by Terry Schott
On a separate note, digital downloads of the Earth book “The Game Is Life,” written by the avatar George R. Knight, are topping the charts in the real world. The little book about the Game has sold over two million copies in the last two weeks on Tygon. Who profits from these sales? George R. Knight was the avatar of Zack, so naturally all profits will go to him and his sponsor Brandon Strayne. It looks like Zack is doing well not just inside the Game this play, but also on Tygon as well.
Join us tomorrow for all day extensive coverage of Zack’s current avatar’s birthday. How will Trew spend his 30th birthday? No one knows for sure, but don’t miss a second of the day.
Game News at a Glance
Trew - 30
What an incredible day.
My best birthday yet.
I lay back in bed and list the day’s events in my mind.
1. Breakfast in bed, served to me by my lovely wife, followed by a relaxing drive to see my parents and have lunch with them.
2. On the way back, on a whim, I stop into a car dealership and buy my birthday gift.
3. I meet a stranger and it turns out that he knew George Knight, the author of the book that’s changed our lives and the way we truly see the world. Then I get a chance to take him out for a coffee and find out things about George that I’ve always wondered, but never thought I would learn.
4. I spend the evening with my remarkable wife. This year I’m blessed and thankful that Danni is alive, healthy, happy, and still madly in love with me. I don’t know how I’d live without her, and I’m thankful that I don’t have to find out. Most people take so much for granted, but not me. Not ever.
That was my 30th birthday. If anyone was watching me play this game today, then I hope I gave them a good time. If no one’s watching me, well, that’s okay too.
“Today was the best, babe,” I say. “Thank you so much.”
Danielle snuggles into the crook of my arm as we lay in bed getting ready for sleep. “I’m glad you had a good day, love. Thirty’s a big one.”
She sounds so serious. “Nah, 30 isn’t such a big number. The odds are great that I’m not even half old.”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“I’m thirty today,” I say. “If I double my age, I get the number 60. I have an excellent chance of still being alive at 60, so I’m not even half of the total age I’ll live. I have a lot of time left to live, which is great!”
Danni looks at me with a blank look. After a couple minutes she shakes her head. “That made some kind of sense to you, didn’t it?”
I laugh. “Yeah, it did. I’m just saying it’s good to be young with a lot of life left in front of me.”
“Okay, that I can understand,” she says.
We lie there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and each other’s company. I start to drift off to sleep when she says something I don’t catch.
I open my eyes again. “What was that, babe?”
“I said, I have one more present for you.”
I turn to face her and smile playfully. “Well, all right!” I pull her close to kiss her.
She kisses me back, but I can tell there’s something serious she wants to talk about, so I sit up and look her in the eye. “Okay, Danni, what is it?”
“Her,” Danni says. “I need to tell you about the time I spent with God when I almost died.”
That gets my attention. It’s been weeks and Danielle has avoided this conversation, saying that she would talk about it when the time was right.
Danni begins to speak, surprising me right from the start. “God’s name is Sylvia and she told me she’s been communicating with you for many, many years, Trew.”
I lay silently and listen. A few moments into the conversation we both get out of bed and go downstairs to sit at the kitchen table.
The next two hours pass in a blur. Eventually she stops talking and sits quietly across from me.
All I can say is “Wow.”
“Yes,” she nods.
“So it’s time,” I say.
“So it would seem,” she says calmly.
“And you don’t think it’s crazy?”
“I think it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Danni says.
“It’s going to work, you know?”
Danni gets up and walks over to my side of the table. She sits on my lap and hugs me tight. I can feel a warm wetness on my neck. She’s crying. “I know it’s going to work, sweet man. It feels like this is what we were put on the planet to do. Do you know how to get things started?”
I nod, still hugging her. “I’ve been thinking and studying and planning this for a long time, Danni. Just waiting for a sign. I guess this was it.”
“I guess so,” she says. “Well, from what Sylvia asked me to do, it looks like I’m going to be part of this and very busy. I’m pretty scared. She’s given me a tall order, especially at my age.”
I laugh. “You’re younger than me! And you’ve always been fit and active. It’s a great way to get the world’s attention, to prove to them that it really is all a game.” I tenderly wipe the tears from her eyes. “Are you sorry you married me?”
Danni laughs and slaps my shoulder. “No, I’m not sorry I married you! If I hadn’t, I’d likely be doing something crazier.”
I nod in agreement. “You were always an adventurous girl. This idea is just another boring day at the office for you, babe.”
She laughs.
“It’s settled, then,” I say. “We’re going to start spreading the word and sharing the message.”
“Everyone’s going to think we’re crazy, Trew,” Danielle says.
I grin at her. “I sure hope so. Everyone thought Columbus was crazy when he said the world was round.”
“At first.”
Chapter 57
Earth has been a real mess since the 30th anniversary celebrations began. As a result of so many players entering the Game in such a short time period, Earth is extremely overpopulated. Add to that the fact that Mainframe allowed most players to be born in civilized countries, and the result is a severe stress being placed on the planet and its inhabitants.
Not enough schools for the children; not enough food for everyone. Not nearly enough jobs or housing or any of the creature comforts that the civilized areas have become so used to.
Crime, deaths, along with any other types of violence and mayhem you can imagine.
The masses are hungry, depressed and desperate.
Although it’s been difficult for avatars, it’s been excellent for Game fans. We have never had so much excitement to witness on such a scale before.
It’s incredible drama, and the Game’s fan base continues to grow at record breaking speed daily.
Don’t feel bad for all the sadness and pain, folks. Many of the players are earning a lot of credits as they participate in these scenarios.
Remember, it’s all just a Game.
30th Anniversary Game Update
“Good afternoon, everyone,” Brandon said. “I came as soon as I received the newest rankings. Many of you have seen this type of shift before, but some haven’t. Let's discuss where Trew is right now in the Game, and what the current situation means to the big picture.”
Brandon paused to look around the table. Some faces appeared mildly concerned, but most looked extremely worried. Brandon couldn’t blame them; each person here had their life savings invested in this play. Failure would lead to internment in the labour camps for some; others would be lucky and merely find themselves in a deep hole of financial loss that would take them years to dig out of. Brandon nodded at Michelle and she stepped forward.
“Thanks, Brandon. Good morning, everyone.” Brandon could see her smile was slightly strained, but she was hiding it well. “As we are all aware, Trew has dropped in ranking. As of this moment he is ranked number 6,065.” Michelle stood silently for a moment to let the number register with everyone, then continued. “He’s been number one for most of his play, and thi
s drop is significant. Please let me summarize where Trew is in the Game at the moment, then I’ll open up the floor for any comments, concerns, or theories regarding how we might be able to help in getting him back up to number one.”
Michelle typed some commands on her tablet and the large screen beside her displayed a myriad of statistics and graphs detailing Trew’s last few years in the Game. “Trew is now 35, still married happily to Danielle. On his thirtieth birthday the two of them decided to go ahead and try to form a faith-based movement. The message they are sharing with the world is that Earthlings are computer generated avatars being controlled by players in another reality. We know this has happened before in the history of the Game, but it looks like our boy has been better at communicating and getting others to subscribe to his theories than ever before.”
She pointed at a portion of the screen that showed Trew standing on a stage, hundreds of people in the crowd all listening with rapt attention. “Although it is by definition a religion, they are calling it a movement. At this time in Earth’s existence, it’s a movement that’s growing fast. They call their movement ‘The Game Is Life,’ to pay respect to the little book written years ago by George R. Knight, Trew’s last avatar. Sales of that book are exploding both on Earth and, of course, on Tygon, and Trew is using it as a means to introduce the theory in an organized way to new people.”
“Why is their movement being received so well, Michelle?” Brandon asked.
“Three main reasons,” Michelle said. “First, because Trew is keeping it very simple, but focused. His entire premise is: ‘If we are living in a computer simulation… then this is the explanation for this phenomenon, or that force of nature, or that spiritual philosophy, et cetera.’ He is able to look at the world and his surroundings and explain everything he sees from the perspective that it’s all a computer simulation. Secondly, Trew and Danielle have the Gift and are using it prove to the world that miracles can happen, and ‘magical’ things can be accomplished. They started off doing it on a small scale, but they’ve also managed to pull off a few larger ones. The more they practice, the better they are getting at it.”
Brandon smiled. “That seems to be the way with everything. What’s the third reason for their success in an arena where so many seem to fail?”
Michelle tapped her finger at another picture on the screen. “Raphael. When he first appeared on the scene as Danielle’s protector, those of us who knew him were very surprised. For a thousand years inside the Game he was one of the top ranked Infernals; most of us actually thought he had won the leadership title of Satan a couple hundred years ago, he was that high up. Then we were afraid he was still an Infernal and was working on Danielle to bring her to power with the intent of causing mischief in the world. It soon became obvious that he had switched over to the Eternal side once again. We hoped he would just be her protector, but it looks like he’s bringing his considerable experience to the table and helping Trew.”
Nadine asked a question. “I’ve never heard of Raphael before. I received only limited info on him when we were informed that Danni had unlocked an Eternal. What’s he experienced in?”
“Cults.” Brandon answered. “Cults, revolutions, and religions. If you look at every major —and most minor — religious movements in the past… five thousand years?” He looked to Michelle for clarification and she nodded affirmatively. “You will see Raphael close by. He just has a knack for it. The past thousand years he helped many historical avatars form some extremely dangerous and deadly groups.”
“Sounds like a strange grouping.” The marketing expert said from beside Nadine. “Cults, revolutions, and religions. All very different creatures.”
“Not very different at all,” Brandon said. “The only real difference is the motivator for the action. A cult is a religion that doesn’t gain popular acceptance. Revolutions follow a government or policy instead of a God. Religion centres around a God that becomes accepted by enough people to gain credibility.” He nodded to Michelle and she sat down.
Brandon stood up and walked to the main screen. “So here’s everyone’s real concern at the moment. Trew and Danielle, apparently as instructed by the Mainframe, have formed one of the fastest growing movements/religions/cults in recent history. Something like that should help him to maintain his ranking of number one, but almost overnight we see his rank dropping not just a few points, but thousands of points. Does that sound about right?”
Brandon scanned the room and everyone was nodding in agreement. He nodded and smiled. “Perfect. Let me assure you that there is no real problem here.” Everyone looked confused. Their lives and futures were dropping like a stone thrown off a cliff and here was their boss smiling, not concerned at all.
Brandon laughed confidently. “I’ve been at this Game for a long time, kids. Let me give you an example even worse than this one. On her last play, Angelica dropped over a million ranking spots. The computer ranking is a combination of many factors, some which I don’t even pretend to understand. One thing is certain though, the final rank of a player is weighed heavily by two things. One factor is how they affect those that they leave behind on Earth. If a child dies fifteen days after it’s born, but its death inspires people to get active and help others, by forming a charity or even just volunteering for instance, then the player who was that child ranks much better than a player whose avatar lives 80 years and contributes nothing to society. The second factor is based on how many Tygon viewers a player has during the entire duration of their play.”
Brandon could see the group relax visibly, many of them laughing in relief as they understood their futures were still very secure. “That’s right, team, Trew is breaking records for subscribers and viewers. If he continues on this path more will flock to view him daily. He has, what? Another 40 or 50 years, if he lives an average lifetime in the Game? More, if our spent credits on Longevity work out properly. That’s another four to six weeks of Game time left for Trew, and millions of more fans to watch him.”
Brandon turned around and pointed confidently at the screen. “Trew’s going to continue on this path, it appears. It isn’t what we planned for him before he went in. So now we get behind this as best we can and help him in all the ways we are able.
“It appears he will not only finish the play in the number one position at this pace — this play could be recognized as one of the greatest sessions in the history of the Game.”
Chapter 58
Stephanie (Danielle is 36)
I can’t remember the last time I spent so much time with one of my Brothers or Sisters on an assignment.
Raphael was always like a big brother to me when I first became an Eternal. He was so calm and patient, helping me discover the ropes of this job and training me to unlock my specific strengths during the training stage of initiation. I had many instructors during those first few years, but I always remember my time with Raphael fondly.
Then he tried to kill me.
I don’t even know why I’m bothering to think about it. Maybe it’s because I know that you’re viewing me from time to time, A. I miss you. You likely don’t recall me from your plays, but I saw you more than once and you were always one of my favourites. I know you understand the ways of both worlds better than most, but Raphael was a valuable lesson for me. Trust as much as you can, knowing that the gift of trust will likely be the thing that ends it all for you someday.
Okay, I guess there’s no more time to get into the details of almost dying forever. The driver is pulling up to the office and we’re going in to see Danni. She asked Trew to bring me; apparently she has something incredible to show us.
I look over at Trew and smile. He’s everything I hoped he would grow into when I first met him as a bright-eyed, curious boy. He’s dressed in a casual shirt and dress pants, very calm and self-confident, but not to the point of arrogance. Thousands of people cheer at him when he stands on the stage, chanting his name and applauding his message. He hasn’t let it chan
ge him, though. He believes deep in his heart that it’s the message they follow, not the man. It’s not true, they do follow the man, but I’m so glad that he's humble. I’ve seen the Power corrupt some strong people over the centuries, quickly destroying their original ideals and intent more times than I can count. It’s because he has Danielle. I don’t know what he would do without her. I don’t know what she would do without him. Souls like his are the reason I agreed to become an Eternal, to help the best of the best players learn how to become even better, in every way the Game allows.
We walk into the building and head for the elevator, taking it to the top floor where Danielle’s spiritual centre for gamers is located. She’s hugging a patient at the front door when we arrive. The patient sees Trew and her eyes light up. She whispers something to Danni, who laughs and brings the patient over to meet Trew.
Trew, always the ambassador, smiles warmly and shakes the patient’s hand. They exchange pleasant words for a few minutes. During the entire conversation Trew focuses intently on the lady, comfortably maintaining eye contact with her and deeply listening to her speak, as if at this moment in time no one else in the world exists. This is one of the most powerful gifts a person can give to another, focused attention. It’s a shame more people can’t do it, but Trew can, and he shows the world how to do it by example.
And the masses of people are learning. For the first time in a long time, people are becoming more decent and caring towards each other. The common belief that they are all playing a game where everyone shares common struggles, hopes, and goals has been very powerful to society these past few years.
And the movement is growing.
The lady leaves and Danni ushers us into her office.
“I think I’ve done it.” She announces with excitement.
“Nice!” Trew exclaims.
“Done what?” I ask.