Ironically, today I've been a bit too busy with real world chores to blog much about the virtual world, but Wired's Chris Kohler just Tweeted this fascinating slide, from a virtual reality presentation by CCP, the developer of Eve Online:
can we not tho pic.twitter.com/KM5aup11vU
— Chris Kohler (@kobunheat) June 11, 2015
No doubt CCP will make great VR-connected virtual worlds, but I'm fascinated by this level of ambition. And I'm curious how many NWN readers share the premise. Or to put it in the form of two questions:
Will virtual worlds ever be more meaningful than the real world? And should they?
And as you answer that question, be sure to read Chris' coverage on the latest Oculus Rift announcements.
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I like Nathan Jurgenson's notion that digital dualism is a fallacy. RL and VR are just aspects of the same thing. So for me, this is a non-question. http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/02/24/digital-dualism-versus-augmented-reality/ Many, but not all, of my experiences in SL over the past 9 years were pretty real to me.
Posted by: Barbara Thomas | Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 08:43 PM
The evangelists are out in force this week. The short answer is no.
Imagine the big meaningful things that happen to most people on their short trip on the moral coil.
''I'm getting married today''. ''Hold on my dear, I'm having a more meaningful experience in VR''
''We're about to have our first child'', ''Uh-oh darling, that kinda clashes with my VR time''
etc.
VR is an entertainment medium for the most part.
Posted by: Cube Republic | Friday, June 12, 2015 at 05:18 AM
Hype. Verbal diarrhea.
VR can never be more "meaningful" than RL because we derive our very existence from the real world. VR is an extension of RL by definition. Who even let this guy on a stage?
I dont doubt we will be able to crate amazing things in the next few years, but its unreasonable, irrational hype like this that creates disappointment in the end.
Sounds like someone needs more mental fiber.
Posted by: Issa Heckroth | Friday, June 12, 2015 at 06:16 AM
All of us get thrown so much marketing garbage in our daily lives, we just can't pay attention to all of it.
Hamlet's post is a good reminder that we do sometimes need to to look at the bacterial residue and shower it off before we start stinking.
CCP should have to answer to spouses, children, parents. teachers, doctors, and a whole world of beings who have made sacrifices to give meaning to CCP's sorry real life existence.
To those who have suffered loss of loved ones, CCP's statement is blasphemous to the frailty of life.
It's amazing how easy it is for ignorance to get a stage.
Posted by: A.J. | Friday, June 12, 2015 at 07:53 AM
GAH!..we all are already living in a VR then all we will have is but a dream within a dream ...am I right?
Posted by: Han Held | Friday, June 12, 2015 at 03:31 PM
Not necessarily more meaningful, but a powerful enhancement of meaning very probably. Aside from it's usefulness for people with limited social contact, for whatever reason, there have been studies that the brain integrates virtual experiences as actual lived experiences. It becomes part of your self. there was an article in the WSJ back in january about something similar, except it was about avatars.
Posted by: ice petal | Friday, June 12, 2015 at 06:38 PM
I think a better, lower bullshit pitch would be "how VR will make our lives more meaningful".
If you set VR up in opposition to the real world, its doomed to fail. The promise of VR (IMHO) is its potential to make us see our physical world in new and interesting ways, to train and give us skills for use in the real world, and to augment existing real world relationships.
Posted by: Issa Heckroth | Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 07:19 AM
what Issa said
Posted by: irihapeti | Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 05:03 AM