In the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed, Desmond Miles experiences Altaïr's memories through the Animus.
Desmond is the game's modern-day protagonist. Abstergo Industries abducts him and uses the Animus, a machine that lets a person relive genetic memories inherited from ancestors. Desmond's memories connect him to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, the game's medieval Assassin protagonist.
The Animus sequences form the main historical gameplay, while Desmond's present-day sections reveal Abstergo's interest in locating powerful Pieces of Eden. Desmond is not Altaïr himself; he is a descendant whose genetic memories provide access to Altaïr's experiences.
Later games expand Desmond's ancestral links to figures such as Ezio Auditore and Ratonhnhaké:ton. William Miles is Desmond's father, and Warren Vidic is the Abstergo scientist supervising the initial experiment.