Better Than Life

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For the Red Dwarf episode, see Better Than Life (Red Dwarf episode).

Better Than Life is a major concept in the Red Dwarf canon. Within the fictional universe of Red Dwarf, Better Than Life (or BTL) is the name of a virtual reality video game engineered to pander to the player's most intimate fantasies.

The second novel in the Red Dwarf novel series is titled Better Than Life in that the game is one of the central plot devices. The Official Red Dwarf fan magazine also shares this name, as do a number of unofficial fan-managed websites.

[edit] The TV Series

We are first introduced to the game in a Series Two episode titled Better Than Life. The game arrives among other fantastic packages in a post pod, which is encountered after Red Dwarf turns around to head for home. it is part of a series of 'VR Total Immersion Video Games', which work by inserting electrodes into the user's frontal lobes and hypothalamus. The user becomes completely immersed within the reality of the game.

Better Than Life is a game which allows the user to live out all their fantasies and desires. When in the game, one has the ability to mentally command into existence any object, person or environment.

The problem with the game in the TV Series, however, is that it also detects subconscious desires: if the user subconsciously hates himself then the game will eventually detect this and subject him to specifically-tailored masochistic tortures.

Total Immersion Video Games - though not specifically Better Than Life - are later encounted in the Series 5 episode, 'Back to Reality' in which a group hallucination makes the Dwarf crew believe that the previous four years had been a video game fantasy. "Back to Reality" is often cited as being the best episode of Red Dwarf.

Additionally, the Series 6 International Emmy Award-winning episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse" featured a similar concept. "Artificial Reality" video games were used to allow the characters to combat personifications of a computer virus in a metaphorical Wild West showdown.

[edit] The Novels

Better Than Life plays an important role in the two novels Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers and Red Dwarf: Better Than Life. The novel version of the game has far greater abilities and far greater bugs. Unlike the TV series, which is based on the original, unaddictive version, the novel version causes the user's imagination to develop semi-plausible explanations for certain events. For instance, in early versions of Better Than Life, the user could make a large, expensive car appear out of thin air. In the books, the user's imagination would create a scenario where they won the lottery, or created a successful business, so they could buy the car.

The danger of the game is that once the user starts to play, the game makes them forget they actually started to play, so they believe that they are still in reality. Their conscious mind only perceives the reality of the game, and all signals from their real body, except for those of extreme pain, are completely ignored.

Unless cared for in the real world, a user (or "Game Head") dies very quickly. While it is certainly possible for friends to forcibly remove the headset that contains the game, this results in instant death from shock. The only way to exit the game is to figure out that you're playing the game, develop the desire to leave it and then command an exit.

In the universe of the Red Dwarf novels, Total Immersion Video Games are much like drugs in this world: they are addictive, expensive and lead to shivering Game Heads in every shop doorway and city byway. The user experience and addiction characteristics also bear substantial similarities to present-day MMORPGs.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After a drunken party, Lister, Rimmer and The Cat discover a cache of illegal headbands in one of the sleeping quarters, and end up beginning to play. They imagine that they board the Nova 5 and use its Duality Jump drive to return to Earth.

Lister settles down with a woman who looks exactly like Kristine Kochanski in Bedford Falls, which looks exactly like the Bedford Falls in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, Lister's favourite movie. He has two sons, Jim and Bexley, and opens a successful curry shop.

Rimmer becomes the head of a multi-national corporation, Rimmer Corp., and has a 50 billion dollarpound fortune. He's married to Juanita Chicata, the most beautiful model and actress in the world, with a massively fiery temper. He's also developed a time machine, which he uses to beat George Patton, Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte at Risk.

The Danish government gives Cat an island, on which is built a giant golden castle, right out of a gothic fairy tale. The castle is surrounded by a moat of milk, and is staffed by eight-foot tall, scantily clad Valkyrie warriors. He likes to travel on firebreathing yaks and shoot dogs. When questioned about the plausibility of it, the Cat reckons he deserved it because he was so handsome.

Back in reality, Kryten is cajoled by Holly to laser messages into Lister's arms. Lister feels the pain of this in Bedford Falls, and when he applies cold cream to the areas of pain, they spell two messages - 'U=BTL' on his left arm ('You are in Better Than Life') and 'DYING' on his right ('You are dying') These messages cause Lister to realise that it has been Christmas Eve in Bedford Falls every day since he got there, just as it was in the film. He realizes that he is in the game and confronts Rimmer in Paris. Rimmer is dismissive, claiming Lister's lack of money disproves his theory. It's eventually discovered, however, that Lister's fantasy is much more mature than Rimmer's; he doesn't need money to be happy, just a family to love him. Rimmer's fantasy involved mega-riches because of his insecurities.

They travel to Denmark and meet with the Cat. While discussing how to get out. Kryten arrives and explains how they started playing. Because his Mechanoid brain is different from human brains, he remembers entering the game, making it easier for him to get out.

Kryten explains that, to leave the game, all they have to do is want to leave. Lister returns to Bedford Falls to say goodbye to Kochanski. However, he can't bear to leave her, so he stays in the game, as do the others - Kryten is lured in by an infinite supply of dishes to clean.

However, things change because of Rimmer's massive self-loathing, his subconscious belief that he doesn't deserve success, that he deserves to suffer. Consequently, Better Than Life causes him to lose his fortune, have his body repossessed, and end up in the body of a woman. Upon attempting to leave, he can't, and realizes that all four must leave together. He travels to Bedford Falls in a giant truck, wrecking the town square in the process, ruining Lister's fantasy. As they leave, a nuclear waste facility and a psychiatric prison for the criminally insane are being built. They travel to Denmark, to discover that Cat's Valkyries have gone on strike, the milk moat has curdled, and a volcano has started to erupt. The four leave the game together.

They seemingly arrive back on Red Dwarf, but certain clues (the good quality towels, the sleeping quarters actually being clean, etc.) make them realize they're still in the game. At this point, the 14 year old creator of the game appears and congratulates them on overcoming the final obstacle, and offers them a replay. They decline, and finally return to reality. Due to their having not moved for such a long time, Lister and Cat's muscles have atrophied considerably, and they have to be placed in special suits for some time to re-hydrate and restore their muscles.