2047: Virtual Revolution (2016)
Mike Dopud: Nash
Photos
Quotes
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Nash : [Voice over] The year is 2047. A century of technological revolution. The revolution did happen, just not really the way people thought it would. People were expecting robots, flying cars, more spatial exploration. Well, all of that did happen. But none of it was the revolution. The revolution wasn't our better grasp and control on our reality. It was our escape from it. It all started as just games, virtual worlds called verses, in which players could play avatars in different kinds of sets. From medieval to science fiction to Western. You name it. These verses became more and more realistic. Until the moment it became difficult to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. When there was no reason to stay in the real world anymore. Society has changed. 75% of the population, known as the Connected, don't give a damn about reality anymore, and now spend all of their time online, leaving the real world to a small minority. The revolution did happen. Just not the way people thought it would.
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Nash : [Voice over] Well, I have a job to do. Yeah, I know. Not a very nice job. Not very brave for me to kill someone who can't defend themselves or even know what's happening to them. Then again, we're talking about a guy who just killed 148 innocent gamers. Not really a saint. On the other hand, killing a Necromancer while he's connected is actually very useful to me. Leonard didn't have time to log out, so, if I'm fast enough to take his place, the machine will accept me as the Necromancer, which allows me to use his avatar. Nothing better for an undercover job.
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Dina : I don't like Interpol hanging around our business. We are allies, but we are not friends.
Nash : How's that?
Dina : We pay the authorities the taxes they need. They pay the Connected the universal income. And the Connected pay us to use our verses. It's all a matter of balance.
Nash : But isn't it expensive for the governments to pay everyone's universal incomes?
Dina : No. The amounts are relatively low. They pay them rent, a little food, and for the connection. If you remember in the old days, they used to have to pay for health care, retirement fund and unemployment insurance. Now, they have to pay much less and for not as long. The Connected barely reach a life expectancy of past 40. They're obese, underfed, no health care, poor hygiene. What do you expect? Don't fool yourself. If the politicians want to keep things the way they are, it's because they benefit from it.
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Nash Trenton : [Voice over] I am no hero. Never was. Never will be. That just isn't me. Many centuries of evolution to end up like vegetables wired to machines. I don't know if a God exists, or if there is a purpose to our existence. But if there is, you can bet it's not to become such derelicts. Then again, no one was forcing anyone to spend their life online. That was the people's choice. Is it possible to force people into freedom? And if it is, should it be done?
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Nash Trenton : [Voice over] Camylle was expecting a revolution. But as I said at the beginning of this story, the revolution already happened. And we were too damn busy to notice it. Dina was right. I was in a position of choosing a comfortable life. Nothing was keeping me in the old world anymore. So, I decided to stop being a Hybrid. Too painful. I'm a Connected now, like most of the population. The money I earned allows me to add features that make me enjoy the experience even more fully. And who's to say that what I'm experiencing isn't real? Studies from the beginning of the century prove that the brain couldn't make a difference between real and virtual. Your brain secretes the same hormones in the same quantity if you are seeing real friends you like, or if you are watching a TV show with characters that you enjoy, in the same quantity. So, if my brain is telling me that what I'm living is real, who the hell are you to tell me that it's not?
