Conquest Fever
Conquest fever is a condition that spread throughout the entire galaxy of Kantostara like an epidemic due to the rise in popularity of the multi-player virtual war game, called conquest, where players join one of six coalitions (blue, green, red, yellow, purple, and pink) and each coalition battles the others in an effort to conquer the galaxy. As players level up and conquer more territory, their coalition earns more of the virtual tokens needed to advance in the game.
The game itself is harmless enough, but what players didn't know was that there is a hidden danger lurking in all of those colorful conquest tokens that they were amassing more and more of. You see, the game's designers, in an effort to increase profits, embedded a subliminal signal in each of the virtual tokens that was supposed to make players want to spend more time playing the game. It was only intended to have a mildly addictive effect, but in some individuals, these signals triggered a much stronger response. Over time, with prolonged exposure to an ever increasing quantity of subliminal signals, even those who didn't initially have a strong response began to crave conquest tokens like a highly addictive drug that the players just couldn't seem to get enough of.
The level of addiction escalated so quickly, once it reached a certain tipping point, that it was completely out of control before anyone really understood how serious the problem was. Eventually, everyone who played the game for any length of time came down with a raging case of what became commonly known as conquest fever.
In later stages, the players lose all interest in everything and everyone outside of the game and the condition has been known to lead to some truly bizarre and irrational behavior. Those afflicted become increasingly unable to distinguish between the virtual reality of the game and the physical reality of their everyday world. This has led to incidents of violence, like the Conquest Skirmish, that were popping up all over the galaxy during the height of the epidemic.
If you should ever stumble into one of these spots, get out as quickly as possible, and whatever you do, don't let yourself be tempted by those colorful conquest tokens!
The game itself is harmless enough, but what players didn't know was that there is a hidden danger lurking in all of those colorful conquest tokens that they were amassing more and more of. You see, the game's designers, in an effort to increase profits, embedded a subliminal signal in each of the virtual tokens that was supposed to make players want to spend more time playing the game. It was only intended to have a mildly addictive effect, but in some individuals, these signals triggered a much stronger response. Over time, with prolonged exposure to an ever increasing quantity of subliminal signals, even those who didn't initially have a strong response began to crave conquest tokens like a highly addictive drug that the players just couldn't seem to get enough of.
The level of addiction escalated so quickly, once it reached a certain tipping point, that it was completely out of control before anyone really understood how serious the problem was. Eventually, everyone who played the game for any length of time came down with a raging case of what became commonly known as conquest fever.
Symptoms
The early symptoms of conquest fever are mild and often go unnoticed. It begins with an increased desire to spend more time playing the game and a fascination with conquest tokens that quickly escalates into a full blown obsession with amassing more and more of them by any means available.In later stages, the players lose all interest in everything and everyone outside of the game and the condition has been known to lead to some truly bizarre and irrational behavior. Those afflicted become increasingly unable to distinguish between the virtual reality of the game and the physical reality of their everyday world. This has led to incidents of violence, like the Conquest Skirmish, that were popping up all over the galaxy during the height of the epidemic.
Treatment & Prognosis
Fortunately, conquest fever is easily treated by simply eliminating exposure to conquest tokens. Those afflicted often go through a period of withdrawal similar to that of substance addiction, but in time, they will be able to resume a normal life.Prevention
In order to halt the spread of conquest fever, the game of conquest was outlawed in most places, thus eliminating exposure to the signals embedded in the virtual tokens. However, there are still some isolated pockets where people continue to play the game in secret regardless of the consequences to their health. Luckily, these places are easy to recognize by the irrational behavior of their inhabitants and their obsession with the colors blue, green, red, yellow, purple, and pink.If you should ever stumble into one of these spots, get out as quickly as possible, and whatever you do, don't let yourself be tempted by those colorful conquest tokens!
Origin
Engineered
Cycle
Short-term
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