Introduction
Science fiction fans have dreamed of virtual worlds for a long time. These virtual realities are identical to the real world in every way the human sense can detect. A popular example is the Holodeck from Star Trek, which generates a giant 'hologram' around the user's body which can not be distinguished from real objects. Another is The Matrix (from the movie with the same title), which plugs directly into the user's brain and controls his perception of his surroundings and sensory input. These two examples, along with many others, are nice to think about and make for good science fiction thrillers, but are impractical and show no sign of ever becoming real any time in the near future. It appears that, at least for now, these virtual worlds will remain virtual.
But this hasn't stopped technology from finding ways for humans to merge, even though not perfectly, into the computerized realities we've created. Video games have taken leaps in the realm of virtual reality. CG graphics now look almost photorealistic, with the uncanny valley only obstacle in the way of perfection. New game controllers have been developed to make the user interact with the in-game objects in more natural ways. New algorithms have been coded to make the in-game environments appear more fluid and natural, to make the in-game characters act more like real humans, and to make the storyline appear less like a storyline and more like the dynamics of life.
But no matter how real video games become they'll always remain video games. When I want to wiggle joysticks around watch on-screen aliens explode then most FPS games will be just right for me. But when I want to actually hold a gun in my hand and battle my way across hostile terrain against human-level intelligent enemies then a game like paintball will fit my needs much more. Our modern technologies, as impressive as they may be, have not gotten anywhere close to the level our imaginations have.
The Concept
How can we, with our current technology, experience what our movies and books describe as the future? Well a few nights ago I was lying in my bed when it suddenly struck me. A system which would put surround the player's body in a world completely identical to reality, send enemies after his physical body which, like a game, could cause him to lose but never actually kill him. He would need to physically run and fight in this world. Power-ups would exist which he would take with his physical body. What would this world be? It would be none other then the real world, the one in which we spend our everyday lives. The trick is that rather than creating an artificial world, use the real world and put artificial objects in it. These objects would not exist in reality, they would be digital. A computer would contain a map of the real world and generate these objects. Of course, no one will be able to see, or even interact with them in reality. Special equipment would be required for each player to see these.
Each player would be equipped with his own GPS unit. This unit would contain his unique ID and profile. It would display the terrain around him as well as the location of any teammates, enemies, power ups, and anything else significant. Teammates would naturally be other humans playing the game, but power ups and enemies would be virtual. The computer would keep track of the location of each player and create a virtual counterpart which would interact with the other virtual objects. When a player moves in real life the GPS would move his virtual counterpart as well. When he gets too close to an enemy the enemy would attack his virtual self, and when he reaches a power up he would gain whatever benefit that item contains.
Other device each player would have is a gun. Shaped probably like a battle rifle (although it's completely possible for different models to be made) it would contain an electronic compass as well as a sensor to detect what direction and angle it is pointing. It would communicate with the GPS so computer would know this information. When a player pulls the trigger he fires a virtual bullet which can hit either virtual targets or other players (if a player is hit by a bullet, either from a teammate or from an enemy, he will face some kind of penalty).
It would be rather tedious to constantly be looking at the screen, so a headset would be essential. A computer voice would dictate the location of nearby enemies and items, as well as their direction. It will also provide sound effects for virtual weapons and possibly enemies themselves would make noise. A microphone would also enable communication with teammates.
Problems which would probably arise and possible ways to fix them
The GPS's virtual representation of the terrain would need surpass any suggestion of uncanny glitches. But no matter how perfect it is, it would still not know of locations of specific trees, bushes, ditches, and such. Small changes made to the location, for example a car parked in the area, would not be identified by the computer. Imagine how difficult it would be for a player to hide behind a tree only to realize that the tree doesn't even exist in the game! This could probably be fixed by allowing the public to download maps onto their computers and edit them themselves. The software would need to be simple enough that quick changes could me made to accommodate current conditions yet useful enough that a wide range of tools would be available. Users could upload their modified maps onto a centralized server where they can be used for gameplay. The server would sort the maps by location so anyone who wants to play in a particular place can simply go to the web site and find a map that works for him, as well as make changes to existing maps. No downloading would be required to use them for gameplay because the GPS satellite would stream them to the individual units.
The humans would be competing with a non-existent creature, and thus would not be able to see it. Of course they could always look at the screen in front of them, but it's not the same. There is a gap between how the human mind operates in dealing with real life events and virtual events. A happy medium would need to be found. A big help to fixing this problem is by applying the headset. It can communicate the position and distance of the enemy. The enemy could possibly make a noise which would change in direction and volume depending on these factors. A computer voice could also speak warnings and helpful hints. Another method that could be used to fix this problem is give the enemy handicaps to compensate for it's abilities. For example it would probably be much larger than a human, and thus be easier to shoot. It would also react slower, make more noise, and a number of other possibilities. This would be something that would require lots of trial-and-error experimentation to figure out.
A restriction that would most likely never be fixed is the fact that PvP combat would be clumsy and most likely not used at all. If humans want to fight each other they'd be much better off playing paintball rather than use an artificial, and incomplete, version of the real combat. There could possibly be games like capture the flag, or some other game type involving the searching and controlling artificial objects, but the main focus would always be in the virtual objects and not the other humans.
Conclusion
Lastly, I have to say that this is entirely theoretical and actual tests would need to be done before anyone can make any decisions regarding the final outcome. Perhaps that a game like this can work but not the way I imagine. Sadly I doubt we'll ever know because the chances of any kind of system like this will be created is slim, mainly because it would be too costly and too great of a risk business-wise. If it ever was ever made though, and in the way I imagine, then that would be pretty awesome.
Recently I've stumbled across a project which takes a similar concept and puts it in practice. They have some videos and I think it's pretty interesting. Definitely not the same purpose I conceived but cool nonetheless.
I guess I'll mention this, "Project Loop Space" isn't supposed to mean anything. It's just a name I thought had a nice ring to it. I needed some kind of name for this idea.