Dare To Dream, February 1, 2026
Dare To Dream with Debbi Dachinger
Rizwan Virk: The Simulation You’re Living IN
Rizwan “Riz” Virk joins Debbi Dachinger for a mind-expanding conversation on simulation theory, consciousness, UFOs, and what it really means to live inside a reality that may be more like a cosmic game than a physical universe.
In this episode, Riz breaks down why simulation theory is no longer fringe speculation but a serious scientific, philosophical, and spiritual framework. Drawing from his work across MIT, Silicon Valley, game design, and consciousness studies, he explores how reality may operate like a programmed system, why consciousness could be the operating system itself, and how UFO phenomena, AI, and the metaverse all point toward the same underlying architecture.
If you’ve ever questioned whether reality is solid, linear, or fixed — and wondered how awareness changes how you “play” life — this episode will rewire how you see existence.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Introduction: Are we living inside a simulation?
4:45 – Why simulation theory is taken seriously by scientists today
10:30 – Consciousness as the operating system of reality
17:20 – Video games, virtual worlds, and clues about how reality works
24:10 – UFOs, UAPs, and glitches in the simulation
31:05 – The Mandela Effect, djinn, and non-human intelligence
38:40 – AI, the metaverse, and humanity’s next evolutionary phase
45:25 – Karma, reincarnation, and “leveling up” the game of life
52:10 – How to live with awareness inside a simulated reality
59:30 – What the future of humanity may look like inside the game
1:05:40 – Final insights on purpose, consciousness, and awakening
Guest: Rizwan “Riz” Virk
Rizwan “Riz” Virk is a technologist, bestselling author, futurist, investor, video game pioneer, and consciousness researcher. His work bridges simulation theory, quantum physics, AI, spirituality, and ancient wisdom traditions. Riz has studied and worked across MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Silicon Valley, exploring how technology and consciousness intersect to shape the future of reality.
Guest, RIZWAN “RIZ” VIRK
Rizwan (“Riz”) Virk is a pioneering futurist at the intersection of technology, consciousness, and imagination. A successful entrepreneur, prolific investor, bestselling author, and video game industry innovator, Riz holds a B.S. in Computer Science from MIT and an M.S. in Management from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, and is currently pursuing a PhD at Arizona State University’s College of Global Futures, researching AI, the metaverse, and virtual worlds at the Center for Science and the Imagination. He teaches engineering and innovation at ASU, has served as a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, and founded Play Labs at MIT, a leading startup accelerator housed in the MIT Game Lab. A venture partner at Griffin Gaming Partners and founder of Bayview Labs, Riz has invested in and advised dozens of influential companies including Discord, Tapjoy, Telltale Games, Pocket Gems, Theta Labs, Moon Express, and more, while creating hit games such as Tap Fish and Grimm: Cards of Fate. He is also an accomplished indie film producer, with credits including Thrive, Sirius, Knights of Badassdom, and adaptations of works by Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin. Riz is the author of influential books including The Simulation Hypothesis, The Simulated Multiverse, Zen Entrepreneurship, and Startup Myths & Models, and hosts the podcast The Simulated Universe, exploring ideas at the edge of science, philosophy, and science fiction. A sought-after speaker and media voice, he has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, Coast to Coast AM, The History Channel, Gaia TV, and CNN, and has been featured by NBC News, Scientific American, BBC Science Focus, The Wall Street Journal, and many others, bringing rare clarity to humanity’s biggest questions about reality, intelligence, and the future.
Dare To Dream
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