Make Cycle 2: Sucked into the Game

(Make Cycle 2 is below)
For my second make cycle I decided to write a short story.  At this point (For the picture) it is still in it's beginning stages, and I have yet to really look at it for editing, so it's far from completion.  In it I am combining my one pager ideas on Star Wars, Video games, Hollywood and science, and The Evolution of technology.  Typing this, I only have five paragraphs, all of which are extremely short, and only exist due to dialogue.  For me this make outlines some of the issues that can arise with technology, and where it can go in the future, especially gaming technology, which is always changing, but not always improving.  So I guess this short story is a take on some of my favorite pastimes and where I see science taking it in the near or far off future.

 

The main idea of the short story is to raise questions about where science is going, and what people could possibly use it for in the future.  In modern life we already have issues with hackers, and it's especially a problem among gamers in online universes, so essentially how could it end up further along the years?  The process of creating this make cycle was an idea that popped up when I was going back over the one pagers.  In the past I've enjoyed stories that took place in a game world, so this short story seemed a pretty good idea.  It covers all the one pagers for the most parts, some more than others.  It takes Hollywood's exaggeration of science, video games, well I'm pretty sure we can piece that one together, Star War's look at the future of science, and the evolution of technology is kind of shown in the story with how the video game world works.  Most of the process of making was just me sitting at the computer, listening to music as I typed it up, and of course editing it later. Though for others, my process started with me thinking about the one pagers, and flicking through youtube for music.  My music is a mix between soundtracks from all kinds of movies.  Some media that influenced me a lot were the Sword Art Online, and Ready Player One.  Both of these pieces of imagination brought to mind what could happen in the video game world.  In Sword Art Online they are stuck in the video game, and Ready Player One actually brings video game culture to forefront of the story, daily life playing and happening around the video game world. Sorry to pull the horrible ending, it was already getting too long, and hey, maybe I can extend it in the future.

Sword Art Online:

Ready Player One:

Some Soundtracks to check out: (What I listened to when writing this as well as similar soundtracks)

-Sword Art Online Soundtrack

-Halo 4 Soundtrack

-Two Steps From Hell soundtrack

-Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack

All copyrighted material is not mine, Ready Player One written by Ernest Cline, Sword Art Online story created by Reki Kawahara, and Individual soundtracks owned by respective companies.

Here's the Actual Make:

“Sucked into the Game”

                The room was dark, the only light being emitted was aimed at one of the four walls.  Loud bursts of gunfire echoed bright flashes of light, the only occupant staring at the violent expanse before him in delight.

                “Take that you alien scum!”  His fingers darted over the keys of the controller in his hand with a crazed obsession.

                “Michael.  There’s a band of aliens coming from the east entrance.”  Another boy’s face flashed onto the right hand portion of the wall.

                “Alright, Benjy.  Keep it calm.  Why don’t circle around the north entrance, and we hit them from both sides?”

                “Fine by me. But my score is higher than yours.  Don’t act so mighty.”  For effect, Benjy flashed his Gamerscore under his picture, the high stats number highlighted just for Michael.

                “Whatever man.  Are you going to do it, or what?”  Michael let loose a string of moves, his character blasting, and punching the approaching aliens.

                “I’m already moving.  These tunnels are crazy long.  What do you think happened to our teammates?”  An icon popped up on the screen, Benjy’s dot moving slowly on the map.

                “Ditched at the beginning of the match.  A whole bunch of pussies.”

                “Man!  Couldn’t they have at least stayed to see how it would go?”

                “Probably went to watch the news.  Because that’s as close as they’re going to get to this action.”  Michael pumped his fist as he got a head shot on a tall alien, the opponent crashing to the floor with a ‘bang’.  “I am so catching up to that score of yours.”

                “You’re so unfair.  Can’t you at least save me something to shoot at?”  Benjy’s character ran out of the tunnel, assassinating one of Michael’s enemy from behind.

                “Why?  You’re doing just fine.”  The last alien went down, and Benjy playfully did a punch at Michael’s character, Michael’s health rating plummeting slightly at the contact.  “That was uncalled for Benjy.  You aren’t being a sore loser, are you?”

                “You’re lucky you’re a nice person outside of the video game world.”  Michael shrugged, the action unseen by his friend.  Their conversation ended as a box appeared in front of them, both of their characters inching away out of habit.

                “What is that?”  Michael was the first to step closer, still just far enough for it not to have an effect on the object.

                “We better leave that.  We’re on the internet, Michael.  It could be a virus.  You remember those hackers that hack into the video game.”

                “And when has that happened to us?”  He could hear Benjy muttering unintelligible curses through the microphone.  “I’m just going to open it.  You can step back more if you want to.”  One last curse was mumbled, and Benjy stepped closer to the box, his character’s weapon aimed at the object.

                “If I get another freaking virus in the system, my dad’s going to murder me.”

                “Just tell him it was my fault.”  They opened the box, and moved back, staring at its empty inside for a moment, neither wanting to say anything.

                “I almost peed my pants over this?”  Michael snorted, trying to hold in his laughter as his character kicked the box, the object spinning in place.

                “That was fun.  Want to do a team game?” 

                “I don’t know.  That seriously messed with my brain.”  Michael stopped the laughter that had hit him so hard, staring down as the box as it lit up.  Without warning his screen went black, a light beeping repeating overtop of Benjy’s voice.

                “What?”

                “You got me another freaking virus!  I’m screwed!  Screwed, I tell ya.”  Michael could hear Benjy shaking a few of his gadgets even over the beeping. 

                “Benjy.  Look at that.”  The carnage stopped, Michael staring, dazed, at the small light that appeared on the screen.

                “I can’t take this.”  An icon popped on the screen, the words ‘Quitting is not permitted’ flashed in large red letters.  “Just let me out!”  Michael tried to exit the game as well, but the same pop up met him, his character taking form on the screen. 

                “Welcome to Legacy.”  Around his character, the setting slowly faded into existence, a dark sky looming overhead, and a forest taking root all over the place.  The voice that had spoken before began again, listing out general information of the world they had stepped into.  “Your goal is to make it to the inside of Mount Renegan.  Home and sanctuary of the gamer’s alliance.” 

                “Gamer’s Alliance?  What is she talking about?”  He tapped the map icon on the upper left hand of his screen, but all it currently showed was the forest.

                “Computer.  Where are we?”  Benjy’s question only served to make the system repeat itself entirely.

                “Give it up, Benjy.  Let’s just head over to Mount whatcha-ma-call it.   If we do that it might just let us go back.”

                “I don’t want to.  Let them have our personal information.  This is screwed up.”

                “And what if your parents find out their information is now on the internet?”  Benjy fell silent, and followed Michael’s character.  The terrain of the game was a reflection of one of the old forests that used to exist on Earth Michael noticed.  Each tree was unique, its limbs twisting off in every direction.  The sky up above was hardly visible, even though it was late fall, and all the leaves had fallen.  There was a low beep as something popped up on their maps, a small dot quickly advancing on their position.  Michael’s character reached for the gun he always carried, but his fingers grasped at air.

                “I don’t have my weapons, Michael!”

                “I don’t either.”  Michael looked at their surroundings, and pulled Benjy’s character with his behind a cropping of bushes and trees.  It wouldn’t last long, but at least it would give them some time to figure something out.  They waited a few long seconds before a figure ran at their last position and stopped, a long sword held at the ready.  It took Michael a few seconds to realize who it was standing in front of them.  “Jason?”  The character in front of them looked around at the surroundings and then saw them, stepping closer, its old video game styled armor glinting in the cold lighting.

                “Michael and Benjy.  Man, I haven’t seen the two of you in forever!”

                “Where have you been?”  Jason put his sword back into its sheath, and motioned for them to follow him.

                “Stuck here.  My parents found me in the gaming room, and I had to explain it to them.  But what happened was that I was able to hack the hacker.” 

                “Hack the hacker?”  Benjy’s confusion was obvious.

                “I was playing that new game, and got to the level where you’re on this volcano world.  Came this close to winning, it was amazing.”  He made a gesture with his fingers, indicating how close, and continued his story.  “And then this game boss came out of nowhere.  I knew he didn’t belong there, so I fought him.  I even began a system clean-up for the game.  That was when it wouldn’t let me out.  And then I ended up here.  People pop into this place every now and then.”

                “Is there any way out?”  Jason nodded, and pointed due north toward a large mountain.

                “That’s Mount Renegan.”

                “So why are you still here?”

                “I haven’t stayed in here this entire time.  I keep coming back to try to destroy it.  It’s getting there, but I still have a long way to go.”

                “I guess that makes sense.”  Michael looked again at the large mountain and let out a sigh.  “Who brought us here anyway?”

                “It took some time.  But I found out it was a hacker in the old Japanese sector.  He’s pretty good.  Come on.”    He led them through the woods, a trek that lasted a few hours, before they ended up on the outskirts of the woods, a makeshift village greeting them.  Ramshackle houses, and shops lined the sides of a dirt road, players watching their arrival with guarded looks.

                “Jason.  Who are these people?”  Jason lightly hit Michael, to keep him from staring at the people, and kept his own gaze on the dirt road they were walking on.

                “Players that can’t leave.  Their information is now linked to this game world because of the hacker.  If they leave, they lose everything.”

To be Continued…..