agonzalezsosto

Virtual Reality

Let me preface whatever I have to say with the following: I have a hard time relating to virtual reality. I just don't buy it. I don't find it interesting. I don't think that it's the direction my instincts want technology evolving towards. Be it for artistic or entertainment or utilitarian purposes, I'm not in for the ride.

I think the line between technology and nature is interesting though, and I feel the introduction of VR forces me to ponder on this topic. I feel a lot of concepts can be played with around here. While it could be argued that creating make-believe worlds controlled by 3D graphic engines is contributing in creating a dystopia where it'll be impossible to distinguish truth from reality, the same could be argued about creating make-believe worlds controlled by social media websites running on phones.

However, the difference is clear. One takes much more of effort, and is more evident about its presence. I wonder what this means about the technologies we take into our lives: how invasive do they need to be for us to worry about the effects they have on our lives? And how does this “invasivity” manifest?

worlds?

Many of the points that seem to be used to make VR more appealing are points that are true about any art form that invites any degree of immersion from its audience. Immersion is a word that I feel has been over-used, or somewhat boxed-in by the XR community. I feel that this community (along with the video game and enhanced cinematic experience industries) have taken this word and anchored it with implications of technological seamlessness.

For me things get slippery here. Yes, I do think that something that is immersive has a degree of seamlessness between something that is real and something that isn't (the “real” world and the “constructed” worlds, I guess). However, I feel that the VR/XR interpretation of immersion/world-building is far too literal for my taste.

Any writer can create worlds. Any artist can create a sense of immersion with their work. A world is simply an implied set of rules that guide the behavior and parameters of elements that belong to it. A world isn't tied to a tool, or medium. I dislike this usage of the term “world-building”, it feels self important.

However, I want to conclude what could possibly be construed as negativity by saying: I encourage people to keep researching VR and keep working on it. Humanity must be open for all avenues of scientific and artistic research, and who knows, maybe something deep and interesting can come out of it. I just doubt it'll be for me.