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VirchGods

Virchgod
Image from Steve Bowers

VirchGods is a fairly common recreational theme for virches or some rare highly angelnetted habs. In it, an ordinary sophont is empowered with 'archailect-like powers' to manipulate other sophonts, either the real thing or emulations thereof (depending on the society's mores and usually the 'price'). They are considered outgrowths of legendary pre-Technocalypse entertainments with the sapient given a highly detailed overview of a somewhat simplified environment, often with incredible capabilities within that environment.

Some poorly implemented versions are so complex as to render the virch unusable to sophonts without adding a specific processing node upgrade to handle the specialized command structure they utilize. This is the exception, however, and the majority allow more-or-less transparent control interfaces for the 'archailect players'. Common capabilities include the ability for the player to 'slow time', allowing the 'archailect' time to think and act without 'baseline' comprehension, 'meme infection', 'analysis' which reveals many critical factors of a given baseline depending on amount of time spent on the attempt, and so on.

Virchtainments of this sort are occasionally considered 'highly addictive' by various sapient-studies groups due to the escapism factor and pseudo-power granted to participants. The largest, and longest-running, VirchGods cybercosm is maintained in the Gamma-1 Andromedae system; known as The Gods Ourselves, this virchworld allows participants to become archailects in charge of vast empires in the Milky Way Galaxy.

 
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Appears in Topics
Games and PastimesVirtualVirtual/Infotech
 
Development Notes
Text by John B
Initially published on 20 September 2004.

 
 
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