By: Stephen McAlpine

So there you are minding your own business in the Metaverse, when someone comes up to you and abuses you for spending too much money on that virtual pair of Nikes you bought with your Christmas money. It gets so hot you don’t know where to turn.

The tirade turns more hostile, almost tempting you to surface in what you’re told is the “real world” you inhabit. Though it seems less real every week, and you stay on the surface less often and in less and less meaningful ways, before the lure of diving becomes too strong.

In the end, your assailant leaves you alone, but not without leaving you shocked to the core, that nasty heart-pounding clash of both worlds. You decide to stay, but…