Hey, everybody. Watch out for those flying noodles. 'Cause if you don't do well here, all you get to eat are noodles. Here we go.
— Food Court Announcer, Parappa The Rapper 2
It was intended to be the zenith of computer game technology. Tiny computer chips in the electrodes transmitted signals directly to the brain: no screens, no joysticks - you were really there, wherever you wanted to be. Inside your head, your fantasies were fulfilled. The Game had been marketed as "Better Than Life." It was only a month after it was released that people realized it was addictive. "Better Than Life" was withdrawn from the market, but illicit electronic labs began to make copies.
It was the ultimate hallucinogen, with only one major drawback.
It killed you.
It was the ultimate hallucinogen, with only one major drawback.
It killed you.
— Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers
You fools! Destroyer of Worlds will kill us all!
— Skips, Regular Show
Kayaba: There is no longer any way to log out of Sword Art Online. If someone on the outside attempts to log you out by removing your NerveGear, well... has anyone seen Scanners?
Players: (silence)
Kayaba: Uh, Scanners. It's, it's a movie that - seriously?! Okay, give me a sec, I'll just... (opens a screen) Alright, here we, here we go. Watch this.
(cue the Your Head A-Splode clip)
Kayaba: Okay. That was from Scanners. Basically, that.
Players: (gasps)
Kayaba: Okay, finally! Seeing some gears turning. We're making progress. [...] Oh, oh, oh! One more thing, one more thing! I should probably mention that if your Health Points reach zero, your real bodies perish as well.
Random Player: What?!
Kayaba: Uh, okay - if you die in the game, you die for real.
Random Player: What?!
Kayaba: Really? Okay. (ahem) Sometimes, things are born. They live, and then they stop. Forever.
Random Player: ...What?!
Kayaba: (sighs and replays the Scanners clip)
Other Random Player: Oh my god! If we die in the game, we die for real!
Kayaba: Yeah, I'm just gonna keep that tabbed. And with that, I bid you all adieu. Oh oh oh, last thing, I swear! I disabled the profanity filter. Have fun with that! (vanishes)
(beat)
Another Random Player: WE'RE FUCKED!!
Players: (silence)
Kayaba: Uh, Scanners. It's, it's a movie that - seriously?! Okay, give me a sec, I'll just... (opens a screen) Alright, here we, here we go. Watch this.
(cue the Your Head A-Splode clip)
Kayaba: Okay. That was from Scanners. Basically, that.
Players: (gasps)
Kayaba: Okay, finally! Seeing some gears turning. We're making progress. [...] Oh, oh, oh! One more thing, one more thing! I should probably mention that if your Health Points reach zero, your real bodies perish as well.
Random Player: What?!
Kayaba: Uh, okay - if you die in the game, you die for real.
Random Player: What?!
Kayaba: Really? Okay. (ahem) Sometimes, things are born. They live, and then they stop. Forever.
Random Player: ...What?!
Kayaba: (sighs and replays the Scanners clip)
Other Random Player: Oh my god! If we die in the game, we die for real!
Kayaba: Yeah, I'm just gonna keep that tabbed. And with that, I bid you all adieu. Oh oh oh, last thing, I swear! I disabled the profanity filter. Have fun with that! (vanishes)
(beat)
Another Random Player: WE'RE FUCKED!!
If you leave your game, stay safe, stay alert, and whatever you do, don't die. Because if you die outside your own game, you don't regenerate. Ever! Game over.
This is not just some game or simulator. It's a trap! A chain to bind my tributes to the Dark Spirit!
Scott Irvine, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom
"Manufactured by SayTell Toys in 1996, DachaBo is [CONSUMERS SHOULD CEASE USING THIS TOY AND CONTACT SAYTELL TOYS FOR A FULL REFUND OR DISPOSE OF THIS PRODUCT IMMEDIATELY]. Meet Bo! Your new best friend forever and ever! Never was there a pet who could love you more!"
— DachaBo! Digi-Pet Sim!
(Reki Kawahara) introduces the threat of real death as a consequence for virtual failure]], which adds a layer of inherent meaning to each character's in-game actions, as long as you don't realise that he'll never actually kill off anyone of real importance.
— 'Mother's Basement, "[[url=https://youtu.be/b38sVVw6TK4?si=XgcFfGMILPRfsSLK
SAO, But the Writing Isn't Garbage: SAO Alternative: GGO]]"
SAO, But the Writing Isn't Garbage: SAO Alternative: GGO]]"