Imagine being inside of a video game. Instead of mashing buttons on a controller, the player on your TV screen would not be a different person anymore; you would be jumping through the exciting levels of your favorite video game, defeating enemies, gaining items, and going on grand quests.

I didn't have to imagine doing all that anymore. I was about to jump inside a video game.

Yes, I was in line for the launch party of the brand-new Nintendo VR. The "VR" stood for "virtual reality". All you had to do was strap on a helmet with a game disc loaded inside of the device, power it on, and your mind would venture into the game. The $450 console was highly hyped by gamers everywhere after the atrocious sales of Nintendo's last console attempt: the Super Wii. It had horrible games, an awful design, and an awkward controller resulting in games being virtually impossible to perfect. I didn't purchase it after I read many reviews online giving it scores like three out of ten and one star. But Nintendo promised that this time, it would be different. The VR had highly impressive graphics, immensely realistic to make it feel like you were truly there while playing. Additionally, the game that was bundled with the brand new system – Super Mario Bros. VR – was a revolutionary game starring the all-star plumber that enabled the player to play as four different characters from the series and explore larger-than-life levels. It looked amazing, and it seems to fully utilize the VR's abilities.

But before I could play the game, I had to stand in line for it.

I was freezing. It was a cold, November night, and every time I exhaled I could clearly see my breath. My watch informed me that it was 11:45; fifteen minutes before launch. I was pretty far ahead in line, due to arriving three days prior to the day that the VR arrived. My dad agreed to take me because he shares my love of Nintendo products. We hopped in the car and sped towards the local video game shop, prepared to take home a second reality.

And now, it was almost time.

"This is a surreal feeling," my dad remarked, sitting in our cozy tent that we had set up the moment we arrived.

"It's finally here."

The clock on the side of the store struck 11:55. Of course, I was mainly excited to gain a new video game console, but partially, I was ready to end the dozens of hours I'd spent sitting in a tent. I'd used that time to prepare for Super Mario Bros. VR, playing through some retro Mario titles for the Gameboy and DS. I grew up with those games, and now, at seventeen, I was going to live inside them.

The clock struck 11:59.

I give a glance to my dad, who gave me a smile.

All around me, people in line shouted a glorious countdown that I gladly joined in.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

"VR!" The entire crowd screamed in unison. At that precise moment, the doors of the shop slammed open, and out walked a man with a loudspeaker in hand. He gave a quick wave to the crowd before yelling, "The Nintendo VR is now available!"

In my palm was the handle to a bag. Inside that bag was the Nintendo VR. On my face was the dopiest smile possible. I was actually holding one of these things. Incredible.

Once I arrived at home, I gave my mom and sister a hug, as they'd been waiting days to see us. After this exchange, I carefully placed the VR on the kitchen table, trying as hard as I could not to rip the box to shreds so I could start playing. I slid out the contents from the bag.

There it was.

A sleek, gray box, with the letters "VR" in huge, bold font on the front. Under this text was a picture of the black helmet that would soon be placed on my head to transport me into another dimension.

My instincts then took over. I snatched a stray pair of scissors from the table, brought them over to the VR, and violently impaled the side of the package. The safety scissors managed to slice through the box and enable me to successfully open the console up.
Inside, it was simple. There, in a thin, plastic wrapping, was the helmet. Next to it was a long manual on how to use the device, along with the small disc that would be inserted into a slot in the helmet to let me play Super Mario Bros. VR.

Things looked pretty good.

The helmet was atop my head, covering my eyes. There was a small red button on the top that powered the system on.

"Are you ready?" My dad asked. I flashed him a thumbs up, and on queue, he pressed his index finger into the button.

Instantly, I felt a little odd. My vision completely faded away, along with the sounds of my house. This continued for a couple seconds.

"Hello?!" I frantically called out into the darkness. There was no reply.

But then, to my relief, everything started to fade back. However, it was different. I was standing in the midst of a green field that seemed to go on for miles. I looked down, and to my shock, I certainly didn't see me. Instead, I saw bare legs and bare feet that did not belong to me.

"Hello. Welcome to Nintendo VR."

These words echoed into my head. I was officially inside, then. But I probably should've read that manual, as I had no clue how to access Super Mario Bros. VR, or how to get to a menu.

"I am the VR Helper, here to aid you on your adventure. First, please set up some basic settings before you begin playing," the voice explained.

Suddenly, a wall formulated itself in front of me out of midair. I stepped back in surprise, before realizing that this was not the world I normally resided in. This was all virtual, and anything could happen.

The wall turned out to not truly be a wall at all. Instead, what was in front of me was a mirror. Now, I was truly able to see what I looked like here.

My reflection was quite bizarre. I looked like a middle-aged man, but there was no face or hair on my head.

"Please distinguish your gender. Are you a boy or are you a girl?" The emotionless voice asked.

In a split second, two words carved themselves into the side of the mirror: "Boy" and "Girl".

"How do I choose?" I asked. But, like my body, this voice didn't sound like me. Instead, it sounded like a robot.

"Please press your hand against the option you want," the robot responded.

I nodded, even though this robot definitely couldn't see me. I decided to see the two models for male and female. First, I tapped "boy", and some changes started taking place. Black dress shoes, gray pants, and a red shirt appeared on my body. Also, a face formed on my head, which felt extremely weird. It looked like an average man, with a beard surrounding the mouth. I decided against choosing the "girl" option to avoid swapping my gender.

"Are you sure you are a boy?"

"Yes," I answered, in the deep, manly tone.

"Okay. Next, please input your username."

The mirror stayed put, but the "boy" and "girl" options vanished. In their place, a keypad appeared with all the letters of the alphabet placed on it.

I raised my fingers – well, they weren't really mine – to the keypad and swiped them across it, formulating the name "Adrian". This was my name in reality, and I figured I would just use it here to save myself from confusion.

"Is your name Adrian?" The robot asked me, for clarification.

"Yes."

"Okay. That is all you need to begin playing. For more customization options, please consult the 'Settings' option in the main menu," the voice informed me.

"Sounds great," I replied.

"Goodbye."

The mirror faded away, along with the plain, grassy field. In fact, everything faded. The only things I could see now were "Play Game", "Add Friends", "Nintendo VR Community", and "Settings".

At first I wasn't sure what to do, as I had no controller to select any of these options. But an idea flashed in my brain.

"Play game," I uttered.