The Game

  Chapter 3

  Twenty minutes passed while Zack watched the video. Kyle sat patiently and waited. He'd been playing the game all his life too, so he knew what Zack was going through.

  When the glasses turned off, Kyle got up and removed them from Zack’s head. He folded them quietly and watched Zack for any telltale signs of cracking; remembering reality could be stressful. If Zack cracked, he would need another day or two of rest before being able to go home. If he did more than crack — if he actually broke… Kyle wasn't too concerned about that happening. Not many kids broke these days.

  Zack smiled and nodded his head; he was just fine. Kyle pulled out a clipboard with a paper on it and got a pencil, tapping it lightly on the clipboard. “Okay, Zack, answer these questions to prove you’re fully out of the Game and then we can get out of here.”

  “Fire away.” Zack said. His attitude had changed. He no longer seemed confused. The video was intended to fully bring a person to their senses and it appeared to have worked very well.

  “Who invented the Game?” Kyle asked.

  “Brandon Strayne.”

  “What is the Game?”

  “The Game is a virtual reality simulation designed to teach kids about life and the rules of reality, letting them learn and make mistakes in the safety of a computer simulation.” Zack answered.

  “How long does the Game last for a person?” Kyle asked.

  “The Game lasts until you die inside of it. When that happens you exit the Game and come back to reality. If you’ve earned enough credits during your play, you can use them to buy back in for another play and re-enter the Game.”

  “How soon can you re-enter the Game?”

  “It depends on how you left it.” Zack answered. “There are a lot of reasons for you to die in the Game. The computer ranking system determines how soon you can go back in. It’s difficult to predict, but you could re-enter as soon as a day after you come out, or sometimes you might have to wait up to a month. As long as you can pay to get back in and you’re not older than 18, you can re-enter the Game.”

  “How many people are playing the Game?” Kyle asked.

  “Billions of kids are in the Game at the same time. All in the same world, all interacting with each other.”

  “What can credits from the Game buy you in real life?”

  “Nothing, until you’re 18.” Zack answered. “Then the credits you’ve earned in the Game are converted to real money which you use to begin your life as an adult. The money can be used to purchase admission to a high quality university, a great job… tons of things.”

  “You're almost 18, Zack.” Kyle said. “How much money will you have when you are done with the Game?”

  Zack smiled, holding up his rare coloured bracelet. “Turns out I’m one of the top players to have ever played the Game. I’m going to be filthy rich when I turn 18 and get my credits converted into real money.”