Haha. Those are the kind of lore questions I don't really have answers to. You have to get fuck deep in end game meta to find that sort of thing out, and we haven't hit end game yet. [ She pauses. ] I can tell you how the game begins, but I don't know for certain how the players are chosen. I have a theory, though.
[ Story Time 2: Electric Boogaloo. ]
The game begins pretty innocently! As far as I know, across all universes and all instances of the game, it starts off as a computer program. Running the executable creates a connection between two players. One is the client, and one is the server! The server player has some control over the client player's world. Like moving around their furniture and stuff. Pretty annoying! But necessary. The client player will be racing against a clock to satisfy some necessary conditions to escape to their designated land before their homeworld gets blown up by meteors.
All players enter the game this way, except one very special circumstance that doesn't really apply here. It's how all my friends and I entered the game. That's how it begins! Pretty straightforward.
As for how the players are chosen... [ Vriska leans back, stretching both arms above her head and then letting them flop back down into her lap before she continues. ]
Sgrub and Sburb - that's the name of the version all the humans play - are both designed as coming of age mechanisms. They always take players who are on the cusp of physical and sexual maturity, and throw them into a bunch of crazy shit! I always saw this as intentional. A way to force us to mature, quickly! Especially because, if the game is played correctly and you win your universe, you and your fellow players will be tasked with perpetuating your decimated race. [ She grins suddenly, toothy. ] It never worked out that way, but that would have been the idea.
This set of circumstances likely influences the choice of players! But the most important thing to remember is that everything to do with the game is predestined to always have occurred. Skaia requires this! Skaia is a more complicated concept to explain, so for now, let's just say it's something like a set of necessary win conditions, sort of! Everything Skaia requires must be met, or you can't win the game. And one of those requirements is a very specific series of events! One single timeline to which everyone has to adhere. The alpha timeline. Any deviations result in a bunch of bullshit and dead kids.
[ She rubs her face with one hand, brow furrowing. ] I'm getting sidetracked. To get back to the point, with all the predestination crap? My friends and I were always going to be the people to play Sgrub. There could never be anyone else! It was the same for our ancestors. In fact, our ancestors playing the game made it so that we would never have any choice but to play! Their actions caused our actions, and vice versa.
This is a bunch of stupid timeline bullshit that I can admit I am not well-equipped to explain! Time isn't my aspect. Dave is around here somewhere, you could ask him, if he got his head out of his ass for more than two seconds. Really, the short answer to your question is "predestination, and also shenanigans." It's not really a satisfying answer as to, you know, why, but predestination is the how. The creation myth stuff, though? That's completely out of my scope. The only person who might have any idea is not only not here, but even if she were, I pretty much do not want to speak to her ever again, so I wouldn't be the one to ask.
oh god i'm so sorry
[ Story Time 2: Electric Boogaloo. ]
The game begins pretty innocently! As far as I know, across all universes and all instances of the game, it starts off as a computer program. Running the executable creates a connection between two players. One is the client, and one is the server! The server player has some control over the client player's world. Like moving around their furniture and stuff. Pretty annoying! But necessary. The client player will be racing against a clock to satisfy some necessary conditions to escape to their designated land before their homeworld gets blown up by meteors.
All players enter the game this way, except one very special circumstance that doesn't really apply here. It's how all my friends and I entered the game. That's how it begins! Pretty straightforward.
As for how the players are chosen... [ Vriska leans back, stretching both arms above her head and then letting them flop back down into her lap before she continues. ]
Sgrub and Sburb - that's the name of the version all the humans play - are both designed as coming of age mechanisms. They always take players who are on the cusp of physical and sexual maturity, and throw them into a bunch of crazy shit! I always saw this as intentional. A way to force us to mature, quickly! Especially because, if the game is played correctly and you win your universe, you and your fellow players will be tasked with perpetuating your decimated race. [ She grins suddenly, toothy. ] It never worked out that way, but that would have been the idea.
This set of circumstances likely influences the choice of players! But the most important thing to remember is that everything to do with the game is predestined to always have occurred. Skaia requires this! Skaia is a more complicated concept to explain, so for now, let's just say it's something like a set of necessary win conditions, sort of! Everything Skaia requires must be met, or you can't win the game. And one of those requirements is a very specific series of events! One single timeline to which everyone has to adhere. The alpha timeline. Any deviations result in a bunch of bullshit and dead kids.
[ She rubs her face with one hand, brow furrowing. ] I'm getting sidetracked. To get back to the point, with all the predestination crap? My friends and I were always going to be the people to play Sgrub. There could never be anyone else! It was the same for our ancestors. In fact, our ancestors playing the game made it so that we would never have any choice but to play! Their actions caused our actions, and vice versa.
This is a bunch of stupid timeline bullshit that I can admit I am not well-equipped to explain! Time isn't my aspect. Dave is around here somewhere, you could ask him, if he got his head out of his ass for more than two seconds. Really, the short answer to your question is "predestination, and also shenanigans." It's not really a satisfying answer as to, you know, why, but predestination is the how. The creation myth stuff, though? That's completely out of my scope. The only person who might have any idea is not only not here, but even if she were, I pretty much do not want to speak to her ever again, so I wouldn't be the one to ask.