Virtual Reality (VR) is quite a new technology, in which the user can interconnect to a computer-stimulated environment. In another words, interact in a ‘virtual world’ (Heim 1998, p.4). This essay will address some of the contemporary issues in Virtual Reality. It will also include and concentrate on one example of a virtual reality, a three-dimensional chatroom called Second Life.
Virtual Reality enables users to come together and ‘meet’ in a place, as people would meet one another in Reality (Heim 1998, p.4). Ray Kurzweil, the acclaimed inventor and CEO of Kurzweil Technologies, stated that ‘Virtual Reality will become the way most humans spend their life in this century’ (Aftershock: VR 2001).
So, what is the difference between Virtual Reality and the reality? A major difference is that in reality, we all have a single identity - we are who we are. However, in Virtual Reality, users are capable of becoming anyone they wish to be. Users are able to change their identity whenever they want to. In 2000, Kerzweil performed a web concert as a virtual rock singer named Ramona. Using a magnetic motion, capture suit, his voice and body movements were transformed into Ramona in real time (Aftershock: VR 2001). In Virtual Reality, users have the potential to become an individual, which their fantasies and dreams are made of.
Kurzweil also stated that in the near future, as technology enables Virtual Reality to grow more powerful, Virtual Reality would be indistinguishable from the real world (2001). If this does really happen, then there would ultimately be no differences between the reality and Virtual Reality. Then, in my opinion, their name would also have to be replaced, because, why call them ‘virtual’ if they are so real?
This leads to another question. What is real about Virtual Reality in present time? It is not 100% real at the moment, which is why it is called ‘virtual’, however, the fact that it is virtual, the fact that it is almost as real, that is what is real about Virtual Reality (Brooks 1999, p.26). More information on the realness in Virtual Reality can be found on the link < http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-147819/cyberspace>. Then, what is real in reality? This can be successfully answered with a quote from the movie, Matrix.
“What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about your senses, what you feel, taste, smell, or see, then all you're talking about are electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” – Morpheus (Matrix 1999)
Most people do not believe that senses like taste and touch can be replaced by Virtual Reality, but Les Posen, a clinical psychologist disagrees. He claims that technology is growing everyday and that one day in the future, he believes at least the five senses can be simulated in Virtual Reality (Aftershock: VR 2001).
However, in definition, ‘simulation’ is not real. Simulated senses? Can this be considered real? Professor Antony Eddison, from computer design at the University of Newcastle also asserted that most of the things that we can do in reality, people would be able to do in Virtual Reality soon. He also brought up the point about simulated death (Aftershock: VR 2001). What happens if one day, Virtual Reality does become indistinguishable to Reality and we die in Virtual Reality? This will remain a mystery until it happens, however, logically thinking, since it is a simulation, it makes more sense to devise that simulation death will not be the end of life in Virtual Reality (Dasgupta 2005). Will simulation death be affected in reality? John Lenarcic from the school of business, IT at RMIT is certain that conscience experience and simulation is different and a separate matter in reality. One may get harmed psychologically, however not physically, according to him (Aftershock: VR 2001). But, death is physical in real life, so in present time, there is a distinct difference between Virtual Reality and the reality.
Perhaps it is the nature that is real. Does nature end where cyberspace begin? Can nature be put into cyberspace and into Virtual Reality? Again, answers to all these questions lie between time and technology improvements (McLaughlin&Hesphanha&Sukhatme 2002, p.173).
As mentioned previously, in Virtual Reality, users can become anyone they want to become. It is just the matter of asking themselves ‘who do I want to be?’. Being able to become the dream of your life without having to work for it – this may be good in a way, but care has to be taken since there is an issue about losing one’s true identity (Whyte 2002).
Tele immersion is a testing system for Internet 2 and was created by Jaron Lanier, the Virtual Reality pioneer. Internet 2 said to potentially be thousands of times more powerful than our current Internet and its designers expect for it to revolutionise Internet applications (Aftershock: VR 2001). A basic background on the Internet can be found in the following Tech Target website <http://searchwindevelopment.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid8_gci212370,00.htm>.
Tele immersion is regarded as a breakthrough in the use of Virtual Reality technology. It uses virtual reality technology to create the illusion for users who are far away from each other together. It is the most demanding matter ever accomplished. It is not just three-dimensional (Aftershock: VR 2001).
Jaron hopes that in the future, softwares that make up Virtual Reality become more powerful and everybody to know about it and make a new world of shared dreams to open up user’s nature that may have not been able to be opened in the reality (Aftershock: VR 2001). But what will be the meaning of reality then?
Virtual Reality in the future will be very portable in the future (Sherman&Craig 2003, p.436). Richard Harrison, the director of Ratbag Games mentioned that technology will be become so portable in the future that it my result even internally (Aftershock: VR 2001). If Virtual Reality is carried internally, reality would have lost its meanings.
Anyone can experience Virtual Reality online. The following link has the list of ‘hot virtual reality sites’ < http://ovrt.nist.gov/hotvr.html>. Virtual Reality is known to be very addictive. So why do people want to leave the real world and want to be in a virtual world instead of the real world? It is faster, stronger, fun, different, not satisfied with the real life and most of all, because it is possible.
One particular Virtual Reality is Second Life. It is a popular 3D chat room all around the world. The home of the website for Second Life is as follows <http://secondlife.com>. Basically, Second Life gives users a second life in the virtual environment which is mostly created by the users themselves. In another words, it can be said that Second Life is what people want the real world to be like, but it is not, and it is difficult to make the change in real life or impossible, so they make it ‘real’ in the virtual world (Rymaszewski 2007).
Second Life enables users to change their appearance and offer opportunities to be reborn in the virtual world. There are lots of interesting applications in Second Life enough to make people get addicted to it. There is even a Real-Life Eduation and many other functions in Second Life and users are able to become virtual riches by making money within this virtual environment.
“I’m not building a game. I’m building a new country” – Phillip Linden (Rymaszewski 2007).
Users get another life, a second life in this chatroom and there are real residents. What would happen if people start giving up real life and building their second life? For those people, it is most likely that they live in paradise in the virtual world and when they wake up to see the reality, they would find themselves in dystopia instead of the utopia they were in.
Loads of video clips on Second Life can be found on the Internet. This link directs to the video clips found on Youtube < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkgNn50k14>.
Some of the impacts that Virtual Reality has on each individuals and the society as a whole are as follows:
* Virtual reality will take part in people’s everyday lives
* As users get more and more into the virtual world, people might leave the real world and live only in the virtual world as mentioned before, which will fluctuate the real world in almost all ways
* It can also do good things like promote well-being
(Walker&Herrmann 2004, p.47)
But who decides what is healthier?
There lies many unsolved questions and doubts about Virtual Reality and only time and technology will be able to answer them.
To conclude, the contemporary issues in Virtual Reality are very easily debatable since everybody has a different opinion due to the non-vivid ideas.
Many issues are being raised about Virtual Reality. Most of the issues are concerned with the definition of virtual and real. They are distinctively different, yet have a future where they might unite or they might not be different after all. All the contemporary issues discussed, such as the differences, definitions, the future of Virtual Reality, sense of personal identity, seemed to correlate to both virtual and real, therefore, virtual and real might even be overlapping in present. Many points mentioned in this essay had no exact answer, which everybody agreed on, possibly because there are no distinctive line drawn from the simulation and the real.
Also, Second Life offer the users to be reborn in the shape and form that the user has always dreamed of. Second Life might just be the resolution to some people, however, if more and more people get addicted to it, there might come the era of people migrating to Virtual Reality.
Bibliography:
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<
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< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkgNn50k14 >
