They noticed the fly brain was doing better than any player ever had. Then it started modding. And trying new things. And it was only after it was too late they realized the fly was trying to find a way out. And succeeded.
There’s a few scifi writers who have explored that. One, I can’t recall the name or book, but a recurring species in their books was insect-like creatures who separately weren’t anything more than Earth insects, but when close to others they linked up telepathically or somehow and not only had a hive super mind but would create a floating form of that “entity”.
They noticed the fly brain was doing better than any player ever had. Then it started modding. And trying new things. And it was only after it was too late they realized the fly was trying to find a way out. And succeeded.
What a twist it would be if it turned out insects were multiple times smarter than humans somehow.
There’s a few scifi writers who have explored that. One, I can’t recall the name or book, but a recurring species in their books was insect-like creatures who separately weren’t anything more than Earth insects, but when close to others they linked up telepathically or somehow and not only had a hive super mind but would create a floating form of that “entity”.
There’s also Children of Time
The final part of Kif Kroker’s species lifecycle?