in the Shadow of Greatness

Game Dream 21 :: Ultimate?

Game Dream 21: Ultimate Roleplaying
If there existed a system such as Larry Niven's Dream Park, where a game could be populated by people, holograms, and assorted other technological feats to improve player immersion, would you prefer it to pen and paper RPGing? Would having the entire world visible improve the game for you, or rob it of some of its magic?

For those who haven't read it, the 'Dream Park' stories involve a theme park where folks can go and have an adventure in a genre setting.

Would I prefer it?
Not a chance.

How often can I afford to go to a theme park?
Time. Job. Vacation. Once in a blue moon.

How do I deal with crowds of strangers and travel?
Passing well, but not all my players do.

Would it improve the game?
I doubt it. While it would be absolutely amazing to actually see and walk through some of the places I've been in my head, it would really pale when if came to the economics and access side of the hobby. I can access my RPG in a car, on a bus, while walking through a shopping experience. In bed. In a swimming pool. Neither books nor movies nor LARPs can go all the places I've gamed. And until we can "jack in" and turn on to portable cyber rigs... they never will.

I've been to underwater cities, gravity-free environments, soared above pin-wheeling galaxies, been inside the Ruby Eye of a Greater Being, fled through the underpinnings of madness and escaped through mental landscapes. I don't think we'll have those places reproduced by tech anytime soon.

Matrix anyone?