Why I Almost Wish Sword Art Online Existed

Sword Art Online is a light novel series, which I have not read, since I don’t know how to speak Japanese.  However, it was adapted into an anime, and given English subtitles in late 2012.  It follows a boy whose online name is Kirito.  He played the beta of Sword Art Online, which is a virtual MMORPG.  That means that it is a game that fully immerses the player.  The player moves their character as if they were truly moving.  Meanwhile, the nerve gear, which allows them to connect to the game, prevents their body from moving.  An MMORPG for those who don’t know, stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.

At the beginning of the first episode, Kirito is in the game playing and then finds that he can’t log out.  The creator of the game then announces to everyone that they are trapped in the game, and that death in the game will result in a burst of electricity being sent through their nerve gear into their brain, killing them.  These factors essentially turn the game world into a new world that is very real indeed.

This idea hearkens back to .Hack with the whole die in the game, die in real life idea.  This idea is very interesting indeed though.  There have been plenty of jokes on the internet about people playing World of Warcraft obsessively and it becoming their new life.  What if that actually happened though?  What if the game actually could be a world, one with actual people to talk to as shopkeepers and villagers, rather than computers with a few lines they repeat over and over?  How many people would take that chance, and go that road instead of staying the real world?  Probably a lot of them.  Many people just want peace and quiet, and a game world where the economy is never an issue and jobs are always open certainly sounds inviting.

Imagine, a world with no incurable diseases, an easy way to make money, and built in countermeasures to make murder and thievery that much harder to do.  Sounds pretty great to me.  How many other people would jump at the chance?  Anyone without money, that’s who.  The homeless?  You bet.  How cool would that be?  How insane though?  To leave the real world behind and enter a new one.  Impossible, right?

Of course, dying in real life when you die in the game is quite terrifying, and that is the key that changes the game world into a real world.  Especially when most players were thrust into it with almost no knowledge of how to play.  Some people never leave the first level of the world, instead just settling down.

I don’t want to spoil anything about the story, since it’s really good.  I got addicted to it when I started watching it, personally.  I highly recommend checking it out.  It has a little something for everyone, with a good concept, awesome fight scenes, and romance as well.  When recommending it to someone, tell them that, say what I’ve said, otherwise they won’t care.  A friend of mine told me to watch it and I didn’t because he didn’t paint an accurate picture of what it was.  I could have seen it that much sooner…  So check it out, it’s great, and don’t forget to imagine all of the possibilities out there.

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