This is a critical piece of the puzzle and I love that you pointed it out. Bare necessities aside (shelter, food, etc), we start out with a set of win conditions (from parents, friends, etc), but ultimately we can determine them ourselves. In most democracies, nobody can tell you how to live your life.

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I mean, seeing as this is not yet a reality… Have you looked into lucid dreaming?

It’s a dystopian extension of what it could be if society continued on a bad path. In truth I’d absolutely hope that there would be better options at that point, because society is better. Right now, drugs are simpler and maybe even saner than engaging with reality fully.

Well, in a world that has technology this advanced, you could maybe make your body do actual work in the real world (controlled by your employer) but you would still experience the virtual world as op has explained.

Sounds like a black mirror outline. I shiver at the idea.

Negatives: real world stagnation.

But maybe that’s a positive actually.

I can see the line of reasoning and honestly I would probably be an early adopter.