A Virtual World, The Hour, & Updates

Virtual Reality technology has emerged onto the scene in the past two years. Gamers everywhere are getting the opportunity to explore game worlds in fully three dimensional environments. The immersion factor of these machines is unlike anything else, ignoring a few technical faults. You truly feel as if you can reach out and touch the objects surrounding you. You are sorely disappointed when you grasp only air in front of you. But you’re now as close to being inside the game as you’ve ever been. You are the character (well, until he/she speaks on your behalf).

I was skeptical of this equipment, at least at first. From a certain standpoint, it’s applying the Nintendo 3DS’s glasses-less technology. With that handheld, the depth was real, but the illusion broke when you moved side-to-side. But VR headsets are a whole different beast, a different machine. You have never stepped into a virtual environment until you put on a VR headset.

So when I finally caved and my father bought the PSVR, I was understandably surprised (in a good way) by what I was experiencing. Until you put on a headset, you just don’t understand how thrilling it is. I played the Kitchen demo and got goose bumps from how real/frightening the environment you are confined to could be. I knew then and there that RE7 was going to be something else entirely.

So, over the course of the past few months, I have played (and mostly enjoyed) the following VR games: Loading Human, Batman VR, Here They Lie, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Robinson the Journey, and The Brookhaven Experiment. I’ve met a digital woman and set up the perfect date. I’ve scanned bodies and crime scenes. I’ve explored an apocalyptic and dystopian society in black and white. I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride of horror. I’ve pet a baby T-Rex and snuck past raptors. I’ve warded off inter-dimensional nightmares coming at me from all sides.

Yesterday, I walked through a boarded up house. I could almost taste the months old stew. Footsteps echoed and scattered the dust. A creature growled. Something lurked in the basement. It wasn’t friendly. I died a few times. But I came back with a gun and fired as it approached me, ever larger in my view. I shot off a leg. He tried to leap at me. I dodged out of the way. I survived. January 24, 2017 became that much more of an agonizing wait. I hope to meet my new [digital] family soon. They seem pretty welcoming – aside from the fists to the face, horrible cursing, and raw/moldy food. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of it?

But in spite of all that, regardless of the levels of hype and wonder I’ve experienced playing these games and witnessing this technology, I know that the wait is more than bearable. Because there are more important things. Like [my real] family. Like my career. Like my faith. They are what keeps me going. Without them, I am nothing. I like video games, probably more than I should, but I know what they can’t replace. They cannot replace the warmth one feels at a family gathering. They cannot replace the satisfaction that lies in completing a successful endeavor. They cannot replace faith in a living, loving God.

“The Lord knows those who are His.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

So, as we approach the coming Christmas celebration, I pray that all of us, myself included, remember the reason for the season. Regardless of the origins of the date itself, let us be reminded that we as Christians honor our God, not ourselves, on this date. By all means, give each other gifts (such as the wonderful VR technology outlined above), but do not forget why we come together for community. We are coming to the end of the year of our lord 2016. His coming is soon. This was true 2000+ years ago, when God was made flesh, and is true now. No one knows the date or the hour (except Him) so in the present let’s not be placated by the material – at least without paying Him due homage.

As for this blog and my Kindle Scout campaign, I have a few updates:

There are now only ten (10) days left to nominate The Shadow Over Lone Oak for publication. I’m sure most of you have already done this, but if you haven’t, there is still time. All you have to do is click the following link (https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OOWXSO7FX538) and select nominate. All you need is an amazon account and it’s entirely free. If the book is selected, you will receive a free digital copy upon release.
If the book is selected, I plan on publishing it in print as well. For those who prefer print, that version would have an additional piece of writing – an excerpt from the planned sequel, tentatively titled A Den of Jackals.
There will be a new Lone Oak Gazette article in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that. This will be the final article of the promotion.

Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you have a fabulous day. God bless.