[ WP ] In the future , war is illegal and punishable be the complete annihilation of the aggressive country . Instead , conflicts are settled in virtual reality digital arenas , capable of simulating individual duels or massive battles . They call them The Games , and in this world Gamers are rock stars .

I never wanted this. 
 
 Well, maybe I did once. 
 
 When the announcement was made that war was a thing of the past, I was relieved, but when The Games replaced them, I was thrilled. All my life I had been a hardcore gamer, and this game was my dream. A perfect battle simulator, small or huge battles, constantly populated by thousands or millions... It was all I could have ever hoped for. 
 
 I spent more time in that game than I could ever have imagined. Practicing moves. Upgrading stats. Improving reactions. Crafting weapons. I became inhuman. Then I became superhuman. Then I became utterly untouchable. 
 
 Not once did it cross my mind what it would actually mean for me if I became good at this game. 
 
 It was inevitable that The Games would become a spectator sport... it was a game, after all, the most important game there had ever been. People would recognize others who had fought in recent battles. Winning a game would get you social status, while losing would get you cast out. When I became the leading player in the world, I was all but deified. Anything I wanted was within reach of a button or a phone. 
 
 But I was still part of a country. 
 
 My country began aggressively starting fights with others. With me at our head, no one could stand in our way. We rose from an insignificant chunk of earth to the world's only superpower. Everything was going great. 
 
 For them, at least. 
 
 I do n't want this. I do n't want to be known for skills at a war game anymore. I do n't want to be pressured by everyone around me into playing 24/7 anymore. I do n't want to be my country's pawn anymore. The game is n't even fun at this point. Not just that I have sucked the game dry three times over....but being OP is boring. The first time you wipe out two hundred swordsmen with your giant laser cannon, it's a great rush. But the forty-eighth time, it's just a thing. And the four hundredth time, it's a chore. 
 
 So today, I finally am putting an end to this way of life. No more battles. No more false wars. No more celebrity. No more Games. 
 
 Today, I secede. 
 
 And if anyone thinks I did wrong... or would like a few words with me... or are simply pissed off at my decision... 
 
 We can just settle our disagreements... in The Games.
