Welcome! The purpose of FifthWorldGames.com (and .org) is to help bring about the Fifth World, by familiarizing people with the ways it might work through a series of virtual-reality game environments.
1. What is the “Fifth World”?
The term comes from the Hopi culture. The Hopi say that we are currently living in the Fourth World; three previous ones have come and gone, with a few survivors from each seeding the next. We are nearing the time of change to the next, Fifth, world. The nature of that change is not entirely clear; it may well depend upon what we make of it, what choices we make for our future.
2. How can games help with this change?
The games we are creating are simulations. The first level of it puts you in Santa Cruz, California, in 2060, well after the transition is complete. You are now living in the Fifth World. What is it like? What do you see? What happens? In many ways, you decide. And you have many more possibilities to choose among than you do IRL, in the Fourth World. Some of them will surprise you.
3. What sort of Utopia is the Fifth World in that game?
The sort you make it. We have many ideas about it, drawn from numerous sources. But your actions will affect your Fifth World in significant ways... just as your actions affect your life normally. Some of the starting conditions are different from those of the present. For example, there is no money (or barter), just sharing. Nobody is impressed by accumulation of more than you need, but everyone will help you acquire what you really do need, to the best of their abilities. Voluntarily.
4. Sounds interesting, but pretty unrealistic. How would we get there?
That too is your job, once you get to the second level of the game by showing that you understand and support the principles on which the Fifth World society is based. Then you will be offered a place on a special team that will use the newly-developed time-displacement technology to go back to 1984... and create the world that already exists where you are in 2060. Paradoxes? Sure! But it turns out that Time isn’t as determinant as we thought, and there’s wiggle room. Can you prevent the invasion of Iraq in 2003? How about the nuclear attack on China in 2008, as the neocons with nothing to lose play their last card? “There is still time, Brother!” and you can change the world.
5. If the Fifth World doesn’t use money, how can you “win” in it?
By following your heart, and taking the path of your happiness. You can do that anywhere, of course; the Fifth World just makes it easier. For example, one of the things that makes most of us happy is recognition, being appreciated by others for what we do or are. In the Fifth World games, we make that explicit. You give tokens of respect to others as you please, and they give them to you too. The total you give and receive is public; this takes the place of the point scores used in many other games. And since you can take back tokens as well as give them, the “score” is dynamic.
6. So it’s like an ongoing social-networking popularity contest?
In some ways, yes. But here in the Fourth World, popularity is often based on hype, on a perception that has little to do with a person’s true nature. In the Fifth World, there is much more transparency. You can see what others do, not just what they say, and base your recogntion of them on reality. When you state an opinion about someone, a link is automatically added from their profile to your comment. Of course, they can also respond to it, and you can change it later.
7. I still don’t see how playing a game will create the real Fifth World.
That’s the third level. After you’ve worked through all those second-level simulations of the transition to the Fifth World, you’re ready to do it for real. Now the game environment turns into a database and communications system for those who are ready to live in the Fifth World now, today. Need something? Ask your co-creators for it, and the odds are good that you will receive it. Have something to share? List it in your profile, and if someone needs it, they will get in touch. It’s all voluntary, and it’s all gifts, not barter.
8. Won’t I owe taxes on what I receive?
No. Real gifts, given without receiving any credit for them, are not taxable until the amout exceeds $10,000 per year between any two specific people. It’s not likely you’ll exceed that limit. It’s your responsibility to keep track; the Fifth World game system will not. Note that the idea here is not to evade taxes; rather, it is to create a very different model of social relations in the world.
9. What does it cost to join in Fifth World games?
Nothing. The people who have started this process have the computer resources needed to start, and choose to donate them to this use. There are no fees, and no ads either. We do ask that each person open only one account.
10. What happens if the system goes down?
We intend to set up mirror sites around the world, which can interoperate so that hardware failures don’t cause loss of data or of communications. We’d like to hear from anyone interested in running such a mirror site who has the needed resources for it.
11. Where do I sign up?
Write to info@FifthWorldGames.com. The Fifth World is a collaborative DIY project, starting from this Web site. We’re still developing the game software, and you can help by telling us what you’d like to see in it. We can use plenty of help, from game programmers, designers, artists, musicians, and other talented folks. And we need feedback from everyone interested in creating the Fifth World; all ideas are welcome! Thank you for reading this FAQ.