Why do arguably sane (for a given value of sanity, anyway :-)) people spend similar amounts of time engaging in real-world sports that have similar risks of injury or death? Because it's enjoyable, and the enjoyment outweighs the risk, no?

So similar to Pokemon Go?:) youtube.com/watch?v=bCBSBnbKWac

How many people actually get killed? If the number is very high, you're going to start running out of players. It sounds a bit Logan's Run: maybe the game is a secret population control measure?

Just to echo @pjc50 's question about how many people actually get killed. Would it compare to, say, smoking, which carries a risk of disease and/or death, but is arguably the most popular pass-times in the world. - The risk is relatively low and the damage is unnoticeably gradual (per cigarette)

This question hinges on the death rate per hour playing the game. If the game is as safe as a commercial flight, then there is very little risk for those playing. If the game is as safe as riding a motorcycle, you are going to have significantly less people willing to play. If it is as dangerous as wing-suit activities, then very, very few people will play. If you intend to make the death rate high, there needs to be a correspondingly strong reason to play at all. Significant economic pressures, powerful social pressures, or government mandate backed up by threat.

Reminds me of a Star Trek episode. Wesley and his girlfriend (Ashley Judd’s first role) were real geeks, and instead of playing they decided to take it apart.

As you are asking for reality check i must say that's you won't be able to found this game in the 1rst time. As Killing and damaging the user "You also feel the pain as if it is real". This is not too realistic field. It's SAO badness. If you tell you investisor you target 1/3 of population playing, they will leave the room before you can say one more word.

There is no issue when designing a product that will be used by everyone and can kill people! We all know coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol. The issue is to design a game thats is coded to make you feel the pain.

@colmde And the important part--smoking cigarettes usually kills later in life, after reproduction and child rearing.

Honestly I thikn the feeling pain part is almost as hard to justify as the death part. A past time that involves pain as a regular part (and doesn't even benefit me by offering exercise and health benefits) is not one i'm going to sign up for, and I'm a geek that loves RPGs.

If we want to do a reality check, then I'd say that 1/3 playing this game is unrealistic. If your world is like a futuristic Earth, then it will have the same technology gap problem, where different countries have different levels of technology.

Keep going with the fractions. I want to see how well you can add.

So ... PVP servers would have to be illegal, right? Because you can actually murder someone in the game...

@akaioi Not necessarily for Character death is not automatically mean Player your death Depends how long you've been in game. Think of it like playing Russian roulette. 1st Few times you die the chances of you Dieing in the real world are very Unlikely so unlikely as To be impossible but the odds steadily increase more time you spend in there and tell it becomes very likely at a certain point so really depends how long you been in the game .

I think that your numbers are a bit ambitious even for an ordinary non-lethal game. As of June 2017, only a little over half the world population is on the internet. Even your world has slightly more advanced tech, the vast majority of the population will not be able to afford a VR system unless they are being given away. And even if they are given away, most people won't have the time to use them.

They are all SAO fan boys

Did you just describe SAO?

@Kevinfu, SAO has really poorly design. in term or reality, scenario, lore. it has a negative connotation, like emo.

@swollen I thought about the pain I thought about inventing a system where you can lower how much pain you feel in game but this also lowers amount of pleasure you feel in game . This would encourage that player to play in modes where They feel pain so they can in turn feel pleasure. Also remember just like in the real world they only feel pain if they take damage .

@Kevinfu is it SAO ... or Farmville? Or Leisure Suit Larry?

Crushing poverty, but everyone gets a VR set for free. Winners of the game (however that's measured) make scads of money. Maybe there's a telecast tournament?

Is there such a thing as a "sane population"?

Sounds a bit like Red Dwarf's Better Than Life.

1/3rd of the world's population is playing this game? That's harder for me to believe than people dropping dead from it. I can't imagine a game that would actually be 'wanted' by 1/3rd of the world's population.

Boredom. When you have everything, what else is there to do for a rush?

My problem with these ideas is that it's always really contrived why anyone would suffer any harm from any kind of virtual reality. We could build a computer that would shoot you in the head every time you died in World of Warcraft... but that would be really stupid, and you might as well execute the losing side of ultimate frisbee.