Choice Post: Virtual Reality

Fig.1 Virtual Reality (2014)

Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-simulated environment that mimics physical presence in real or imagined worlds. "Put on the goggles, go nowhere, and be transported anywhere." (Schnipper, 2014).

The idea of 'virtual reality' has been around for years. In 1965 Ivan Sutherland wrote a famous essay talking about 'the ultimate display'. "The ultimate display would, of course, be a room within which the computer can control the existence of matter. A chair displayed in such a room would be good enough to sit in. Handcuffs displayed in such a room would be confining, and a bullet displayed in such a room would be fatal." (Sutherland, 1965). This essay sparked a curiosity around virtual reality and not long after the development of VR technologies started. Jaron Lanier is another famous pioneer for immersive multimedia. He first started commercialising virtual reality technologies in 1980 with the company VLR Research he set up with Thomas Zimmerman, his company was the first to start producing VR products, however 10 years later the company went bankrupt.

Fig.2 Oculus Rift [Youtube Video] (2014)

Recently a significant breakthrough in VR has happened, Oculus Rift is an emerging piece of technology developed by Palmer Luckey, and will soon be released to the public in early 2015. The Oculus Rift headset will allow users, for the first time ever, to physically immerse themselves in and interactive with a digital environment. In March 2014 Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion, developers are saying that 'this purchase signals a promising, yet slightly unclear, future for virtual reality'. 

Whilst researching I came across an interesting article about artist Mark Farid, titled 'how to live for a month in virtual reality'. Farid plans on spending 28 days wearing a virtual reality headset living in a simulated world for a show called 'Seeing I'. His reason behind this experiment? “It’s to see if who we are is an individual identity, or if there is just a cultural identity that kind of takes us on... When I come out, it will be with someone else’s recent memories and, I hope, a little of their perspective on life." (Farid, 2014). Can we become somebody else with the help of virtual reality?

However many critics and even game producers themselves have said that gaming isn't ready for virtual reality, "We are concerned that you'll play our games for a long period of time -- and we don't want people getting nauseated." (Zelnick, 2014). 'Cyber-addiction' is the main issue producers are concerned about, they don't want users becoming addicted and as a consequence, start to "blur the boundaries between real and virtual" (Markos and Labreque, 2008). Another concern is about 'user desensitisation' some are worried that users will become too used to violence and extreme behaviour that they start failing to show compassion or empathy as a result and see it as a norm.

Although there are some doubts surrounding VR in the gaming community in the medical world Virtual Reality has been praised for helping with rehabilitation. "VR technology could be used as adjuvant therapy to other proven successful interventions (ie, constraint-induced therapy). As such, it provides hope for enhancing motor function and improving quality of life in stroke survivors." (Saposnik et al, 2010), this was the conclusion from research carried out with stroke patients, they found that using the Nintendo Wii with patients sped up the rehabilitation process and they saw significant improvements after just eight weeks. Virtual reality technology allows patients to have fun and play around whilst also completing their rehabilitation process.

Fig.3 Kinect Rehabilitation (2012)

Bibliography

Figure 1. 'Virtual Reality' (2014) [photo of man and headset] At: http://www.theverge.com/a/virtual-reality [Accessed 19 Nov. 2014]

Figure 2. Hoopermation. 2014. Oculus Rift DK2 - My Dad Tries the Rift! [Online]. [Accessed: 19 Nov. 2014] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANGdqNFVegc

Figure 3. Brontes Processing (2012) Kinect Rehabilitation. [Online]. Available from: http://vimeo.com/35329556 [Accessed: 19 Nov. 2014]

Oculus VR, (2014). Oculus VR | Oculus Rift - Virtual Reality Headset for Immersive 3D Gaming. [online] Available at: http://www.oculus.com [Accessed 19 Nov. 2014].

Schnipper, M. (2014). The Rise and Fall and Rise of Virtual Reality. [online] The Verge. Available at: http://www.theverge.com/a/virtual-reality [Accessed 19 Nov. 2014].

Saposnik, G., Teasell, R., Mamdani, M., Hall, J., McIlroy, W., Cheung, D., Thorpe, K., Cohen, L. and Bayley, M. (2010). Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Using Wii Gaming Technology in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial and Proof of Principle. Stroke, 41(7). 

Markos, E. and Labreque, L. (2008). Blurring the Boundaries between Real and Virtual: Consumption Experiences and the Self Concept in the Virtual World. 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v36/NAACR_v36_55.pdf [Accessed 19 Nov. 2014].

Sutherland, Ivan E. (1965). "The Ultimate Display". Proceedings of IFIP Congress. [Retrieved 19 Nov. 2014].

Farid, M. in Robertson, A. (2014). What would it be like to spend a month in virtual reality?. [online] The Verge. Available at: http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/18/7235895/seeing-i-artist-to-spend-a-month-in-virtual-reality [Accessed 24 Nov. 2014].

Zelnick in Albert, B. (2014). Take-Two CEO: Gaming Isn't Ready for Virtual Reality - IGN. [online] IGN. Available at: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/11/19/take-two-ceo-gaming-isnt-ready-for-virtual-reality [Accessed 24 Nov. 2014].