Virtual Worlds "Real" Enough Now (Comment of the Week)

Top Comment of Last Week goes to "JohnC", who offered this rejoinder to the idea that "real" virtual worlds are decades or even centuries away, basically arguing that they're real enough already:

SL is of course a real experience, too real in fact, because apart from the mental trick of transferring consciousness into the scene on the screen, same as one does with a book, or when watching a movie, you are really just sitting in a room staring at a monitor, book or TV screen. Surely the dreamed of goal of a true Virtual world is a far deeper whole body experience than that. An experience that convinces the mind that the virtual world is no less real than actual reality. The whole point of virtual reality I thought was that it is not real, it just convinces the mind and bodily senses that it is.

And we're already reaching that point with existing technology:

SL only offers a visual experience. However, I clearly remember being fully mentally immersed in that experience at times almost to the exclusion of the real world around me for hours on end. But only in my mind, somewhere I was always aware of still being in my seat in my room, more like a daydream. If this mental trick is to be the definition of a virtual reality experience, then we are already there.

This is clearly not what those who bang on about VR are taking about. As far as the current headsets are far from ideal, I would admit they are a complete different experience to the flat visual experience of SL on a PC screen, and possibly a big step further down the path to virtual reality. When people eulogize about VR after spending time in a headset, it is because it really is something more than the passive experience we are used to. But it's just still only a visual thing. But I am happy to go with whatever we got right now. Just drives me nuts hearing people talk like we are all going to jack into the Matrix in the next year or so.

I'd say this sounds right, and also points to a limitation of the market for VR hardware: Most people who play them already feel immersed by PC-powered virtual worlds like SL or WoW or Minecraft or even (to stretch the definition) League of Legends and Call of Duty and so on -- they are totally engrossed, they lose awareness of their real surroundings, and the passing of real world time. And it's unclear how many of them want to become even more engrossed, even more lost in the experience. If like me, you accept that "Good enough and convenient is better than great but inconvenient" is a rule of thumb of technology adoption that is usually true, then maybe we're already in VR's golden age.

Please share this post:

Tweet

 

Comments

[Scarp Godenot]

To me, what makes virtual worlds fully real right now is the complicated interaction with other people, learning about who they really are using this particular medium.

You can sincerely communicate with these others, sometimes using your own voice but with the added dimension of visualizing the creative appearance of the avatar they have made. And this all happens inside of an apparent 3d space you can move around in, or be animated in.

I must say to the skeptics, that you can fully immerse yourself with suspension of disbelief to such an extent that you actually 'inhabit' your avatar.

I know it sounds strange to those who haven't experienced this first hand, but apparent touching, such as sitting on a couch chatting, with a cuddling couples animation, feels emotional. It is a real connection. Dancing with a couples animation elicits an emotional response as well. Hugging and/or kissing with your avatars feels meaningful to both of you.

It just does. Asking why is irrelevant.

So what is real? The connections with others is very very real.

If you haven't experienced this, seek it out. You will find what I say is true. The virtual world makes this possible. It's not called virtual REALITY for nothing...

[JohnC]

Although I agree with all you say, and have personal experience of it. I do not think that the experiences you describe are what the new wave of VR salesmen call Virtual reality. You are simply talking about a mental shift in consciousness. They, I am sure, mean a far more hardware evolved assault on the senses. But in fact maybe in the end a mental trick is all it is, even when plugged into virtual machines, all that happens is a transfer of belief, that does not actually need all the heavy tech attached. VR Headsets are just mental crutches for those who cannot manage the leap from real to virtual unaided. Maybe VR headsets are nothing at all to do with Virtual reality, just a new form of entertainment, Like 3D cinema is nothing like real life, although it is supposed to make it seem more real. Virtual reality is an imagined idea that we now have headsets to experience.

[Lapiscean Liberty]

From the moment you created an Avatar in your own image, it was real.

[JohnC]

So it's not virtual reality then.