For me there is no difference. The game world is the real world. I do not have a back story, I lived my ‘back story’. I climbed one step of the Ivory Tower and studied the gageteering tomes at my apartment. Yes it is only a lens to see the world and it does make life more fun. I do not know quite why. For me I do not think there is any problem with ‘drifting away’ into fantasy. This real world does not budge easily. If anything it only moves too slowly. My goals are much different than most peoples’ but all within the realm of possibility. There are many programmers chasing that billion dollar unicorn startup. It’s what today’s dreams are made of. I have plans for today, this month, five and ten years and beyond. None of them include ‘promotion’ or ‘mortgage’. When I get to that point in time, these things will be meaningless.
One primary difference between people like me and other H+ers compared to uninformed people is that they do not know of the possibilities. As a small example, I just told one of the other people in the hostel about free university in Germany. This may change their future. Suddenly whole new time lines opened for them. When we pass around articles about bionic eye implants, life extension, 3D printed replacement organs, basic income and all the rest we open up peoples’ minds and expand their options. When I tell someone with gum or tooth problems about the new technique to regrow teeth they may stop thinking that they will spend the rest of their life in that condition. Me and you and the people that go to places like this all share this physical world with others, but I think we live in a very different world. I have no intention of staying on a base level Earth. My goal is to bring my vision to reality. Maybe the same could be said of any inventor or idealist. ‘I have a dream…’ of a world where every child has access to wikipedia, online courses and clean water. I will not rest until it is met. My skills grow slowly, but I measure my experience in the change I make in the world.
How to make this playable for more people? I am not sure. I could use some ideas here. Mostly just play along! We could use some organization. The game Ingress has people going about in the real world while playing in the game world. Augmented reality will be here soon. But I do not need to fight virtual trolls. We have a whole real world. Could we gamify with likes and shares? Signatures on petitions? Passed legislation? Lives saved through peace and nutrition? Is completion of a Coursera class a level up? I think we know what success is on an individual level. But we could use some glue to hold this together. What about quests or campaigns? My solo adventure has had some interesting parts and I think things are about to pick up in pace.