349 Shin's ridiculous attempt
The PC video game "Fallout" came out first in January before the PC video game "StarCraft," and it was just the first few days since "Fallout" was released, but many gamers in the USA or Japan gaming community were talking about it.
Well, the PC video game "Fallout" contained a sensitive topic, after all. And that is: War.
Although the gamers in the KiShin website gaming community faithfully discussed the charm of the game, many people posted their own opinion about the game narrative of war.
Especially, when the images of the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima felt intentional, and as the narrative of war in the game continued, what the game is conveying is the harmful, harsh, and devastation left by war.
Either it was the Roman ensuing war, Spanish, or Hitler, and then in the game setting, which felt like sci-fi, and the evident contributors of the great war in the game were the two superpowers, "USA," "European Commonwealth," and "China," as it was clearly stated in the narration itself.
Many people who played the game felt the game was unique and interesting, but some people felt like the game had an interesting concept and view of war, but few people also felt that the game is a warning.
Those few individuals could grasp what KiShin is attempting to convey to the masses, similar to when the "Resident Evil 1" theory of the T-Virus emerged. Some believed that unethical pharmacies became notably cautious not to expose their tracks after the T-Virus theory gained popularity. Many still entertain the possibility that a pharmacy somewhere was developing a virus and preparing for it.
In the Yahoo! community, some individuals started sharing their perspectives on the PC video game "Fallout."
Certain individuals speculated about a malfunctioning computer system initiating a nuclear strike, setting off an unstoppable chain reaction of retaliation.
Others speculated about a massive asteroid impact, supervolcanic eruption, or global pandemic triggering widespread disaster and a breakdown of social order, ultimately leading to nuclear war as a desperate attempt to maintain control.
People's creativity seems boundless; there's even someone who proposed that if an extraterrestrial threat arrives on Earth, humanity would respond with a unified but desperate effort, including the use of nuclear weapons as a last-ditch measure.
While some people have ridiculous and expansive imaginations, others truly recognize the potent impact of the Nuclear Bomb.
Many were concerned about such a weapon. Environmental concerns and awareness of natural disasters were on the rise, making scenarios involving apocalyptic events more relatable.
However, many Americans who have confidence in their country don't believe that the powers in East Asia could match their military might even in hundreds of years.
Moreover, many informed and educated individuals who played the PC video game "Fallout" didn't feel much about the intro story of the Great War in the game, where China could actually rival the USA; after all, "the game is just a game."
The story within the game was merely fiction and couldn't be taken seriously, so those people simply enjoyed the game and didn't think much about it.
Some individuals who came across the concerned posts in the Yahoo! community couldn't help but scoff. Their responses to these potentially panic-inducing posts went along the lines of pointing out that in the year 1997 alone, China was still transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy. The USA, on the other hand, was significantly more developed with higher per capita income and more widespread technological advancements.
The USA was demonstrably ahead in most aspects of technology, making major strides in computing, space exploration, and other fields. Although China was investing heavily in technological development, it was still catching up.
The current USA possessed a far more powerful and sophisticated conventional military compared to China. Despite both countries being major nuclear powers, the USA had a larger nuclear arsenal at that time.
Upon reading these responses, many worried individuals sighed in relief.
Apart from war topics, gamers showed little interest and instead engaged in discussions about the video game "Fallout." While gamers entertained theories about the game, these were harmless and centered around concepts such as Vault-Tec's experiments going deeper than imagined. Some speculated that the entire wasteland was one elaborate social experiment, manipulating events and testing human behavior on a grand scale.
Others pondered whether the Vaults weren't intended as shelters but as controlled environments for genetic experimentation, breeding humans for specific traits or creating a new, "improved" humanity. Discussions about the main villain, "The Master," also emerged alongside these game theories.
However, the majority of gamers were focused on exchanging tips and tricks about the PC video game "Fallout." Advice included tips like talking to everyone (NPCs), reading everything, as newspapers, notes, and terminal entries revealed lore, clues, and hidden quests.
Trade items with merchants to get what you need; Charisma helps secure better deals.
Explore everywhere: Hidden caches, side quests, and unique encounters lurk in every corner.
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Tokyo, Japan.
Shin scrolled through webpages on his computer, observing the responses of gamers and non-gamers to KiShin's latest PC video game, "Fallout."
He chuckled at the ridiculous theories and contemplated when he encountered posts underestimating a country.
He sighed; after all, those people were unaware that those power would gradually grow significantly in just a decade or so.
In Shin's previous life, tension among many countries in the world had already resulted in war.
That's why, Shin felt that aside from recreating video game consoles from his previous life with his money, which he didn't bother counting, he could explore the experiment of virtual reality.
Shin knew it was almost impossible to develop such technology, but trying is trying. Perhaps if he could fully develop a virtual reality device, it could distract the people of this world, even government officials, to the point that they'd engage in war in the virtual world rather than the real one.
Of course, Shin was aware that even with his money, he couldn't fully develop it. And he obviously would not attempt the experiment now, as the research facility for that project wasn't even completed yet.
To some, this might seem like a ridiculous project, but Shin, with his current financial capability, felt he could afford to invest some money in it. Even if it takes dozens upon dozens of years, Shin believed it was worth taking the risk to research it.
Shin sighed. Sometimes, he wondered if Kayaba Akihiko, the designer of NerveGear, existed in this world; everything would be easy and fall into place.
