Pressing start, Andrew learned that the floating screen in front of him was an odd mix of solid and...not solid. Before he could muse on it further, the game's intro was beginning.
"Thank you, player, for choosing the "Show Me Your Man Card" game, the first joint venture between the Hazaado Nano-Gene Company and Cyber Legacy Engineering." read the screen's text.
'Nano-genes?' Andrew thought, having heard the term in various sci-fi.
"When you received our card from the distribution console, it would be right to believe it gave you what is commonly known as static shock. This is normal, it's just the nano-genes being inserted into your system."
'Well that's annoying. Huh? Shouldn't I be angrier?' Andrew thought, knowing he should be outraged at having something so dangerous inserted into him.
"A temporary side effect of the nano-gene integration is ever-calm, designed to prevent the player from going into shock upon initial contact. And it's not as dangerous as what science fiction makes it out to be. "
'Well, that makes sense, though its kinda weird it decided to tell me that right when I'm thinking about it. Can it read my mind?" Andrew thought, suspiciously.
"It's less like mind reading and more like the system is one with your being. Research suggests that I, personally, am nothing more than the host body's, in this case yours, subconscious thoughts brought to life by interfacing with the nano-genes that now live within you." the screen informed.
'And the point of all this is?'
"Show Me Your Man Card" is a contest of masculinity. The manlier you act the manlier you become. The opposite is true, unmanly actions literally make you less manly."
'Why?'
"Pissing contest?" "Bragging rights?" "There ARE practical aspects, but to be honest, the only reason those two created this game was 10% anthropological study, 90% means of alleviating boredom."
'...I don't know how to respond that.' Andrew thought.
"You wouldn't be the first" the screen responded, "So, would you like to start the tutorial?"
"Sure, why not?" he said.
The screen in front of him shifted to display three male figures set in a triangle labeled "The Warrior", "The Provider", and "The Lover". In the center was Andrew's name next to his level: LEVEL 1 and his man point level which was 0.
"Through masculine actions you gain man points. When you reach a certain amount, you level up and earn Quality Points. Quality points are yours to spend on any one attribute that falls beneath the three manly pillars: the warrior, the provider, and the lover. The more Quality Points placed into one particular attribute will alter your mind and/or body to reflect your desired qualities. You receive 5 Quality Points per level up. Good news though, since you're just starting out, you've graciously been given 5 Quality Points, distribute them as you wish before continuing on with the tutorial."
Absorbing that information, Andrew quickly scanned the list of attributes. The ones that fell under "The Warrior" all seemed to be basic rpg fare: strength, stealth, vitality, all that jazz. The ones under "The Provider" however seemed to be a mix of mental qualities like Wisdom and Patience, in addition to things that seemed like magic boons and craft making. For example: Cooking was there as well as something called Papa Wolf which multiplied all physical stats by its attribute level whenever an offspring was in danger. And "The Lover" was essentially every fetishist's dream come true.
Andrew glared at the screen, deep in thought over what qualities he'd like to boost.
"What should I choose?" he mused aloud.