Author's note: Greetings, my friends, and welcome to my new story! Before we begin, let me ask you a question: if you like video games, have you ever dreamed of being able to enter your favorite games at will and interact with its characters and gameplay mechanics? If your answer is yes, then this story is made for you!
A few months ago, my friend, TheDragonSaver, came up with this idea for a world where every video game in existence is interconnected and accessible to us, people from the real world. He established precise rules to ensure maximum pleasure for the players. As such, credit for the concept of the Gamesphere goes to him. However, my OC and the plot of this story are of my own creation.
Despite my limitless enthusiasm at the idea of traveling through my favorite video games, I don't know how regularly I'll get to update this story, as cegep is consuming a lot of my time.
I don't own any video game in this story; they belong to their respective studio and creators. I sure hope you guys will have as much fun reading this as I did writing it. Now, let's begin "Ace in the Gamesphere"!
Prologue: Before the New Game
Time wasn't moving fast enough for Ace. Every tick of the clock seemed to take an eternity to come, and it made him feel crazy. He needed to move his legs!
3:35 p.m. Another long and hard day of studying was about to come to an end for the young adult. But even five mere minutes felt like hours to Ace, when he knew what was awaiting him after today. His legs shaking, he stared down at his open math book lying on his desk, displaying a half-finished problem. He hadn't touched it for about forty minutes, but you couldn't expect him to complete an overcomplicated math problem after he spent a whole day taking French, math and even history lessons. Plus, he only had four minutes remaining anyway. Then, at last, the sound of the bell ringing finally echoed throughout the classroom. Which indicated the one thing he had been waiting for.
"IT'S SUMMER TIME!"
Caught in his own joy, Ace failed to realize he jumped out of his chair and threw a fist in the air. Luckily, this didn't seem to bother either his classmates or math teacher, who all laughed in amusement at his reaction. After pulling all of his studying equipment in his backpack, Ace darted out of school and to the parking. There, he proceeded to put his backpack in his tricycle's basket before unlocking its security chain. Usually, he would take the bus to go home, but it was summer; no way he was going to miss the perfectly balanced temperature.
Right after unlocking the chain, Ace turned around to see many other students of his age gathered together and chatting while waiting for their bus, leaving in cars, or just hanging around for fun. Ace never really got the chance to do this. Sure, he did chat with a few friends from time to time, but he didn't have a big group of friends who liked to hang out during lunch breaks. He was too focused on his studies to socialize with other students.
Jumping on his single-track vehicle, the young man started rolling away from the building he wouldn't have to see for the next two months, heading home. Instead of following the main road, he decided to go on the boardwalk lining the rim of the river. It would take him more time to reach his destination, but he wasn't in a hurry. Plus, the fresh river breeze brushing against his face brought him the feeling he enjoyed the most: that of freedom.
Ace drove in silence for many, long minutes before he caught sight of a huge billboard presenting the cover of the upcoming new Mortal Kombat game. In the corner of this cover, he spotted the official brand that let everyone know this game would become part of the Gamesphere upon release. Not only Ace, but everybody in the world could recognize this peculiar logo; it appeared on practically every game box and official artwork in existence. The only way to ignore the meaning of this brand would be to ignore the existence of the Gamesphere.
Everybody knew the Gamesphere. It originally started as a small independent project, overlooked by a producer whose identity remained a secret even to this day, with the goal being to bring gamers to the world of video games like in an alternate dimension. At first, Ace paid no attention to this project, as it seemed too ambitious and not credible enough to succeed... Yet, upon release, the Gamesphere quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, gaining more users than World of Warcraft within only a few days.
The Gamesphere was a massively multiplayer online game, where players could visit some of the most famous and well-known video game worlds and locations - such as Anor Londo from Dark Souls or Vice City from Grand Theft Auto - and interact with their favorite characters. Soon, video games were no longer a mere hobby to kill time; they became a new world for people to explore and to live in. You wanted to stomp on Mario enemies in the Mushroom Kingdom? You could! You wanted to capture every Pokémon ever conceived? Be our guest! You wanted to round up your friends and kill zombies in Left 4 Dead? It was possible... As long as you were eighteen or older.
For everybody who even simply looked at a game or touched a controller, discovering the Gamesphere was like entering a dream you thought was impossible to reach. A magical place where everything was possible. Sure, people still had to live in the real world, get a job, and all that, but in the Gamesphere, they could be whoever they wanted to be. A heroic warrior helping everyone in need, a badass gunslinger fighting hordes of monsters, or even a genius building all sorts of crazy creations in Minecraft. It all became possible.
One of the most interesting features in the Gamesphere was the guild system. Users could create guilds, where they recruited other video game characters as partners to aid them on quests. As if meeting characters like Mario or the Doomslayer wasn't amazing enough, you could become their friend or brother-at-arm for life. In fact, Ace even heard instances of people getting into romantic relationships with their favorite virtual idol. Yes, you read that right; it was possible to get a date or even to get married in the Gamesphere. Ace once heard someone saying: "Guess every gamer of the nineties must be married to Lara Croft by now!"
For many months, Ace had dreamed of entering the Gamesphere to go live adventures with all the heroes he had cherished so much since his childhood. It wasn't like he couldn't do so... However, his mother really wanted him to finish this year of school with high grades before turning his attention to anything else. Not one to disappoint his parents, Ace promised her to wait until the start of summer before going to explore the limitless world. He had already passed many exams with success so far; it would be sad to drop all of it during the last semester.
Ace entered his house after putting his tricycle in the shed, when a little ball of fluff jumped on his legs and barked as a 'hello'. "Hey, girl, how ya doing?!" Ace beamed as he knelt down and hugged his little pup. Snowdrop had been in his family for about three years now. When not playing video games or studying for school, Ace just liked to lay down on the couch and watch something on TV with his little fluffy friend lying on his tummy. It became such a normal activity that Ace struggled to remember a time he watched TV without a dog by his side. Oh, how much fun were they going to have, this summer.
"We'll finally get to watch The Witcher on Netflix, together. Aren't you excited?" Snowdrop barked again and gave a little lick to her best friend's cheek. Ace got back up with a chuckle. "Mom and Dad will be back later than usual tonight. This leaves a few hours for just the two of us!"
After emptying his backpack and putting it where he wouldn't have to see it again for the next two months, Ace decided to head to his bedroom. The floor was warm and welcoming thanks to the furry layer Ace's parents added last year, the surface embracing one's bare feet. A soft, pleasant ambient light came from long neons on the ceiling, the power of which could be adapted to Ace's liking. In the corner of the room, right next to the window, was the desk on which rested Ace's laptop alongside a lava lamp.
However, this bedroom's most noticeable features were the long desk decorated with tens of different consoles - from retro consoles like the NES to more recent ones like the PS5 - right below a huge television hooked to the wall, and the seemingly endless library filled to the brim with video game boxes. There even were a total of four little couches with a circular table if Ace wanted to play a game with friends and a good snack at hand's reach. In other words, this place was a dream room for any gamer.
Ace had his father to thank for this awesome bedroom. He worked as a flight attendant, which allowed him not only to make plenty of money for his family, but also to travel across the world. The downside was that it required him to be away from home most of the time, leaving him with little time to bond with his son. To make up for it, he bought every console, accessory and game in existence and sent them home to Ace. They would also chat online via Ace's laptop when given the occasion. Luckily, Ace's father wasn't supposed to work this summer, meaning they'll get all summer vacation to catch up on the lost time.
Booting up his Nintendo Switch and turning his TV on, Ace went to sit down on his bed and started playing his candidate for game of the year, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Saying that he fell in love with this game the second he opened the title screen would be an understanding; TOTK offered a wonderful sense of freedom through its open world and creative stimulation thanks to its heavily-marketed building system. Traveling across the world of Hyrule never failed to put Ace's mind at ease and forget his worries - especially throughout his final semester.
"Let's go hunt some Lynels, Snowdrop! It's about time I upgraded the Fierce Deity armor to max!" Ace beamed and patted his little friend on the head before starting the game. He spent about an hour trying to take down the mighty centaur-like beast, but even with the four Sages and his powerful weapons, he just died over and over again, Snowdrop barking mockingly whenever the cruel words appeared on the screen: Game Over. "Okay, I'll definitely avoid Lynels when I go into the Gamesphere..."
Shutting down his Switch, Ace decided to go take a shower before dinner time. Once he felt clean enough, the young man stepped out, dried himself with a towel and took the chance to give a good look in the mirror. His hair was brown like an oak tree and naturally fell down, covering the back of his neck. He had soft facial features and a friendly smile that were more akin to that of a child. His round, wood-brown eyes were pretty deep and reflected a playful nature. Some cut hair formed a short goatee around his mouth... A goatee he had no intention of letting grow to extreme proportions. Despite being a gamer, Ace wasn't to be categorized as 'big' - though he did have a certain amount of fat here and there - as he performed enough exercise to keep his muscles solid and firm. Not an athlete's body, by any means, but still something Ace could be proud of. Though, if he could add anything, it'd be a golden ear ring, to look a little more 'bad boy'.
With his body completely dry, Ace pulled his clothes back on and then headed to the kitchen. Whilst in the shower, he decided it would be a good way to start his summer vacation by making one of his favorite meals, a sausage and tomato risotto. If there was one thing Ace was as good with as video games, it was cooking. In fact, the young man hoped he could one day get a job in the video game industry and one in the cooking business. Maybe a part-time game designer, part-time studio chef?
All the equipment and ingredients were taken out; it was time to get to work! Ace started by opening up a can of diced tomatoes, which he emptied in a saucepan alongside the juice and broth, turning the cook top on at low heat to make the content simmer. He then pulled some olive oil into a sauté pan and made it heat up in the oven until the sweet sound of shimmering reached his ears.
For the next part, Ace released the uncooked hot Italian sausage from its casting and proceeded to crumble it into the sauté pan, letting all of it cook until the meat was crispy around the edges. With the help of a slotted spoon, he transferred the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate, where he drained a good portion of the fat from the pan, keeping a little dose of it. Probably attracted by the pleasant smell, Snowdrop ran into the kitchen and began excitedly push against Ace's leg.
"Sorry, baby girl; I don't think it's safe for you to eat sausage... Or rice... Or any part of a risotto, really."
Came the time to cut an onion into tiny pieces that Ace added alongside a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper to the sauté pan. About four minutes passed before the onions were soft and fragrant enough. It was time to add the rice, which Ace stirred in the pan until all of it was coated in fat. After a few more minutes, the aroma of toasted rice invaded the young man's nose, arousing his anticipation and appetite.
Ace grabbed a bottle of white wine that he poured into the sauté pan and kept stirring it until the alcoholic beverage had completely dissipated. Without letting go of the pan, he added the tomato and broth mixture into the already filled cooking equipment. The stirring motion continued until the rice became 'al dente' (as Ace liked to use the expression) and the broth creamy. He ran a spatula through the mix that became thick like porridge. Taking a little bite with a fork, the young man gave an approving smile. "Looks like it's ready!"
He turned the cook top off and added the last touches of basil and pepper, just as his mother entered the house. "Hello, Ace!" she greeted and went to put away her bag before taking a good sniff. "What's this pleasant smell?" Mrs. Forrester was a sweet woman in her late forties, who worked as hard as her father to take care of her family. Her hair, that seemed to be stuck between golden like the sun and brown like a trunk, was always tied into a ponytail.
"Hey, mom! I decided to prepare tonight's dinner," Ace explained as he showed her the delicious mix of rice, sausages and tomatoes he just pulled into a plate. "You don't mind?"
Mrs. Forrester's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the meal. She washed her hands and wasted no time joining her son in the dining room to enjoy the Italian delicacy. The two talked about how their day went, but most of the conversation revolved around what they were going to do this summer, what movie they would go see in theater, certain activities with their friends, and other stuff. Inevitably, Ace brought up the expected topic.
"Say, mom, you remember the promise you made, don't you?"
"Of course, I do," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Now that school's over, and you got good grades, I think you're ready to enter the Gamesphere." She couldn't hold back a chuckle when her son jumped and threw a fist in the air. "BUT, you have to promise me not to exclusively stay there and get out of it to do activities with me, your father and your friends. Understood?"
"I give you my word, Mother!" Ace said in a comical way as he held one hand in the air and the other against his heart. This caused the mother-son duo to chuckle. When dinner was over, Ace washed the dishes before joining his mother in the living room to watch a good movie on Disney+. Tonight, he and his mother were going to have a nice, relaxing time together.
And tomorrow, he would begin his adventure in the endless world of the Gamesphere...
Author's note: I hope you guys enjoyed this prologue! Sorry if you were expecting to start off in the world of video games right off the bat, but I wanted to properly introduce you to our protagonist before getting there. But, don't worry, we're starting the adventure next chapter!
Ace is a creation that mixes certain of my personal traits alongside a few original ones, just to make sure he stays his own person. As you got to see in this chapter, he's got an unconditional love for video games and cooking, his little pup, Snowdrop, and his family. You'll see more of who he is throughout his adventures in the Gamesphere!
My friend, TheDragonSaver, had to explain to me how the Gamesphere works prior to writing this: basically, it's a bit like the OASIS from Ready Player One, where you enter one of the worlds within worlds of the game, and interact not only with characters, but also with other players. However, it's not exactly a virtual reality game; it's more like an alternate reality where video game characters exist and can be met. I'll explain in deeper details next time.
Next time: Ace enters the Gamesphere and learns how it works through a tutorial level.