Photo: The Verge
“Mommy, will you show me a bedtime story?”
“Yes, dear. Now get ready for bed.”
Charlie hops into bed, pulling the comforter tight over his little body. Wiggling his toes beneath the sheets in anticipation.
Mommy opens the closet door and takes the small black headset off of the top shelf, carefully fitting it over Charlie’s tiny head before kissing him gently on the forehead. She takes a step back, regarding her little man one last time before hitting the light switch. The soft throbbing glow from the headset fills the room as Charlie lays back in bed.
She closes the door, leaving him to it.
***
Charlie’s heading down into a cave.
There’s been an accident of some kind, with panic and frenzy all around him as people rush out of the cave’s mouth. Charlie isn’t scared – in this world, he’s six feet tall and brawny. It’s a familiar story.
He grabs a fleeing civilian, terrified for his life. “What happened here?”
“I don’t know! It was just a tour of the deep cavern – then there was an explosion! People talking about diamonds, jewels… I have to get out of here!”
The man races away into the safety of the woods as the recall videos start playing. In the top left of the VR screen, a brief scene shows Charlie’s avatar looking at a framed picture of someone as he looks worried. In the top right, his avatar eyes a photo of glittering jewels with a greedy gaze.
It’s the first choice of the game. Charlie considers his options carefully.
