Chris sat down at his desk and pressed his computer’s power button. He popped the top on the can of soda he held and took quick bites out of the sandwich he brought with him from his apartment’s small kitchen. As he finished up the sandwich, he logged in and his powerful gaming computer quickly booted to the desktop. He reached over and grabbed the state-of-the-art virtual reality visor from its stand and carefully placed it on his head. Wincing as the headset connected with his occipital jack - a mandatory neck-implanted device which allowed interface between organic and electronic signals - he sighed as the electric tingle faded and his sight was replaced by a view of his “lobby”.

Chris’ lobby was basically a copy of his room, albeit a bit cleaner, with icons for all the virtual reality programs he had purchased over the past several months. Each person’s lobby offered customization to their personal tastes, and Chris’ software took the form of books, stored on an old-fashioned wooden bookshelf. He quickly glanced through the options listed, looking for his latest purchase.

Albion Live was the newest massive multiplayer online role-playing game and featured full-immersion. Chris had applied to be a beta tester, and had been approved and offered the opportunity to purchase the game ahead of release and offer feedback as he played. According to GenTech’s website and various press releases, only five hundred applicants were accepted. The price of the software was rather expensive, but he was single and his work as a software coder offered him the flexibility to work form home and set his own schedule while still bringing in more than enough money to meet his obligations.

Chris’ hand skimmed past the titles on the shelf until his eyes finally alighted on an ancient looking tome which had the title, “Albion” in shining gold leaf. He pulled the book from the shelf and went back to his desk. As he lay the book on the desk’s surface, the room around him changed. Instead of his stark apartment, he now sat behind an ornate wooden desk in a torch-lit stone room. A brief glance at himself revealed that he was now dressed in an ornate tunic and pants, with a leather belt around his waist.

Glancing around the room quickly, he then reached for the book and carefully opened its pages. A bright light emanated form the book, along with a majestic fan-fare, and the words, “Welcome to Albion Live!” appeared before him.