Pay to play. Since the beginning of online gaming this has always been the norm; you paid the company and they let you play their game. So it's no surprise that Alex Stanton was living every gamer's dream. It was the opposite for him. He was getting payed to play.
The latest generation of virtual reality gaming, in both appearance and hardware, was being beta tested by the largest retailer of online gaming, AltCon. Never before seen graphical detail, joined with a first-time, fully functional, whole body immersion system was likely to put AltCon entirely out of reach of their competitors. But before they could go live, they wanted Beta testers. Serious Beta testers. So serious, AltCon was willing to pay a salary to each tester, ensuring their lives revolved around the Beta, and the Beta only.
Beta testers join for one reason, to experience new content never seen by another player. Alex, along with his group mates Dan, Jason, and Wayne will experience every nuance the game has to offer, and all before the rest of the world.
The entire scenario is unreal; from the tests to be selected as a Beta candidate, to the six month wait to qualify, to the almost life-like quality of the game itself. The company pulled out all the stops. If there was a heaven for gamers, it would look exactly like this game: Resurgence.
But odd things start happening from the outset. Things Alex can't explain. But like every hard-core gamer, Alex has no problem ignoring the little things to focus on the grander design; winning the game. Whether that be discovering new content, finishing epic quests, or finding the rarest of items.
In time, even the littlest of things can pile up, and Alex is forced to ask himself, “What’s really going on in Resurgence?”
My Opinion: I almost didn’t read this book. It has a very slow start. The story doesn’t even get to the game world until Chapter 7. However, once the story does get to the game world it’s amazing. While the story revolves around the main character Alex it feels more like it’s about a group of VR gamers adventuring. That’s great. I really loved the banter between members of the gaming group and it felt like I was hanging out with my own buddies while reading it.
Score 7 out of 10
Resurgence: The Rise of Resurgence Book 1