In a follow up to The Simulation Hypothesis, MIT Computer Scientist Rizwan Virk explores the idea of the Multiverse from the lens of Simulation Theory, Video Games, and the Mandela Effect
San Francisco, CA – September 20, 2021 – MIT computer scientist and Silicon Valley video game designer Rizwan Virk announced the much anticipated follow up to his bestselling book, The Simulation Hypothesis, will be published October 15. The book comes as interest in multiverses and metaverses are at an all-time high with the release of The Matrix Resurrections in December, Marvel’s ongoing Multiverse storyline, and the exciting developments of Epic Games’ Metaverse.
The Simulated Multiverse explores deeper questions about the nature of space and time in all possible universes. Virk explores the idea that parallel universes are a result of different runs of the simulation, with variables changed, an idea first proffered by Philip K. Dick, and a rational explanation for the mysterious Mandela Effect. By tying science fiction ideas and Virk’s extensive knowledge of computer science, quantum physics and video games, this book expands our idea of our world.
“When the Matrix came out in 1999, it was in the realm of science fiction,” said Virk. “With today’s advancements in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and the Metaverse, a simulated universe is not far away.
“With The Matrix 4 and Free Guy, this is the year of simulation movies; but multiverses are extremely popular too, appearing in everything from TV shows like Marvel’s Loki and What If… to The CWs The Flash and Superman & Lois. In this book, I explore how a multiverse might work.”
This book addresses the idea that there are multiple versions of us in different timelines, like multiple processes running inside a giant computer and explains everything from parallel universes in quantum physics to the Mandela Effect.
Virk is the founder of Play Labs @ MIT, a video game startup incubator at the MIT Game Lab, and co-founder, advisor and investor in many video game startups.
The Simulated Multiverse is for computer scientists, science fiction and comics fans, video game enthusiasts, and those looking to understand the nature of reality.
The author is also announcing that translation rights for his previous book, The Simulation Hypothesis, have been acquired will be published into a number of languages/countries, including Chinese (via China Machine Press) Portuguese (via Citadel), French (Editions Extraordinaires), and Japanese (via Tokuma Shoten).
The new book is available for pre-order in Paperback or eBook format now and will be released on October 15, 2021. Pre-ordering can be done at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XFR749T/ or by visiting the authors website at http://www.zenentrepreneur.com/.
About the Author: 
A graduate of MIT and Stanford, Rizwan (“Riz”) Virk is a successful entrepreneur, angel investor, bestselling author, video game industry pioneer, and independent film producer. Virk was the founder Play Labs @ MIT (www.playlabs.tv) a startup accelerator for playful technologies held on campus at the MIT Game Lab, and is currently at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University’s College of Global Futures.
His previously published books include: Zen Entrepreneurship (Bayview, 2013), Treasure Hunt: Follow Your Inner Clues to Find True Success (Watkins, 2017), The Simulation Hypothesis (Bayview, 2019), and Startup Myths and Models: What You Won’t Learn in Business School (2020, Columbia University Press).
Virk’s video games have included Tap Fish, which was downloaded over 50 million times, and games based on TV shows like Penny Dreadful and Grimm. Virk has been an investor and founder in many startups, including Telltale Games (creator of narrative games based on The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones), Tapjoy and Discord. He has been a producer on Thrive: What on Earth Will It Take?, Knights of Badassdom, starring Peter Dinklage, the TV show The Outpost, and adaptations of the works of Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin.
Visit his author and professional websites at www.zenentrepreneur.com and www.bayviewlabs.com.
Praise for the Simulated Multiverse and the Simulation Hypothesis:
“How am I unreal? Riz Virk counts the ways. So many ways we might all live in one (or more) simulated worlds. Palpable ‘reality’ may be as delusional as our old notion that the heavens revolved around Earth. And just like Galileo did then, Virk may help open our eyes to a greater (if humbling) cosmology.”
—David Brin, author of EXISTENCE, The Postman and EARTH.
We are used to thinking of the afterlife as a sort of simulation with less reality than our world of solid objects … However, a few cutting-edge thinkers have posited that this world in which we live is a simulation. In his second book on the subject of simulation, Rizwan Virk walks us through the concept of a computer-generated reality that Philip K. Dick posited in the speech that he delivered in Metz, France, in 1977. This volume is well-researched and eminently readable for any interested reader. The topic is fascinating, and the writing is clear. Perhaps The Matrix is more than a science fiction film; perhaps it reveals some truth about our world and our lives in this world. Read this book, if you dare.
—Tessa B. Dick, author of Conversations with Philip K. Dick, wife of Philip K. Dick
Refining his impressions of the progress of AI since his research at MIT… Virk has expanded his thesis in the wider scope of the multiverse, building on the framework of pioneers such as Nick Bostrom and Kurzweil. The result is a new challenge not only to theories of simulation, but to what constitutes reality itself, and human illusions of our rightful place within it.
—Jacques Vallée, venture capitalist, author of Forbidden Science
Virk … makes a cogent, clear-eyed guide to the head-spinning science of parallel universes, quantum indeterminacy, and the possibility—terrifying or relieving—that our perceived reality is in fact part of a great simulation.
—Publishers Weekly
I’m grateful to be living in a branch of the multiverse where if I’m asked to go into more detail about the relationship between Total Recall and quantum physics, I can simply point someone in the direction of this comprehensive and entertaining book. To quote a certain 1999 blockbuster: Woah.
—Rodney Ascher, director of A Glitch in the Matrix
“In The Simulated Multiverse, Riz Virk takes simulation theory and The Matrix to a new level. Using computational tools – complexity, artificial intelligence, video games and quantum computing – Virk explains an interpretation of our world that sounds like science fiction: that we are living multiple parallel timelines. If you want to get glimpses not only of our possible digital futures, but also of multiple parallel pasts and presents, read this book!”
—Brad Feld, venture capitalist and author of The Startup Community Way
“MIT scientist’s ‘Simulation Hypothesis’ makes compelling case for The Matrix.”
—The Next Web
“Those looking to expand their brains for a few hours should enjoy this cerebral work. A well-crafted discussion of simulation that is unexpectedly persuasive.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In The Simulation Hypothesis, Riz Virk provides a deft and knowledgeable blend of video game history, hard science speculation, and science fiction references. Whether or not you believe we all exist in a simulation, I found it both fascinating and entertaining.”
—Noah Falstein, former chair of the IGDA, former Chief Game Designer at Google
An MIT Computer Scientist Explores Parallel Universes, The Simulation Hypothesis, Quantum Computing and The Mandela Effect
by Rizwan Virk
Bayview Books | October 15, 2021. Available as e-book and Paperback ISBN: 978-1954872004