Dive In: Part 1: Prologue

It never takes long, once a new technological system emerges, for multitudes of improvements to start popping into existence. Take the cellphone, for example. In the 1990s, the cellphone was a giant brick that, while slightly convenient for those who traveled, was bulky, brick-like, and had an uncommon appearance in the average home. Less than thirty years later, that brick has become a nearly weightless, pocket-sized device upon which calls are the least used function. They have become a necessity to everyday life, and it has become unusual to see someone without one.

Computers, once large enough to fill the average dining hall, now fit into the palm of your hand. Schools and businesses alike depend on these miniature marvels to accomplish great deeds. And with these came the Google Glass, which some hospitals actually use to teach their doctors complex surgeries. Answer your mail, make calls, play thousands upon thousands of games, and reach nearly six billion people with whatever words or media your heart desires.

In 2014, the first virtual reality gaming headset prototypes began testing. In two years, it became open to the public. Games for VR began to flood the market, from gladiator RPGs to open world sandbox creation games (i.e. Minecraft VR), and everything in between. And with the rate of technological advancements in the modern era, even the virtual world began to expand. This is how our story begins.

In the year 2096, Sony and Nintendo, in cooperation, have released a brand new way to fall into virtual reality. NeuroSurge is the first full dive virtual reality system to hit the market, and business is booming. Using complex coding to read the neurological transmissions of the human mind, this small headset allows the user to experience a million worlds as if they were real.

For months before its release, the NeuroSurge advertisements offered up a plethora of reasons to try the new system. Feel the wind upon your skin, the mist of a thousand oceans spraying against your face. Smell the roses of a hundred gardens. Taste the sweet juices of exotic fruits, both terran and new. For these reasons and more, more than ten thousand people from young to old lined up at every tech store, hoping for a chance to even see the new device, let alone buy it.

This is a story about an entire generation of people and the games that they play. This is a story of elders and children both coming together to learn and play on an even field. Most of all, this is the story of Miya Takada, a girl without legs, who will finally be able to walk across a beach for the first time in her life.

But at what price?

"Ten thousand people have already purchased the new Monster Bash game for the NeuroSurge system, according to our market reports," the television blared out. "Developers say this is their best full dive game to date, expected to have an even bigger opening turnout than the last three combined. For those of you who have yet to read the reviews, game makers say that this game allows players to emulate one of two teams: monsters and their hunters. This player versus player, or PVP could be the start of a brand new, casualty-free war. Stay tuned in all week, for our full dive specialist's reports as his daughter, Miss Takada, plays the game. Miss Miya Takada, sixteen, has agreed to let us record her diving experience."