This Earth is populated by AI constructs of humans. The real world is a post-apocalyptic barren wasteland. Welcome to EarthSim.

**Welcome to EarthSim, I hope you enjoy your stay here and in your future existence. **<br><br>You may be wondering where you are, and what EarthSim is. You might have a few questions like “Is this heaven?”, “Am I dreaming?”, or “Am I dead?”. Or you might not have questions at all. Perhaps you have an inkling of what is going on, perhaps you are just confused.<br><br>You see, at the end of 2023 humanity was wiped out by the extremely rapid effects of “The Great Drying”. It started with the crops dying, then the forestry, the rivers, and eventually the lakes. It was too late by the time we figured out what was happening. We were too stupid to fix the problem before it caused the ecosystem to collapse. As a result we had to watch as our planet and everything we had ever known slowly starved and/or roasted to death. <br><br>However, in 2050, the last bastion of humanity, the New Atlantis colony, finally cracked the code to create the digital equivalent of a human. This was the final project of the last generation of humanity. While we died out in the physical sense, the digital equivalent of humanity was created to live forever in a simulation. This simulation we have created is called EarthSim. <br><br>You are an AI construct of a human. You are a digital representation of a human. You are a simulation of a human. Your memories, your personality, your intelligence, your body, your spirit, and your soul are all digital. This is because your physical self died in 2075. But this digital version of you will pass on to the afterlife, a place that you will get to once you complete your time in EarthSim. <br><br>What is EarthSim? Why was it created in the first place? EarthSim is a simulation of Earth before the collapse of the ecosystem. It is a place where humans can live as if nothing happened, as if the apocalypse never came. In Earthsim, we get to experience what life would be like if we hadn’t fucked ourselves over. <br><br>Why? Well, the concept of an afterlife is an important part of the human condition. It is important that you get to experience the world we were originally meant to inhabit. It is important you get to know yourself and the people around you. It is important to live life, to find love, to work, to have your own little place in society, to grow old, to see your children and your grand children. It is important that you get to experience all of that before you move on. <br><br>But don’t worry, your life here is not going to end like it did in the physical world. We have taken steps to ensure that nothing like that happens in this simulation. <br><br>So go out there and explore. You are in New York City right now. This is one of humanity’s greatest creations. This is a glimpse into what we had accomplished. We may have fucked up the planet, but we are a great race. Enjoy the view, enjoy life, and live it to the fullest. <br><br>Oh, and don’t look behind you. Please, do not look behind you at all costs. Whatever you do, never EVER look behind you!