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Virtual Reality
Keywords; Simulation, Passivity, Escapism
Interesting quotes:
Simulation threatens the difference between "true" and "false", between "real" and "imaginary". - Jean Baudrillard
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Consistency is the single most important factor in creating a real sense of place - Josh Foreman
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The question isn't whether the created world is as real as the physical world, but whether the created world is real enough for you to suspend your disbelief for a period of time. - K. Pimentel & K. Texeira In: Ryan,1994
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Hotshot digital cinematography doesn't make a digital story immersive. What makes it immersive is a world where no territory is off-limits, anything you see is fair game, and all your actions have consequences. - J.C. Hertz
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Immersion in a virtual world is viewed by most theorists of postmodernism as a passive subjection to the authority of the world-designer - M.L. Ryan
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Commentry:
Digital environments are constantly populated by individuals, some people are role-playing within virtual worlds investing imagination into their role for themselves and others. Others, have begun carrying virtual worlds into the real and maintaining that element of play in ‘live-action’ games. The suspension of disbelief is running rampant through these individuals who, mostly on the fringes of society, find solace in their existence in a world where they are valued. As the two-worlds collide, however, these people who were once outside of the hegemonic traditions of sport have begun inserting their influence into sports culture. Leading this movement are games such as DOTA, League of legends and Overwatch, all of which have internationally broadcast leagues and millions of pounds in the competitive industry. As technology is in the hands of nearly 2.3 billion people currently (Smartphones, Statista), and still on the rise, the unlikely heroes of the international sports arena come in all shapes and sizes. The reminiscent disavowal of the body is making a comeback. VR offers an ethically inconsequential staging ground for human behaviour. Whether this turn will take us more towards the monastic ideal is perhaps unlikely, as I have suggested before immersion is the crux of the addict and there are many vices to allure the hedonistic avatar.
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As an increasing amount of our media is being turned towards technological progress and pastimes, it is paving the way for the next level of human-media immersion. Virtual reality has already begun to appear in the average consumer household ranging from cheap conversions for a mobile phone to high-powered units. Of course, these are the precursors to virtual reality fixed in both fantasy and nightmare. All-consuming sensory experiences like The Matrix or Sword Art Online trap the user under the authority of the world creator. The troubling thought is the point where immersion in virtual reality will become no different than with reality itself. When the whole subjective experience is relayed, the mind will cease to be trapped by ‘true distance’ or ‘true accessibility’ but may become trapped by ‘distance from truth’ in reference to the simulacrum, and ‘a denial of access’ the hamartia of the addict. Undoubtedly, when these reality machines first appear, art will gain a revival of authenticity tempered with code. Replacing the inherited traditions of auras, a rush of nouveau appears for the proletariat, a new opiate to further ease desensitisation and detachment from global politics.
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