What is the epitome/future of fiction in my opinion? Well, it is actually kind of a hybrid with VR. So, the idea is that one finds themselves under a particular set of circumstances. They must thereby navigate these circumstances, ‘writing their own story’.
Now, at first glance, this kind of sounds like an interactive, perhaps visual novel. In truth, there are similarities! Events unfold in certain ways as a result of the character’s actions and decisions that hold sway over the ultimate ending. However, what is different from a visual novel is that it isn’t just about unlocking a particular ‘route’ that is the same for everybody else. Rather, our protagonist, you, actually live out the experience. It is not about choosing from an exhaustive list of options presented to you!! Rather, you yourself, placed in a particular situation, must navigate it… all on your own.
I remember how I was fantasising about such stuff back in the day. I even tried writing a second book (after my utopian novel) based secretly on such a premise but failed because my naturalist intelligence is too low and I can’t describe nature well.
For example: You manifest in a palace as a character there (some sort of role-playing). You do not know who is your ally and who is your enemy. You have to play the role of that character, making sure, naturally, that you are not beheaded and instead have a good end. So, would you say that this is more like a game! or more like a fiction piece? If you think about it, it’s surely a game that you, the character, are playing! However… it’s similar to fiction in the sense that it’s rich, very rich, in terms of backstory, depth and excitement! Additionally, it’s not like some fixed game where you just follow a walkthrough! Instead, you’re literally writing your own future with your actions!!!
As you can see, I think VR is a very important technology for the future. It is required to enable what I would call TRUE interactive fiction, where people truly get to write their own stories. Hmm, I think people could literally write their own epics in the future. Now that would be something to watch! Rather than watching people streaming games alone, we will get to watch people streaming fiction!!! Writing their own paths, in real time, not scripted by some studio/author beforehand. Now wouldn’t that be something!!! An ability to generate realistic scenarios, as may or may not include creating realistic AI, will of course first be required. An example of such enablers would be the supercomputer Morpheus in Overgeared which is a VRMMO novel.
What this means is that these currently distinct categories of ‘fiction’ and ‘games’ may come to overlap, converge in the future, becoming advanced VR modules. Now this would surely be revolutionary, don’t you think?