Submitted by Dáibhí Ó Conghaile on Sun, 01/13/2008 - 22:34.
Gamers all over the world have been in a virtual frenzy over the latest gaming craze; Life 2.0.
Life 2.0 gives people the chance to plug in to an online world and say goodbye to their life in the real world. Users can completely customise everything about their new lives and choose exactly how to lead their lifestyles. Enthusiastic supporters are calling it a revolution.
We spoke to one recent convert, Adam; a pale man with a frail frame and spectacles. In his "normal" life Adam has $50,000 of debt and a waste incinerator next door to his dilapidated apartment block. In the online world he is a 9ft tall, steel-skinned, omnisexual Titan named Butch.
"Life sucks man. Its too stressful!" he told us. "I hate all the worries and failures of reality so I'm joining the revolt against it!"
Critics have said the converts are stark raving mad, developers Schwulikous Productions say they are trailblazers, fundamentally changing the way humans think about existence.
"Life has divided and oppressed people in ways that, frankly, we think amount to fascism," CEO Julian Thmythe told our reporter. "Life 2.0 is about liberating people, giving them a chance to experience what equality can truly mean".
As more and more plug into the fantasy world Life 2.0, will this mean the end for reality? Schwulikous are quietly confident it will. "All our market studies suggest we're well positioned in the lifestyle market to beat out even our nearest competitors. Our research shows reality consistently fails to meet the consumers' needs. All we are doing is giving people what they want"
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Digital Drugs?
Are video games the new way to get high?!
It seems as though the ongoing proliferation of "real life" substantive games are lending new meaning the the oft heard slogan of the 1960's, "Tune in, Turn On, Drop Out."
While I will certainly concede that numerous valuable thoughts stemmed from the mind-expanding journeys of the 60's counterculture, the modern day escape from real life into the virtual world seem eerily reminiscent of Ray Kurzweil's vision of the future.
I firmly believe that we as a people need to return to being organically human in "virtually" all aspects of life. That pun was completely intentional.
MWH
Important topic
This virtual reality "second life" issue is an important topic to bring up. The implications are very sinister.
It is a crucial time for people to look at the mess the planet is in and try to shape reality into something better. Yet now more and more people are chosing instead to escape into virtual worlds and blank out what is happening in "first life". So there is less chance of sorting out the problems we all face.