Does virtual reality have more or less of an effect on interpersonal relationships? I think that virtual reality does have more of an effect on interpersonal relationships. Yesterday in class we talked about the article titled,"Rape in Cyberspace" by Julian Dibbell. After reading this article I felt confused and disturbed. Before this class I had never really thought about how many people in the world are consumed by virtual reality. For some people it consumes their whole life, and if something bad happens, for example they get killed on the game, how much of an effect it has on their real everyday lives, even though it happened in the virtual reality.
Is virtual reality and reality the same thing? Should everything that happens in a game be effected in your everyday life? I think that yes, there is a huge difference between the virtual world and the real world. Actions that take place in a game are never going to happen in real life. There is and should be a separation between these two very different worlds that millions of people across the world participate in. However, I do see how an action in a game can be damaging to the player. For some, this is a social networking site, and if they are killed it can be embarrassing for them to want to come back to play.
In class we talked about goldfarming. This term is a general term for an MMORG activity in which a player attempts to acquire ("farm") items of value which are sold to create stocks of in-game currency ("gold"), usually by exploiting repetitive elements of the game's mechanics. In class we watched a video that was about a married couple who became so consumed with a video game they were playing that was all they worried about and did when they had free time. The wife was so behind for her team they turned to goldfarming so that she could get caught up and win more points for their team. People who become so consumed with these virtual reality games are able to develop and maintain their relationships with their friends and family and help to maintain them.
I have a few friends who play The World of Warcraft. Last year, all they did was play this game. They would all meet at someones house and hook all of their computers together, and play this game for hours. They were all so involved and so focused that it was useless trying to talk to them. The first time I actually saw them playing I couldn't believe the set-up they had, and that they sat there all night playing this game. For them, this was a way for all of them to get together and hang out, a way for them to socialize with one another. However, by playing this game all night, it began to take a toll on other relationships they had with family and friends who were not participating. I don't think any of them went out or on a date for months. This virtual reality was harmful, yet beneficial for some of their interpersonal relationships.
What does the future hold for virtual reality? Some say by the years between 2015 and 2020, computer systems that deliver reliable virtual reality will cost no more than a big-screen television does today. Most businesses and many homes will have them. Virtual reality entrepreneur John C. Briggs, for one, predicted in the May 2002 issue of Futurist magazine that "in the next 10 to 20 years, Virtual reality experiences will be fully integrated into real life."35 Looking farther ahead, Ken Pimental and Kevin Teixeira claimed in the book Virtual Marketing: Through the New Looking Glass that "within one hundred years virtual reality could become a semi-invisible service in society, like telephones, light switches, books, and television—a tool for communication, work, and pleasure that we use without thinking about it."
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Virtual-Reality/Which-World-Is-Real-The-Future-of-Virtual-Reality.html
Where do the players that play and consume these virtual reality games draw the line between real life and virtual life? To me it seems like these games are helping the players get out and meet new people and make new relationships, but at the same time does it hurt the relationships they already have, if some of their friends and family don't play these games?
Is virtual reality and reality the same thing? Should everything that happens in a game be effected in your everyday life? I think that yes, there is a huge difference between the virtual world and the real world. Actions that take place in a game are never going to happen in real life. There is and should be a separation between these two very different worlds that millions of people across the world participate in. However, I do see how an action in a game can be damaging to the player. For some, this is a social networking site, and if they are killed it can be embarrassing for them to want to come back to play.
In class we talked about goldfarming. This term is a general term for an MMORG activity in which a player attempts to acquire ("farm") items of value which are sold to create stocks of in-game currency ("gold"), usually by exploiting repetitive elements of the game's mechanics. In class we watched a video that was about a married couple who became so consumed with a video game they were playing that was all they worried about and did when they had free time. The wife was so behind for her team they turned to goldfarming so that she could get caught up and win more points for their team. People who become so consumed with these virtual reality games are able to develop and maintain their relationships with their friends and family and help to maintain them.
I have a few friends who play The World of Warcraft. Last year, all they did was play this game. They would all meet at someones house and hook all of their computers together, and play this game for hours. They were all so involved and so focused that it was useless trying to talk to them. The first time I actually saw them playing I couldn't believe the set-up they had, and that they sat there all night playing this game. For them, this was a way for all of them to get together and hang out, a way for them to socialize with one another. However, by playing this game all night, it began to take a toll on other relationships they had with family and friends who were not participating. I don't think any of them went out or on a date for months. This virtual reality was harmful, yet beneficial for some of their interpersonal relationships.
What does the future hold for virtual reality? Some say by the years between 2015 and 2020, computer systems that deliver reliable virtual reality will cost no more than a big-screen television does today. Most businesses and many homes will have them. Virtual reality entrepreneur John C. Briggs, for one, predicted in the May 2002 issue of Futurist magazine that "in the next 10 to 20 years, Virtual reality experiences will be fully integrated into real life."35 Looking farther ahead, Ken Pimental and Kevin Teixeira claimed in the book Virtual Marketing: Through the New Looking Glass that "within one hundred years virtual reality could become a semi-invisible service in society, like telephones, light switches, books, and television—a tool for communication, work, and pleasure that we use without thinking about it."
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Virtual-Reality/Which-World-Is-Real-The-Future-of-Virtual-Reality.html
Where do the players that play and consume these virtual reality games draw the line between real life and virtual life? To me it seems like these games are helping the players get out and meet new people and make new relationships, but at the same time does it hurt the relationships they already have, if some of their friends and family don't play these games?
I think that it is scary to think that virtual reality will be integrated fully into reality. When I try to think about it, it is actually hard for me to imagine. Currently, I think virtual reality is taking away from our real relationships in the real world, but yet it also adds to some. It really depends on the situation I guess.
ReplyDeleteSome aspects of virtual reality are already fully integrated into reality and we do not notice it, and we use it in our everyday lives. I wonder how this will change the values of our culture and society, and what changes it might bring to what we think of as our everyday lives now. Will countries or people that cannot afford the new technology be able to keep up with the rest of the people who are able to?