Dragon Tamers: Reality Goes Virtual

Work Title: Dragon Tamers: Reality Goes Virtual
Medium: Novel
Episode Title:
Year: 2004
Writer(s): Emma Maree Urquhart
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

February 05, 2005 / Dragon flies off the shelves for author, 13, in a game of success / By Dalya Alberge, Arts Correspondent / A SCHOOLGIRL has become a publishing sensation after her first novel sold 50,000 copies in six weeks. A second print run for Emma Maree Urquhart¡¯s Dragon Tamers has been ordered. / Emma Maree, 13, from Inverness, wrote about a teenager who is dragged into a virtual reality game involving a dragon. If she dies in the game, she dies in the real world. / She said: ¡°It¡¯s a perfect read for the computer generation. Lots of kids out there like playing computer games and this is taking it to a whole new level. The characters go into the world and experience it for real.¡± (from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1471249,00.html)

Era/Year of Portrayal: present_day
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

It takes place in 2004, but entirely inside a virtual reality game. See description of game below.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Dragon Tamers game
  • Description of the technology: This novel takes palce entirely inside a computer game called Dragon Tamers. People play from thier computeres at home. Each player gets his or her own dragon, which they can design. However, something has gone awry and only 3 players are now in the game, which has transformed form a computer game into virtual reality. Everything in the game appears real - players and various creatures fight, bleed and die. Players are terrified of dieing and getting a 'game over'. They cannot leave the game. It is unclear exactly how the players are physically hooked into the game.
  • Nature of task or activity: In the game, the players interact with dragons and various other non-real creatures. They fly, grow wings, and do other things in their quest to defeat the game by defeating the Destroyer and freeing the Creator.
  • Performance of the Technology: Well, most of the time it works, but unfortunately a bad spirit entered the game and took it over. Now, the players a re stuck in the game. In the end, it turns out the spirit killed thier mortal bodies and they truly cannot leave the game.
  • Description of creator(s): A teenage, white, boy.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): To entertain people and provide a fanatasy escape.
  • Description of users of technology: The users seem to all be teenagers, male and female.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: The experience is harrowing and dangerous. The players are constantly fighting foes for their lives. It is also thrilling and exciting.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Yes.
  • Valence of experience: Pleasent.
  • Specific responses: --
Long-term consequences:

well, the story ends and they have defeated the Destoyer. BUT, they still canot leave the game becuase thier mortal bodies have been killed. What do they do? They have a party!

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University