What does the world outside of VR actually look like?
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A utopia, where life is so comfortable and challenge-free that people turn to VR for excitement?
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A dystopia, where starving masses flee into virtual worlds to escape their bleak reality?
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Or something in between?
Each version offers different ways to incorporate reality into the game world and gives the story a distinct tone. So far, the glimpses into the real world have been deliberately neutral. It's clearly not a post-scarcity Star Trek-style utopia, but beyond that, I've kept things open.
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I've now settled on the "in between" option and drafted a few scenes and interactions that could be added alongside the usual in-game perspective. These real-world scenes would be short and optional (and posted in addition to regular chapters) so the story won’t slow down to follow some players shopping trip, for example.
That said, real-world interactions could seriously raise the emotional stakes. On the other hand, the focus on the NPCs’ perspective is the story’s unique selling point and that won’t change.
Before I put serious time into this, I’d love to know: Do you want more glimpses into the real world, or should the focus stay entirely in-game?
Do you want more Real World scenes and interaction?