Digital Spaces on Lindinis

An advanced city world which has been around for tens of thousands of years, Lindinis has refined virtual reality and augmented reality technology to the point that it is deeply integrated into its society. A vast array of virtual reality worlds and spaces exist, most tied together through the the EtherWorld, serving a great number of functions ranging from gaming, entertainment, escapism, business, tourism, and socialization.

Virtual reality is accessed through helmets which interface directly with cosmetically subtle neural implants which are designed specifically for each person and surgically implanted. This direct connection between a mind's neural impulses and the Lindinian ethernet enables a VR experience which feels real to the person using it and allows them to control a digital avatar with their mind.

## Technology and Implants

VR headsets are fully enclosed helmets which cover one's eyes and interface with implants in the user's temples, and is hooked up to a computer, some models of which can be carried as a briefcase. The headset cannot work without the implants, which many Lindinians get surgically added to their bodies at an early age.

Many schools and jobs on Lindinis have come to require these implants, so getting them at an early age (around 10) has become a rite of passage. They also get themselves scanned at the same time in order to create an accurate digital avatar of themselves which they update regularly as they grow up. The costs of such procedures and scans is something which many Lindinians have, over generations, learned to factor in, such as the costs of computers, phones, and education.

Members of some communities, whether for due to religious, psychological, or health concerns, choose not to have their children undergo the surgery at that age, though it is commonly thought that not getting a foothold in the online world early sets individuals back.

The implants involved are cosmetically subtle, noticeable only by slight pricks in the skin at the level of the temple.

It is recommended that an individual be lying down when they plug into a VR machine, as the machine will cause them to lose conscious awareness of their real body in favor of the digital one.

## Digital society

Society on Lindinis has developed in such a way that the borders between the digital and real world have been significantly blurred. The EtherWorld provides a recreation of certain districts in Luthron, as well as many fictional places, which serve as social hubs in the online world.

There, people run businesses just as in the real world, such as nightclubs, restaurants, and other digital venues. Often, real-world venues and brants seek to have an online version of their venue and seek to have integration between their digital and real clienteles, while others are purely digital. These spaces on the EtherWorld's virtual streets are rented from the company which runs EtherWorld, and most currency which is transacted in EtherWorld are EtherCredits, commonly referred to simply as credits. These credits can be freely exchanged for real-world currency and can often be earned through games which are linked to EtherWorld.

The EtherWorld is not just a place of relaxation and entertainment. It also serves practical purposes for corporations and other organizations. Many businesses have virtual offices and conduct at least some their meetings and conferences in virtual spaces.

### Private spaces

EtherWorld provides every user with the option to purchase digital housing, on which they pay digital rent in credits which scale in proportion to the size of the place. Users can design the location using any aesthetic they want, so long as they have unlocked it either through EtherCredit purchases or by playing an EtherWorld-linked game.

### Games and other platforms

The Lindinian ethernet hosts traditional standalone games and services which are bought and played, as well as games which are connected to each other through the EtherWorld platform. Normal games are booted up from the VR hardware's drive or streamed. EtherWorld-linked games are accessed through physical portals spread throughout immersive locations in EtherWorld. These span genres, from singleplayer story games to FPS games to RTS games.

EtherWorld-linked games often have ways to earn cosmetics which carry over into EtherWorld (such as outfits earned in one game being usable on the streets of EtherWorld, and in player housing), and it is typically possible to transfer EtherCredit into and out of their in-game economies.