Infinite Mask Game.

Chapter 395 True/False Questions

"Finally we've come this far."

It wasn't entirely unexpected.

In Wei Miao's mind, this day would naturally come.

But the intention behind choosing to do so just as the community was about to open is obvious.

From the very beginning, Masquerade targeted a group of experienced players who had both money and time.

Virtual games don't have a high barrier to entry for paying, but players who are willing to pay for a new IP game and buy a matching headset have almost all spent a lot of time and money on the game.

After all, games are not necessities, but rather a form of entertainment.

Of course, some seasoned veterans might choose to wait and see how the initial reviews are received.

However, the requirement to register on the day of release for the masquerade ball event forces those who were waiting to reconsider.

Some are newcomers to the gaming industry attracted by the advertising; they may not have been exposed to VR games before, but they happen to have money and time at this moment.

Some of these streamers are simply capitalizing on the popularity of the game and want to ride the wave of viewership.

Therefore, under various restrictions, almost all players who manage to register are hoping to dedicate some of their time and energy to the game.

Wei Miao believes that the purpose of these measures is to ensure players' online activity levels.

If someone is so destitute that they don't even have time to register for a game, it's hard to imagine them spending a lot of time on games.

Registration is required on the day of release, meaning there will be no new players afterward, and everyone will start on the same footing.

Ranked mode, as the core gameplay of the masquerade ball, initially required one match per day.

The pace is very fast, requiring players to have plenty of time.

However, a single ranked match takes too long, significantly impacting real life. Most players have studies or jobs in real life, and the high intensity of the game makes it difficult to balance their time and energy.

Therefore, it was changed to once a week.

These gameplay designs all tell players that every ranked match is important.

This game has no catch-up mechanism; if you fall behind in a ranked match, it becomes very difficult to catch up.

The reason it selects players who have both money and time is to serve its gameplay.

Moreover, this group is mostly well-educated, with high average quality, and a larger proportion of them are high-quality players.

The supreme beings use games to select and cultivate players, and are happy to see more talented people.

At the same time, Masquerade is also trying its best to eliminate the impact of real-world differences on the game.

Players may have different reincarnation techniques, but their initial attributes in the game are the same; how far they can go depends entirely on their abilities.

It is undeniable that the real-world environment shapes a player's abilities, and this is an unavoidable individual difference.

The only thing a game can prohibit is the power of money, that is, selling only out-of-game cosmetic items, not stat-based rewards.

Now, the masquerade ball has gone a step further.

"This is the ultimate life question: reality or the game?"

It's a very interesting multiple-choice question. The costs and benefits are not clear; only a framework is given, so even Wei Miao can't make a choice immediately.

Choosing "permanent residency" means that the player will exist as an electronic life form, almost completely disconnected from reality.

The focus of life will shift entirely to the masquerade ball.

The probability and duration of obtaining the right to descend are unknown. The idea of ​​AI controlling real-world players is something Wei Miao never anticipated.

The mystique of the masquerade ball is so obvious, yet it has not caused a sensation in reality. Given the practices of some countries, they should have already gathered talents from all walks of life to explore it, but things have remained calm at the highest levels.

Given the approach of replacing players with AI, it's clear that the masquerade still wants to disguise itself as a high-tech VR game in reality to avoid disrupting the real-world order.

Wei Miao speculated that the masquerade ball exhibited "cognitive distortion" in reality.

Unrelated personnel subconsciously overlooked the various irrationalities of the masquerade ball, preventing official forces from actively interfering in the game, thus strengthening the game's independence and ensuring that casual players' access to information was not choked by the official authorities.

In reality, there are player organizations of the "club" type. This kind of real-world grouping behavior is something that games cannot suppress, but due to the information sharing on the Internet, it is not necessarily more advantageous than individual players.

Permanent residency rights make it difficult for real-world relationships to extend into the game, indirectly harming offline player communities.

Because of the unique ranking system, you might not be able to meet your real-life friends even when the game ends.

"But, to think that my family and friends are being controlled by an artificial intelligence, it feels incredibly fake," Wei Miao couldn't help but complain.

The AI ​​trained based on her will inherit all her real-world relationships and live on her behalf to the best of its ability.

Some people might feel that this is an invasion of their privacy.

Even the most private memories must be opened to AI.

In some cases, the ethics involved can be more complex.

Fortunately, Wei Miao is all alone; being single is convenient.

"In general, although the right to descend to one's home exists and one can visit home more often, it is essentially equivalent to abandoning the real society, while the community takes the place of the real world and performs some social functions."

"The compensation for this sacrifice... or perhaps encouragement would be more appropriate, as it provides double the access to community resources."

That's right, the game clearly encourages choosing the permanent option.

As the main activity area for players in the future, the community will inevitably have infrastructure that affects combat power, and it cannot just be a place for players to enjoy themselves.

This is a permanent buff that doubles resource acquisition, and the reward is quite substantial. Without this buff, you're destined to be at a disadvantage when it comes to acquiring community resources.

To put it more seriously, they may even lose the right to compete on the same stage.

As for the data-driven experience of not needing to eat, that's secondary.

Wei Miao stroked her chin: "Hmm... another advantage is that there is no need to worry about physical death in reality. Becoming a digital life is a form of immortality, or rather, temporary immortality."

Immortality—such an alluring word.

The reason it's described as "temporary immortality" is because, in the style of Masquerade, the main purpose of offering permanent access is to retain core players and better nurture them.

Players don't need to worry about real-life matters; they play the game 24/7, even while sleeping.

The purpose of nurturing is to reap the rewards.

In the future, it's hard to say whether "real death" will emerge, rather than just "real death experience".

Wei Miao couldn't figure out what the masquerade was trying to gain, but she couldn't support them forever.

"Compared to the range of benefits, the cost doesn't seem so unacceptable."

"The most interesting part is that players have to make choices before entering the community, and community resources are the core of the rewards."

"In other words, the value of the reward is not clear to the player, and the judgment is based more on the player's understanding of the game."

"Does refusing permanent residency simply maintain the status quo? Not necessarily; it creates a permanent gap in the game."

"This is actually a true/false question, not a multiple-choice question. Players have no choice from the moment they enter the game; they are destined to go on alone."