What are the potential implications of fully immersive gaming?

Jon WattFigure 1 – ‘Reality’, (Folio, 2015)

Introduction

(Figure 2 – VR Set, 2015)

The Past of VR“With consumers, VR hasn't been successful. But it's a success for

industry…Every car company and boat builder uses VR to build vehicles”

Jaron Lanier, technologist and founder of VPL Research, California. (Betters, 2013)

(Figure 3 – Sensorama, 2015)

(Figure 4 – Nintendo Virtual Boy, 2015)

Where is it heading?

“People already spend hours a day on Facebook. What if it was truly engaging and immersive, rather

than a filtered version of your real self?“

Palmer Luckey – Oculus VR founder(Ohannessian, 2013)

(Figure 5 – The Oculus Rift, 2015) (Figure 6 – Project Morpheus, 2015)

How does fiction theorise the future of VR and it’s effects?

(Figure 7 – Matrix Plug 1, 2015)

ExistenZ

The user is connected to the game world through a biopod, which is plugged in to a bioport

in the users lower spine.

The Matrix

Synthetically grown humans have a headjack in the lower back of the head. This is used

to connect to the Matrix.

Users are positioned within VR gyroscopes, with headsets.

They are unable to walk, but when fastened in , the body

can move and be spun at any angle/direction.

Lawnmower Man

(Figure 8 – ExistenZ BioPod, 2015)(Figure 9 – ExistenZ BioPort, 2015)

(Figure 10 – Matrix Port, 2015) (Figure 11 – Matrix Chair, 2015)

(Figure 12 – The Lawnmower Man, 2015)

ExistenZ

The Matrix

The Lawnmower Man

• Users eventually suffer a heavy ‘bleed-through’ effect between Reality and Virtual Reality, and eventually are unable to distinguish which they are currently part of.

• ‘Blue pills’ are completely unaware they are living in a similated virtual world.• Fatal injuries sustained while in the Matrix will also impact and kill the user’s physical

body outside.• If a user is ‘unplugged’ before properly exiting the Matrix then they will die.

• As Jobe’s level of intelligence increases, (for example, learning Latin in 2 hours), he starts to have hallucinations – while also displaying Telepathic abilities.

• Eventually, elements of the game simulation’s bleed through to the real world.

• Jobe fully abandons his real body in favor of becoming a fully virtual being.

(Figure 13 – Love Child, 2015)

(Figure 14 – Level Up, 2015)

What does current research say?

“Playing WoW makes me feel godlike…I have ultimate control and can do what I want with few real repercussions. The real world makes me feel impotent … a

computer malfunction, a sobbing child, a suddenly dead cellphone battery – the

littlest hitch in daily living feels profoundly disempowering.”

What does current research show in terms of the psychological effects of

modern gaming?

“Adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more hostile, reported getting into arguments with teachers more frequently,

were more likely to be involved in physical fights, and performed more poorly in school” - (Gentile et al., 2004)

“Japan has high levels of media violence but low overall levels of violent crime. If media violence is truly a causal risk factor for violence and aggression, so the

argument goes, Japan should have a high violent crime rate” - (Anderson et al., 2010)

Scan results to show brain activity during a pattern detection task between Videogame players and Non Videogame players.

(Figure 15 – Brain Activity graph, 2011)

How is VR being used today?

(Figure 16 – Virtual Therapy, 2015)

It’s effect on our Culture/Society

(Figure 17 – Video Games, 2015)

Aggressive Behavior

Sexual Impulses

Home & Family

Religion & Spirituality

Will society have to change for VR?

(Figure 18 – Newton MessagePad, 2015) (Figure 19 – Ipad, 2015)

Conclusion

“They (children) learn language, they learn about their own emotions, they learn how to regulate them. They

learn by watching us how to have a conversation, how to read other people’s facial expressions. And if that’s not

happening, children are missing out on important development milestones.”, (Neighmond, 2014).

(Figure 20 – Modern Family, 2015)

Conclusion

A study into 119 gamers, ranging from 18-69 years of

age, found that “41% of gamers played online to

escape and 7% of gamers were classified as ‘dependent’

individuals who were at risk of developing a psychological and

behavioural dependence for online gaming using an

adapted ‘addiction’ scale”, (Hussain and Griffiths, 2009)

(Figure 21 – Microsoft HoloLens, 2015)

Thank you for listening

(Figure 22 – 1960s Family , 2015)