The year is 2034, where the technology of man had advanced further than anyone could foresee. Yet, the world was devoid of what one would have expected – The fanboyish dream of futuristic starships and hover cars, laser guns and lightsabers were nowhere to be found. The problem itself lies on the fact that scientists could not fathom a feasible way of faster-than-light travel that would have given rise to all of the above. Instead, people still lead a life of normalcy comparable to twenty years before, the world is still being ripped of its precious resources and the unsustainable population boom of humans is still ongoing with no end in sight.

However, what did make progress was more subtle. Because we could not explore the world given to us, we managed to find a way to create new worlds to discover to sate our innate curiosity. Myths and magic all came to life, fulfilling the age old fantasy of children and adults, via the cutting edge technology of virtual reality. The first company to break through this was Yashita Corps, a Japanese company that debuted into the gaming market one day with a radical approach to gaming. Using a customized helmet able to replace the senses of the player with virtual feedback, the company bankrupted many of its competitors within the first year of its emergence. Those that survived adapted and thus began the Age of Games.

In the present, Virtual Reality Online (VRO) games were offered everywhere by many companies with all sorts of genre - First Person Shooters, Mass Multiplayer online, Multiplayer arena. Yet, even as the iconic helmet of virtual reality games had been totally replaced by gaming capsules that are able to detect and receive all of the player’s actions and thoughts via neural connections, the age-old Yashita Corps remained the most prominent of them all. Then in the beginning of the new year of 2035, they announced what would shock the entire world.

“The very first VRMMO ever, Dragons Online would be discontinued, thank you very much to all our ardent fans. Instead, in its place we will put forth the new Ages Online. Dragons Online players however will be able to use their old capsules to access the new game.” The spokesman announced.

“Because this is a reboot of our game, as well as it being our very first game that propelled us to the height of the gaming industry, Yashita Corps had decided to hold a contest. The very first person to unite the lands of Agaia in Ages Online by any means necessary will be crowned the honorary VIP of Yashita Corps and be entitled to a share of our company.”

By any means necessary was heavily emphasized as Ages online boasts many different jobs and professions to consider. Then, there are hidden professions that the players themselves have to find. No longer were there just every game’s standard cookie cutter jobs of Mage, Warrior, Thief and Priest. Even mundane jobs like Merchants or Artisans have their places in the vast world of Agaia. One could plunder his way to fortune or legitimately play the market and trade to richness, who could then use that wealth to hire Non-player characters (NPCs) to fight for them and conquer the world. It was as though Agaia was an entirely new world for people to live their lives in, with its own economy and politics to consider.

The possibilities are limitless, and because of that Ages Online enjoyed a reception so great that it nearly spelled the second coming of the Age of Games.

Six months after its infancy, Sebast Koh stepped into Ages Online for the first time.