After finishing the reading by Snyder I was completely fascinated and utterly amazed with the discussion of virtual reality. Today, VR has become an increasingly popular subject within the gaming community. Most notable is the Oculus Rift, a head-mounted display that allows the user to experience a whole new level of immersion within video games or simulations. Something many of us imagined as kids is soon becoming closer to reality. Within the reading presented by Snyder, many aspects of virtual reality are described such as: the technology involved, the roles within a virtual reality project, limitations, and much more. Most specifically, Snyder attributes virtual reality to the creation of historical environments by using examples of the Temple Mount at the Davidson Center, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela. While I found these to be very interesting, in regards to their constructions, I felt that the focus was ironically one dimensional.
3-D environments have been created for some time especially if we look at the thousands of video games that have been released in these past ten years. Although this has made video games much more immersive, there is still a lot that could potentially be done. By referencing the Oculus Rift again, the device allows the user to feel that they are actually in the game. There are many videos on Youtube that show individuals physically looking around and the game reacting in the same movements. While this is quite the feat and as a result has stirred much anticipation for the device to be released, I still feel that virtual reality has a long way to go. In the example of the headset, our physical environments can be limiting on our movements in game. Looking behind you in the video game while using the Rift can consist of awkward physical movements, especially while sitting down.
Another instance where VR has encountered popularity is from the anime series Sword Art Online (SAO). The show revolves around a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) called Sword Art Online and the characters experiencing this whole new world. The individuals in the show use a headset that stimulates the five senses in the brain to become fully immersed into the game. While this story displays many fantasy elements, it makes me curious of this sort of technology and if it will ever be feasible. It’s one thing to put an immense amount of time and focus on a 3-D model but to have enough technology and resources to fully immerse and provide feedback for consumers seems far out of reach.
In the Snyder reading, the author discusses how resources and costs towards a virtual reality project can influence what can and cannot be done. Therefore, if a game was to be developed in a way such as SAO, then it would need a tremendous amount of funding. Whether it would pay off once the game is complete would also be up for debate. Furthermore, I wonder if it is possible to capture smells, textures, and other stimulations and then replicate them within a game. If so, possibly a “smell bank database” could be created that would have various smells captured so that others could use this information. Otherwise, it would be costly for game developers to go out and find particular smells specifically for their game every time.
Although this sort of technology seems almost fantasy-like, over the years we have been able to achieve things that were thought to be the same. Through VR technology, the digital world and our reality may soon become one. For further insight on this idea, I suggest individuals to take a look at Augmented Reality (AR) technology if they are interested. I am glad to have been presented this article by Snyder and look forward to hearing more developments regarding VR technology and how far it advances.
Sources:
1. Lisa M. Snyder. Virtual Reality for Humanities Scholarship.
2. Sword Art Online anime show