In Elite Dangerous, a player has created a virtual likeness of his deceased brother-in-law who is now his co-pilot.
Eurogamer tells the story of a man from San Diego, California. Cedric O’Neal passed away at the age of 42. His brother-in-law was particularly close to him; the two were like brothers, so he refers to his deceased brother-in-law as his brother. He recalls that he can’t remember a day when his brother wasn’t present, until death separated them.
The surviving brother is 29 and wishes to be known only as the Reddit user Tuuva.
With the Commander Creator, players can now create a face for their in-game alter ego inElite Dangerous since the latest Beta Patch 2.3, which they can design themselves using a character editor.
Normally, in Elite Dangerous, you only sit in your pilot seat, but thanks to virtual reality and Oculus Rift, you can freely move the camera in your ship and thus focus on your own avatar.
The player has now made his deceased brother into his avatar, as realistic as he could manage. The player describes the experience of creating a likeness of his brother with the “Holo-Me” feature as difficult. He had a lump in his throat and hesitated to try it for a while.
If I experience mental issues because of this, I will deal with it later
This way, Cedric O’Neal continues to live on as a “virtual commander” in Elite Dangerous while his brother pilots the ship.
He has mixed feelings about the whole thing. He says: “The idea has been on my mind for a long time. There are certainly good arguments against doing this. But my goodness, my brother was a gamer. He would have loved to be immortal in this game world! If I develop any serious mental issues from this, I will deal with it later.”
Mein MMO says: It’s hard to tell: Is it touching or creepy? We are entering a present where questions arise that once were only known from science fiction. Does technology help us remember the past? Or does technology prevent us from coming to terms with things we should let go of? In earlier times, this was a question for science fiction novels and movies. Today, it is a question that we must answer ourselves. Perhaps each of us for ourselves.
What do you think?
More on the topic:
Elite Dangerous: Male and Female – Holo-Me Editor allows spontaneous gender changes
