gamer In 2034, computer programmer Ken Castle invents self-replicating nanites that replace brain tissue and allow humans to control other humans' actions and see through their eyes. The first application of Castle's "Nanex" technology is a virtual community life simulation game, Society, which allows gamers to manipulate live actors as their avatars. Society becomes a worldwide sensation, making Castle the richest man in the world. He then creates Slayers, a first-person shooter where the "characters" are death-row prisoners using real weapons in specially created arenas. Unlike Society actors, Slayers participants are not paid; instead, they volunteer in exchange for the promise that any Slayer who survives 30 matches will earn his freedom. John "Kable" Tillman is the crowd's favorite, having survived a record 27 matches since no inmate before him has managed to last more than ten. He is exclusively controlled by Simon, a seventeen-year-old superstar gamer from a wealthy family. An activist organization called the "Humanz" hacks a talk-show interview with Castle and claims that his technology will one day be used to control people against their will. The Humanz also disrupts Society play, but Castle sees both these actions as trivial. However, Castle feels threatened by Kable's winning streak and introduces a new inmate into Slayers, Hackman, specifically to kill Kable. Unknown to anyone else, Hackman will not be controlled by a player, and thus not be handicapped by the "ping" that causes a small but dangerous delay between the player's command and the Slayer's action. Kable/Tillman's estranged wife, Angie, works as a Society character, but in spite of her earnings, she is refused custody of their daughter Delia, who has been placed with a wealthy foster family. The Humanz contact Kable and Simon separately, and offer to create a mod that will let him escape, but only if Simon relinquishes control during the game. The escape is successful, and news outlets report that Kable has been fragged, which puts Simon in a difficult position: he is labeled a "cheater", locked out of his bank account, and arrested by the FBI for helping Kable escape. Kable is brought to the Humanz' hideout; he refuses to help their fight against Castle, but learns of Angie's current location in Society. He rescues her, escaping from both Hackman and Castle's security forces. They are met by Gina, the talk show host, secretly assisting the Humanz. The Humanz deactivates the nanites in Angie and Kable's brains, and Kable remembers that the original nanites were tested on him while he was still in the military. Under Castle's control, Kable shot and killed his best friend, and was imprisoned. Upon learning that Castle is the wealthy father who adopted Delia, Kable infiltrates his mansion to get her back. He locates Castle, who reveals that his henchmen have already tracked down the Humanz' lair and killed all of them. He also reveals that 98% of his own brain has been replaced with nanites, but this allows him to control others, rather than be controlled. He plans to release airborne nanites which will infect the entire United States within six months, giving him ultimate control. Hackman attacks Kable, who easily kills him. Kable then attacks Castle but is frozen in place, as Castle explains that his men have reactivated his and Angie's nanites. Unknown to Castle, Gina and Trace escaped the murder, and patch into the Nanex, revealing the confrontation to the world and exposing Castle's plans worldwide. They also restore Simon's account, allowing him to regain control of Kable. Castle tries to manipulate Kable into killing his own daughter, but he resists, and then Simon's control allows him to attack Castle. He and Simon wrestle for control over Kable, but Kable tells Castle to imagine his knife stabbing him. Castle unconsciously does so, allowing Kable to kill him and removing his control over everyone. With Castle dead, Kable convinces his technicians to deactivate the Nanex, freeing all the "characters" in Society and Slayers.