Science & Tech

A video game has been invented that will kill you in real life

A video game has been invented that will kill you in real life
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Like something out of Squid Game, a new virtual reality headset has been invented that can kill players in real life if they lose the game.

The headset, invented by entrepreneur and Oculus creator Palmer Luckey, is fashioned with three explosive charge modules aimed at the player's brain.

Should the player lose the game they're playing, the modules would fire "instantly destroying" the brain of the player.

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The concept of the lethal headset was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online (SAO).

In SAO, players put on a virtual reality headset called NerveGear and log in to play a new game called Sword Art Online. But everything is not what it seems as players realise a mad scientist has trapped them in the virtual world. If they die in the game, they die in real life.

According to SAO lore, the game was first launched on 6 November 2022.

"The idea of tying your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me," Luckey wrote in a blog post. "You instantly raise the stakes to the maximum level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players inside it."

Palmer, 30, sold his company, Oculus, to Meta in 2014 for $2 billion.

It is the same technology Meta is using as the basis for the Metaverse.

Doesn't seem like Meta would be too interested in purchasing a real-life NerveGear headset but even if you are willing to bet your life on your video game skills, Palmer says it's only art for now.

"At this point, it is just a piece of office art, a thought-provoking reminder of unexplored avenues in game design. It is also, as far as I know, the first non-fiction example of a VR device that can actually kill the user."

But he leaves fans with some chilling words, "It won’t be the last."

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