THE PERKS OF BEING A SIM

When Netflix's recent Black Mirror venture, Bandersnatch, was released at the end of last year, it created
a lot of buzz, audiences mostly drawn to its relatively new format. An inventive experiment in interactive
storytelling, albeit unsuccessful for the most part, Bandersnatch chronicles the experiences of a video
game developer, Stefan Butler who, when met with the realization that he might not be in control of his
actions, slowly drives himself into madness. Now of course, Black Mirror, being a show about dystopian
worlds and futuristic technology, isn’t exactly what one would call plausible, at least in the near future,
but that doesn’t stop us from wondering about this one question: what if all of us were actually a part of a
simulation? Of course, it’s somewhat of a daunting concept (we don’t want to end up like Stefan!) and
there’s just so many things that could go wrong, but what if I told you that it might just have its own
perks?

Not my fault!
We all know how it goes:
The student goes up to the teacher, sulking off. The teacher looks at the student inquiringly, fixing him
with an unflinching stare. Scratching his head, the boy replies, “The dog ate my homework!”
It’s safe to assume that all of us, at one point, have failed to adhere to a deadline, and have come up with
pathetic excuses to make up for it. And let’s just face it: if there’s something that we as students are
collectively terrible at, it’s punctuality. It’s inbuilt; even if we’re given weeks to complete an assignment,
it only gets done the night before. But every now and then, amidst the never-ending mess of tests and
important deadlines, that lone assignment remains long-forgotten, and by the time you remember, it is too
late. You panic in front of your teacher, trying to think of something from your depleting inventory of
excuses, as she mercilessly strikes out a zero against your name, blind to your futile efforts.
But what do you get if you live in a world where everyone’s been controlled by some guy up there,
behind a giant computer, carefully monitoring each and every action? The perfect excuse. Forgot your
homework? Oh, the computer guy made me watch Netflix instead. Didn’t study for the test? Believe me,
Ma’am, I would have, if it hadn't been for him. Sticky situations, forgotten deadlines, school exams —
who cares about free will as long as we have something to cover up for our procrastinating tendencies,
right?

I don’t have anything to wear!

That moment when you can’t decide what to eat? When you can’t choose which movie you want to
watch? Or when you just can’t settle on an outfit to wear for the day? We've all been there — spending
hours unable to make a simple decision, flailing our arms desperately about, as we finally make amends
with the realization that it's just too tough a choice to make. Even though this might not be a major
inconvenience to a lot of people out there, for the unlucky ones like me, it's just a part of our daily
routine. Restaurant menus, shopping aisles, streaming sites — these are just a few things that, although
might not be an issue for the average person, causes the vast majority of us mild anxiety attacks.
But now you’re implying that we can actually have someone make those decisions for us? Count me in.
Casually being able to watch a movie without whiling away hours on deciding one, instantly knowing
which outfit to wear without undergoing the excruciatingly stressful struggle within — that’s just too
much to forgo for a delusional feeling of being in charge. Losing control of our own lives and becoming
slaves to someone else’s mind, but not having to make your own decisions anymore? Yeah, no big deal.

Although there are a lot of reasons why existing in a simulation might eventually prove to be dangerous,
and even though it’s totally reasonable for us to be scared of such a reality, as long as the guy behind the
computer doesn’t end up being a sadistic psychopath, who knows we might just turn out fine!