Life as a Simulation
Have you ever wondered if there is a greater system at work on a universal scale? Or if we are going to get so advanced that we will create our own little simulation experiments? Me, neither. However, I have wondered about the scale of the universe, our behaviors, who we are as humans, and what we create and leave behind. If we think about it, 20-30 years ago we had games that were simple code, as simple as two rectangular blocks hitting a circle back and forth until one of them missed. In other words, the one and only Pong. But today, we have such advanced games that can outperform movies, books, or other games, games like Grand Theft Auto, where you play in a massive world filled with humans, cars, buildings, and things to do. YOU are in control of the antagonist, and everything else is built for YOUR entertainment. When you are on street A, street B or C don't necessarily exist, and if it does, it is much simpler than street A. Street A may have more NPCs (Non Playable Characters) that move around and talk, or it can have more cars or mini-events taking place. These will not happen on street B unless you are presently there. But what if we created a world that didn't do that, where everyone went on to live their lives regardless of what the antagonist (or you) did? And when we are not playing the game, the main characters do their own thing, live their own little lives, believe in their own ideas, morals, and set of beliefs. Would that still be a video game? Or would it be more of a simulation?