Curved space-time VR ball sports
I had an idea for a computer game.
Using a VR headset, players could in some way manipulate black holes in order to create loops of space-time curvature. Once space-time had been sculpted to their liking, virtual ball sports could played within these regions (thus bending the minds of the participants to such an extent as to render them incapable of day to day living in our physical universe, and leaving them in a drooling heap upon the floor).
Imagine what this would look like
This game suggests the potential for an entertaining variety of playing modes. If played over a large, open network, you could have some participants trying to play balls sports, while others could cruise around in little ships which are equipped with the ability to alter space-time in some way.
The players could have teams which incorporate both ballers and cruisers. Or they could be playing different games in the same space and getting in each others' way in the process.
The ships could use special equipment to modify space-time, thus an element of gameplay could be added which involves trying to get better antennas etc, through perhaps a space trading or rpg quest type of gameplay? Perhaps the overall world of the game could be crafted such that allows you the freedom to take on a variety of rolls, depending on how you choose to play it.
The ships could use different methods for bending space-time, some might manipulate black holes, some might be able to work directly.
You cruise around in this little orange ship with spirally antennas sticking out of the roof, moving black holes around in pincher formations whilst trying to avoid being crushed between them.
...Also you could include hypothetical constructs like white holes. ...And the whole time, crazy frog...
You could have two modes: 'spectator' where the whole thing is a giant gravitational sandbox, and 'competitor' where you are matched against opponents....
So you have these dickheads sweeping space-time sandcastles around and grinning deliriously, while the competitors swear at them. Fucking gravitational dipoles... Chrono-synclastic infundibula!
Feel Free to add your own imaginations...
Additional ideas/questions
Whether the space-time sculpting section would be simply a design phase, or could be made challenging and entertaining enough to stand alone in terms of gameplay, is still a question in my mind. Possibly the physics of having to manipulate two or more black holes simultaneously could be goodly demanding, and gameplay elements such as having to avoid collisions with the player, in some space craft that has to keep a certain proximity in order to manipulate, or stop two black holes from crashing into one another, maybe you have to keep them orbiting, etc etc
Also, the possibility of having some players who manipulate the curvature while others are trying to play ball!