First Person Shooter (The X-Files)

Infobox Television episode
Title = First Person Shooter
Series = The X-Files


Caption ="First Person Shooter" promotional poster
Season = 7
Episode = 13
Airdate = February 27, 2000.
Production = 7x13
Writer = William Gibson, Tom Maddox
Director = Chris Carter
Guests =
Episode list = List of The X-Files episodes
Prev = X-Cops
Next =Theef

"First Person Shooter" is an episode of "The X-Files" notable for being written by William Gibson [cite web |url=http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=5140 |title=Alexandra DuPont Interviews William 'Freakin' Gibson!!!! |accessdate=2007-07-08 |format=Interview |work=Ain't It Cool News ] , together with fellow science fiction novelist and long-time friend Tom Maddox. "First Person Shooter" (7x13) aired on FOX on February 27, 2000.cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HDN/is_2000_Feb_24/ai_59615707 |title="X-Files" Writer Fights For Online Privacy |accessdate=2007-07-13 |last=Fridman |first=Sherman |date=2000-02-24 |format=news article |work=News Briefs |publisher=Newsbytes PM ] [cite web |url=http://www.spikemagazine.com/0899williamgibson.php |title=William Gibson : All Tomorrow’s Parties : Waiting For The Man |accessdate=2007-07-13 |last=Johnston |first=Anthony |year=1999 |month=August |format= |work= |publisher=Spike ] This was the second episode written by the authors, after the success of "Kill Switch" (5x11), which first aired on February 15th, 1998 and subsequently made frequent appearances in reruns, encouraging Gibson to continue working in television. "Kill Switch" came about after the pair, having previously discussed possible collaborations, approached the production company with an offer to write an episode. [cite web |url=http://www.streettech.com/archives_Special/maddoxSpecial.html |title=Tom Maddox Unreal-Time Chat |accessdate=2007-07-13 |format=email exchange |work=Shop Talk ]

"First Person Shooter" deals with recurrent Gibsonian themes: alienation, paranoia, the will to survive, emergent technology, the evolution of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and transferring one's consciousness into cyberspace.cite news |first=Alex |last=Strachan |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Gibson writes this Sunday's X-Files |url=http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/gibson.htm |work=Local Entertainment |publisher=Vancouver Sun |date=1998-02-14 |accessdate=2007-07-13 ]

Plot summary

We see three young men wearing futuristic costumes. They are preparing for a battle and take automatic weapons. They seem to have a lot of fun. It turns out that their battlefield is in fact a virtual reality game. In a control room, Ivan and Phoebe, the workers of First Person Shooter Company, are monitoring the players' vital signs. Suddenly, motorcycles appear in the game. Three men shoot at them and the motorcycles explode. One of the players encounters a beautiful female warrior in a sexy leather outfit. She says "I am Maitreya. This is my game." and then kills him. Ironically, "Maitreya" means "loving one" in the Sanskrit language.

Mulder and Scully visit the First Person Shooter development company headquarters. They meet the Lone Gunmen, who work as consultants to the game. All look at the body of one of the players. The wound shows that he was shot. Ivan says there is no way a real gun could have been brought into the highly-secured building. The agents are shown a video from the game. They see the female warrior killing the player and Mulder takes the printout of the female. He shows it to a detective as he believes she might be a killer. Daryl Musashi, the creator of the game, comes to the building. He enters the game in order to kill the mysterious female. However, she finds him first and cuts his hands and head off. Meanwhile Scully performs an autopsy on the first player. Then, the remains of Daryl Musashi are brought in and Mulder receives a call from the Sheriff's Department. A woman similar to the one in the printout has been picked up.

Her name is Jade Blue Afterglow (played by Krista Allen) (see Jade-Blue EclipseFact|date=June 2007) and she tells the agents that the medical imaging place in Culver City paid her to scan her body. Mulder and Scully go back to FPS headquarters. It turns out that the Lone Gunmen are trapped inside the game and somebody is shooting at them. Mulder enters the game in game combat gear to rescue them. He sees Maitreya and follows her. Phoebe admits that the beautiful female warrior was created by her. Pheobe was creating her own game in her own computer. But somehow the warrior jumped programs.

Eventually, Scully puts the suit on and enters the game herself. She finds Maitreya and fights with her. However, it is very difficult as Maitreya multiplies and finally she comes in a tank. Phoebe admits there is one way to stop it but it will erase the whole game. Byers (one of the Gunmen) types the command and the game completely disappears but the agents are both safe. During Mulder's voice-over we see that in the control room one of the monitors is still active. Ivan sees a message reading "Data Acquisition." He sees the image of a digital character. She is wearing Maitreya's leather outfit but now her face is different. In fact, it is Agent Scully's face.

"First Person Shooter" was directed by series creator Chris Carter.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.tv.com/the-x-files/first-person-shooter/episode/642/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;12 First Person Shooter] at TV.com