lounge, Lloyd. We're talking politics here-- not games."
    "The game supposedly allows you to brutally take out others. It contradicts our purpose."
    "I’d say it’s for the best. The public will still have urges to be malicious; they just can't do anything about it. Within the game, those urges are released without consequence.
    "Not that it matters. It's only a game. How many people can it affect?
    ”You’d be surprised. Did you see the results on that survey conducted a few years ago? The public’s got a lot of time to waste on these fabrications. They think it’s better than dealing with reality.”
    "Gentlemen, this meeting has come to an end--I trust you know what to do? We must release the news simultaneously to our citizens. Announce it as you let the troops out to distribute the serum; every human you find must take the dosage required. Good evening, gentlemen; I wish all of you good luck."
    --World Leaders’ Meeting


    It was the year 2012; the year Mayan calendars predicted the end of the world would transpire. However, no worldwide calamity seemed to happen, and the world goes on as normal--with the exception of the first virtual reality game, Chances of Peril. Released on New Years, it was a breakthrough in gaming. Alone, it was famous, but worldwide events two days later made it a necessity.
    The government of every nation had issued simultaneously the release of a serum. It suppresses all malicious and unethical urges in the human mind, disabling the ability to carry them out as physical actions. The only flaw was that, as a side affect, people grew more timid and complacent, effectively losing much of their capacity for creativity, judgment and even simple things such as debating and competition. Another consequence was that while the serum prevented people from acting on their malicious urges, it increased both the quantity and quality of mental aggression, allowing these feelings of animosity to build up with nowhere to release them. Even the most placid of folks would want to harm someone simply because they did not meet their standards in looks. Because of this, people became withdrawn from society. Thoughts of illicit behavior were reduced through less contact with the outside world, though it was still barely tolerable.
    It was required that every human takes this serum. The only ones not given the dosage were the military so that they could capture those who resisted, and even they were issued the suppressive drug after their tasks were completed. The nations’ leaders ensured that the next generation would witness no evil; no war. New Year seemed like the end of all conflicts instead of the beginning of the apocalypse.
    However, either the leaders of the world did not care, or they overlooked a slight miscalculation. The increased inner turmoil began to have devastating effects on the human psyche. Suicide rates and number of people diagnosed with catatonia increased tenfold over the next six months, in an attempt to escape their corrupted desires when there was no other way.
    Those who played Chances of Peril were relieved from inner conflict. The game, being of virtual reality, was real enough to be a physical outlet of their violent/malicious thoughts. Those who knew about it introduced it to others, and soon over 80% of the human population was occupied with it.
    All problems had been solved now. Evil no longer existed except in virtual reality, where it was entirely safe. The nations' wealth was regained through eliminating the judicial system. Three years later, the legislative branches of most governments dematerialized. Another two years, and people saw the end of government entirely. No need for that, when the world has lapsed into world peace.
    It was far from paradise, however.
    The serum had eliminated the need for many conventional jobs. Without government, millions lost their occupation. Security companies lost all income; entertainment businesses were rendered obsolete; post offices, radios, televisions, telephones and the internet were useless, as you could do so within the virtual reality game; Hollywood was abandoned. The unemployed citizens were forced to play Chances of Peril for a living, as it not only provided an escape from thinking but offered large cash prizes to skilled players. To many it was already a full-time occupation. One feature of the game allowed all the players to rest their minds for as long as they were connected, eliminating the need to rest. The game held no consequences for playing 24 hours a day. Because of this, humans became obsessed with the game; all the players needed were the most basic necessities of life. The few people who were mentally strong enough to withdraw from the game turned to farming and providing supplies to keep the populace alive. The once highly advanced civilizations of the world had crumbled; city streets were deserted, as no one had any need to come out. The world of virtual reality supplied almost everything they needed.
    One mystery, despite no one caring, was where the leaders of the world disappeared to. Soon after they issued the serum to their citizens, they slipped away from the world without a trace. Those who cared vanished, and soon the world was self-sufficient without leaders. Society, if it exists at all, was only apparent in Chances of Peril. Where had they all gone off to? No one bothered searching for them, but if they did, it would be a fruitless investigation: you could not travel to where they were. To be sure, though; their disappearance did not occur the way they had planned it. If they had paid more attention to Peril Inc. and its real objectives, this would not have happened. They are surely regretting not being aware, wherever they may be.

    -----


    The year is now 2025. Outside human dwellings, nature is surreptitiously taking back its land. Farmers gave up suppressing hunger, and gave themselves to the game, the addiction too hard to keep at bay. It was easier to live for a few days in peace, easier to die instead of dealing with mental pressure. Despite the state of the world, many are satisfied with their lives, and continue playing the virtual reality game blissfully unaware. Inside the game, one’s mind did not feel fatigue, hunger, or thirst. One would die, without knowing he had done so. It was a death many wished for, and which many received. The population began to dwindle, starvation claiming large amounts of human life each day. No one stopped it – no one cared – until one day, there was no one left. No more people.
    In retrospect, one could say that the apocalypse had been upon us since the very beginning. It was wonderfully planned; what had made it the destruction of us all was only revealed in the end, when it was inevitable. They would be proud to know that humans were capable of eliminating the most intelligent and advanced species known.
    Themselves.