How to Create Virtual Experiences That Evoke Awe -- Learn from Kant!

This is a brilliant and thought-provoking video from Gamedenker, explaining how virtual experiences can evoke a sense of sublime awe -- or what Immanuel Kant called Erhabenheit. Where Kant argued that Erhabenheit is a phenomena evoked by nature, Gamedenker argues that it can also happen in video games. However, that sense of awe is rare, because designers fail to create the cues which make Erhabenheit possible. Very roughly summarized, creators must clearly convey a sense of massive size and scale, while also giving the user a sense of safety from which to appreciate it. (Shadow of the Colossus is a notable example.)

I asked Gamedenker if Erhabenheit can exist in user-created virtual worlds, and they said yes, pointing me to this Minecraft build:

I've experienced a sense of Erhabenheit in Second Life, but on reflection, mainly in builds where it's impossible to see or explore the entire build with the camera controls. If you're able to comprehend the entire build by detaching your camera view, you have too much control over it, and that reduces a sense of awe. But when the build exceeds our ability to fully understand it with the tools at our disposal, the sense of sublime kicks in.

Hat tip: /philosophy, where the video creators have a good conversational thread.

Comments

[Fred]

I totally missed this post, it's brilliant and I really recommend the other Videos from Gamedenker in their series also. I ended up watching them all