After selecting one of my anonymous avatars, I entered the data and joined the videoconference, so that the rest of the participants in the videoconference could not see me, but rather the avatar chosen by me. The avatar behaves exactly like me, waving his hands around, mimicking my speech and display of emotions. He has his own name and his own history on the Internet. No program can track the real me or paint a portrait of me.

The participants in the video conference appeared in the program as if they were seated in a concert hall. Gradually the hall filled up. As soon as the last spectator had taken his place, a young Scandinavian looking guy appeared on the stage.

“Greetings to all of those gathered here together! To make it simple for us to communicate, just call me Sam. I'm one of the creators of the Game, and the only person who is currently allowed to talk about the game. You all signed agreements prohibiting the dissemination of any information, including the name of the game, outside of this conference. In the case of any violation, you and those who receive the information will face lawsuits and many other unpleasant consequences. If anyone doesn’t agree to these terms, then I advise you to leave right now.” Sam looked around the room with a piercing gaze. A wave of indignation swept through the hall, but no one left.

“I'm delighted that everyone has stayed.” Sam smiled disarmingly in a somewhat childish manner. “So then, the working title of the game created by our corporation is ASTAT. I don’t believe that many of you know what this word actually means. In fact, it is very simple: this is the name of the most unstable element in the world. The name was chosen for a good reason: the world inside of the game is constantly changing, and the players themselves will constantly make changes to the game. Believe me: these are not mere words. The player is able to create new scenarios, breed new kinds of plants and creatures, and build everything from a chair to a palace. The players are also able to create new quests and new locations. All this will be limited only by your abilities, the availability of the right tools and your imagination.”

A roar of approval passed through the hall.

“All of this and much more.” Sam winked from the stage. “All of this is possible with the development of certain abilities and talents. By the way, as I have already said, you can learn almost everything in the game for yourself. Of course, you can find a mentor, and he will explain and show everything in detail, but if you don’t have a mentor holding you by the hand, then just try to find your way around the program by yourself.” “There is yet another aspect to the game: the features in the game only grow through action and training. The main thing is that we decided to completely abandon the system of levels, so, you will need to find different ways to evaluate your progress.” “Another fact, which these days is being very vigorously discussed in all of the world’s mass media, concerns the fact that artificial intelligences control the game, and this is actually true. Everything from the behavior of NPCs (non-player characters controlled by artificial intelligence and not the gamer), ending with the creation of new chains of quests, which is the work of iSkins. They can also expand the game world and organize global events. Most likely, you also heard the corporation's statements about the sensations and feelings available in the game. So, all this is true. Even those who are unable to feel certain sensations in life will be able to feel the whole spectrum of known sensations and much more in the game. Pain and orgasm are not exceptions.”

At the mention of orgasm the mood in the hall brightened up a little. Realizing that Sam had finished his presentation, the hall literally exploded, followed by questions and exclamations.

Sam waited until the hall calmed down, and continued:

“I am not authorized to give out any more information than I already have. All of you have been selected, because you meet certain requirements, so you can participate in the closed beta testing of the game. The testing itself will last a year in real-time, which is the equivalent to three years in the game. After the first year of the game, a second larger group will be allowed to participate. The following year the game will be available to everyone. However, you personally must remain in the game for another year. You will have a connection with the real world, and access to the game forums and sites dedicated to the game. Yes, okay, calm down now!”

Sam put a stop to the growing murmur. “Due to the fact that our technology is analogous to what people see in a dream, time in the game travels three times faster than in reality. Once again I want to emphasize: becoming a beta tester, means that you cannot leave the game for three game years, and within two years you will no longer have any communication with the outside world. However, later when the game is officially released, your characters will have an advantage of two years development within the game. How much or how little will depend solely on you. Trust me, even those who invest millions in the game will not be able to develop their characters quickly, so they will only make the game easier for themselves.” “With a certain situation in the game, you can still lose the rank of beta tester, so before the game officially becomes available to everyone else, you will have to remain on company premises without contact with the outside world. Oh, and that’s not all! After the official opening of the game, the corporation will allow the exchange of virtual money for real currencies and vice versa. So, in terms of your material benefits, this proposal is also very, shall we say, sexy.”

A roar of approval passed through the hall. It seems that most of those present were professional players and understood perfectly well what the 2-year handicap for an online game of this standard meant.

“This concludes our conference. You will all receive a letter with the name of the game in the title. If you agree, you just need to answer “Yes”. If you decide not to participate, just ignore it. The following day all participants will be collected by car at the same time. Thank you for your attention and I hope you all agree to participate in the beta test.”

Sam left, and the others also began to leave the conference. Eventually I was the only one remaining. All that Sam had said was, of course, interesting, but I had already decided to become a beta tester beforehand. For me the opportunity to experience colors and tastes had been my dream from a very early age. So for the sake of making my dream a reality, I was prepared to do almost anything, even spend the whole of next year sat inside a virtual world.