Episode Details

Virtual NightmareWritten by L0CKED334The construction of the large facility had drawn a lot of rumors within the small town. Usually, there were promotions to coming businesses to the area but no one seemed to have any clue of what this building would be. The economy could use the boost here though and many people had hopes of new jobs for the area. As the weeks went by not a single advertisement was made in the search for new employees. The people of the town began to wonder just what was being built here. The last piece to be erected was a glowing blue sign that simply read, “Game Vision.”Jason’s eyes scanned the flier he had found under his windshield wiper. It matched many that had been posted all across town. “Game Vision – A Full Immersion Experience,” was printed in bold letters across the top. It was offering positions as video game testers for a new type of virtual reality gaming. He had always wanted to be a real video game tester, not just reviewing the ones he had played over YouTube. This was his chance to get in on the ground floor of something big, so he decided that with his spring break from college he would apply for a position.He stood just outside the doors, staring up at the marvel of block and glass. It was so much different than any other building in town. The first floor was nothing but glass, you could see people passing from the large lobby through to small offices on each side. Each with their own desk, red plush chair, and top of the line computer. People sat communicating in headsets and, from what he could tell from the sidewalk, playing games. This definitely looked like the kind of place he wanted to work. He just wondered why he had never heard of Game Vision before.Once he passed into the lobby, people shifted about around him. At least a hundred people clutched fliers just like the one he held. If these were all the applicants, he worried if he even had a chance at a position. He approached a large half-moon shaped desk that two women sat at. People in front of him were signing in, receiving identification badges, and being directed to take a seat. When it was his turn, he placed the flier on the desk. One of the women gave him a smile and passed a clipboard over to him, instructing him to sign in. He scribbled his name and date eagerly.When he returned the clipboard, his information was entered into the computer. Within seconds a temporary badge was printed and handed to him. He was instructed to take a seat with the rest of the applicants and await being called to the back. The entire lobby was alive with people and they scattered around on the various forms of seating within the room. Jason took a seat on the corner of a large orange couch with purple and blue pillows, his thumbs twirling around each other nervously.A tall, slender man entered the lobby with a clipboard in hand. He called several names but not Jason’s. After a few moments he pulled his phone from his pocket and began scrolling through his social media notifications to try and combat is boredom. An hour went by before the door opened again, almost all of the people who had entered returned with a look of disappointment. He tried to ask a few of them how the interview went but he only received looks of contempt in return.The man returned, reciting another list of names and Jason’s happened to be at the end of it. He quickly stood, shoving his phone into his pocket before falling in line behind the others. They were led through a large corridor, past the glass offices he had witnessed from outside. He couldn’t help but stare as they moved by each one. The people seemed happy as they worked on their projects. This was the life he wanted, to make a living doing something he actually enjoyed in a place that didn’t h