Before we could say whether the immersion is a positive or negative, we should make clear what immersion actually is.
What does it mean to be immersed? It is a state where we as real individuals experience a new way of perceiving the world because of a certain type of technology that blurs our understanding of what is real and what is virtual.
There are several types of immersion - tactical, strategic, narrative and spatial immersion. The most interesting of them is the spatial one because it is when one is so immersed that s/he actually forgets about the real world. Today that is possible because most of the game producers, for example, sell 3D glasses, gloves with sensor that can catch every move and consequently that move reflects on the screen and many other such devices.
What is more, an example of the use of the immersion is Char Davies’ Osmose, which is a virtually constructed environment that takes real people to a 3D walk among the nature. It has a display and motion tracking device that tracks the breathing and the movements.
The problem with such kind of high level of immersion and inability to distinguish between real and virtual is that it is a bit addictive. People may prefer the virtual reality instead of the real one. And since the graphics and the pictures resemble the reality to the tiniest detail it is very easy to get addicted. Moreover, in games we chose characters who look like us in some ways and start to live a new, virtual life through the character. Example of that is Second Life or The Sims - games that resemble the reality.
Since virtual reality is becoming more and more popular as a form of entertainment, we should enjoy it but with the clear notion that it is not the real life and it is just a state of mind that combines both real in virtual in order to give as a little pleasure.
No comments:
Post a Comment