[ 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 .

The United Nations declared war has been illegal, globally, nearly 50 years ago. Few countries ever stepped out to fight another war but the rest of the world would not have it. So those countries were destroyed. 
 
 Out of fear or content of this, no nation or government ever opposed the UN again. However, people found loopholes and found non-physical ways of fighting each other. 
 
 Some gambling was done, betting large sums of money on sporting and Olympic events. This sent some global powers into a down spiraling economy and forced them to ban gambling of any kind. Even to go so far as setting up departments within the UN to put a stop to any gambling or its causes. This was successful and led to a declining interest in most sporting events, the only people interested in it now were those that played it. Causing significant reductions in payment to the players and with all of that money now circulating, created a boost to most of the globes economy. 
 
 Cyber-terrorism being illegal as well, subtle psychological warfare across the internets outlets would cause large increases of suicide rates all across the globe. This too was solved by improved social reform. Assisting the citizens of the world to become more open to new and stronger bonds with one another. Not only reducing the suicide rates to their previous numbers, but having a steeper decline for nearly a decade after the reform. 
 
 By this point, gaming had become the largest industry of anything in history. The gaming console HUMAN was created as a universal gaming computer. It would do away with such things as key, mouse, controller, headset and give you two options for interface: Kinetic or Neural. 
 
 The kinetic interface was the recommended interface since it forces your body to be active throughout interfacing. You would use hand motions, finger twitches, body language and sometimes a hum to perform any task you desired. You move, you interface. 
 
 The neural was recommended only for those incapable of using the kinetic interface effectively. Such as those with loss of limb or are unable to use their legs. It was also, widely more popular than the kinetic interface due to it's speed and convenience compared to the kinetic interface. You think, you interface. 
 
 As the HUMAN console improved in design and began to overwhelm other gaming devices, especially with the neural interface later adding the ability to use all fives senses. Creating the fullest immersion in history, and causing some people to truly confuse what is reality and what is the game. 
 
 After HUD's were made unique for the HUMAN, and it was made illegal to produce a real-life replica, the console also saw progress in the fields of neuroscience with the aspects of dreams. 
 
 Being that the original use of the HUMAN was that it is a gaming computer, gaming companies now began to draw on the brain power of the users, rather than relying solely on artificial processors. Using the subconscious of the users to create a small world that was drawn from their dreams and then combining them in virtual reality with others dream worlds. 
 
 The hidden interest of nations now becomes obvious when several global powers purchase thousands of HUMANs and began training soldiers as gamers. Within a day, these countries fought hundreds of battles, throwing the caution of their lives to the wind since they were allowed to live even when killed. 
 
 Quickly, the world did see what needed to be done. War was going to be replaced by virtual war. With all of it's benefits of rising economy but not a single death would come out of it. 
 
 Gaming companies began generating battles for nations to fight in. Historical battles, mythological battles, fantasy and science-fiction, one on one combat in the Roman Colosseum or knife fighting in an alley. 
 
 These battles would give the victorious nations points. Each point would be determined by the effectiveness of each gamer and their actual determination to win, measured by their heart rate and chemicals released during a battle. To see if a gamer that is doing well actually cares about the outcome or is gaming to play a game. 
 
 Common examples of battles would be the Battle of Normandy, the First Fight on Mars ( a science fiction battle ) and the Battle of the Five Armies ( a simulation derived from the fantasy novel `` The Hobbit'' and fought by five nations at a time. 
 
 By request, a globe sized survival was made that would typically be used for simulations that would be given to two people from each nation to control and they would be given an Adam & Eve situation. Two people, male and female, and the Earth, 10,000 years ago. They would then pick a place on Earth to begin and run the simulation as they saw fit. The more successful their simulated human race, the more points to their nation in the real world. You win by reaching modern technology in an earlier year than anyone else. Prize: Victorious nation is given more luxury food. 
 
 Another is that each nation would have one person to play in a `` slice of life'' simulation. Where each gamer was intent on playing a specific role in a world full of a non player characters ( NPCs ). They could only win by figuring out who the other gamers were and which nation they were from and then presenting all of that information at a time to the United Nations gamer, who's identity was also kept secret. Prize: Victorious nation annexes a nation of choice. 
 
 These games, these battles, have been broadcast on television for anyone who is not a gamer to enjoy on several dozen channels. With free roam spectator cameras in some simulations and first person perspectives in others. The gamers were idolized by the world, and it is no surprise that soldier gamers were replaced by the real gamer. Who by one small nations small budget, were hired to play one simulation, in which these common, unprofessionally trained people destroyed the armies of every opposing nation in the world. 
 
 This is that story. 
 
 
 Simulation loading... 
 Setting: Colossal Arena Combat 
 Unique Mechanics: 100 % Clear Daytime 
 Playing nations: 347 ( ALL ) 
 Friendly Nation: Sri Lanka 
 Players: 47970236 
 Friendly Players: 499 
... 
 Simulation Loaded. 
 
 We spawned in groups of 20, without any previous communication allowed to plan, no one knew who was in charge. We were all disorientated from the neural link giving our brains input instead of our real senses. 
 
 I'm sure most of us were used to it, just not the military grade HUMANs. The connection felt colder somehow, cleaner and... flawless. 
 
 The area was stone and mud for ground. With more stone for walls, in ruin and some in only minor disrepair. All of it evidence that we were in a medieval or fantasy setting. Possibly a modern game but a historical site. 
 
 When it became clear that no one in our group would take charge, one of our members seemed to push his chin up to fake a bit of confidence and begin declaring himself the leader. 
 
 `` My name is Met. We're going to need to find out where the rest of our teams are, get in communication. But first, we need shelter and defenses, weapons to hunt and fight with. Does anyone have any questions?'' The group seemed to agree with him, none of us really objected to his ideas and nothing he said, 
 even after that, seemed to be in his own interest. 
 
 We traveled mostly, we were n't given any supplies past the clothes on our backs and a days worth of food in our inventories. Every so often I would check the numbers, the stats on how many players and nations were still in the game. Not much happened the first few nights, but after about a week something must have happened because the players dropped by a few thousand. It continued for days and the numbers rose each day. 
 
 When it finally slowed to only hundreds a day, after only 20 days in the game, the numbers had dropped to nearly 3.5 million left. 
 
 We found the rest of our teams rather quickly. Apparently we had already suffered 32 in losses. Met seemed subtly proud that we had n't lost anyone, although our only hostile encounter so far was a bear and we killed it with makeshift ( virtual ) spears. 
 
 Our leaders convened and decided on reorganizing everyone while we were all together. The most successful leaders thus far, Met and two others I had never seen before, were voted as generals. The group was split into three groups with ours being the smallest only containing about a hundred people. 102 I think, I was n't sure if Met counted in that number. 
 
 I never thought much of it, since we were a hundred versus 3 million. Met though, he seemed to have more charisma every day. Swooning about how we would defeat every last one of them if we were just patient. If we would just survive long enough, we would make it. 
 
 It gave us all false hope of really making it through with a victory, for a while. All of us knew when we signed up that this was a job and afterwards, win or lose, we'd get paid more than we could have in any other gaming circuit. 
 
 Then it happened, somehow Met knew. After wondering through pine forests and past the same textures of ruined castle walls and small empty villages, we found our ultimate weapon. 
 
 `` An Easter Egg,'' he called it. I scoffed at the idea of calling it an egg. He explained further, `` I've done enough of these military games to know, every single one of them has an Easter Egg. And it's always some super weapon or incredibly big advantage like that.'' He was smiling at it like he knew it was there the whole time. While the rest of us were just trying to take in that what we found was a missile silo. 
 
 A nuclear missile silo, with unlocked doors and very deep underground bunkers. We took the next few days to get to know the systems and make sure when we used this thing, we would n't be the ones dead. 
 
 Since we were all basically nerds, none of us were soldiers, there was an ample amount of us that have at least googled how a nuke works. From there we figured out the manual that someone found and within a few hours I watched the stats go from 2,385,822 to 101.
