{"id":709,"date":"2016-09-19T16:37:48","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T16:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/?page_id=709"},"modified":"2016-10-03T17:31:02","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T17:31:02","slug":"virtual-reality-in-sci-fi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/presentations\/virtual-reality-in-sci-fi\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Reality in sci-fi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before engineers start working on a problem, the problem has to be defined.<br \/>\nIn tech it usually happens through science fiction.<br \/>\nSci-fi creates desires and set expectations for technological innovations. VR in the &#8217;90s, was never widely available, so sci-fi played a crucial role in defining the narrative around it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Twilight Zone &#8211; Where Is Everybody, 1959<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/110021840\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"The Twilight Zone (PILOT) - Where Is Everybody\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nPilot of the series. Talking is a bit of a spoiler.<\/p>\n<p><strong>World on a Wire, 1973<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/URq7m3-SOtA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nby Rainer Werner Fassbinder<br \/>\nAt a technology institute a new supercomputer hosts a simulation with thousands of AI who live as human beings, unaware that their world is just a simulation.<br \/>\nRevelation: the world in which the simulation is hosted is also a simulation.<br \/>\nBased on the same novel as the movie 13th floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn&#8217;t go away.\u201d<br \/>\n-Philip K. Dick<\/p>\n<p>Simulated reality is a very rich thread in fiction (i.e. Philip K. Dick), so I&#8217;m going to focus on the prefiguration more specific to VR as we know it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tron, 1982<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VcyCWEsbsPU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nProgrammer enters a computer\/computer game, trying to reclaim his intellectual property. Saves the world from self aware AI.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Star Trek&#8217;s Holodeck<\/strong><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Holodeck_empty-1024x770.jpg\" alt=\"holodeck_empty\" width=\"840\" height=\"632\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-711\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Holodeck_empty-1024x770.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Holodeck_empty-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Holodeck_empty-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Holodeck_empty-1200x903.jpg 1200w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Holodeck_empty.jpg 1436w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/Members\/Dethklok\/clips\/The%20Defector%20BETA-Desktop.m4v\" target=\"_blank\">video<\/a><br \/>\nFirst appearance in 1987, conceptualized earlier but used more extensively later, in ST:Voyager.<br \/>\nThe device inspired Janet Murray&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Hamlet-Holodeck-Future-Narrative-Cyberspace\/dp\/0262631873\" target=\"_blank\">seminal essay<\/a> on interactive narrative.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Neuromancer, William Gibson, 1986<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/klnO6r6RYHc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nFirst appearance of the word &#8220;Cyberspace&#8221;. Starts the cyberpunk genre.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, 1992<\/strong><br \/>\n<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-709-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Snow-Crash-metaverse.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Snow-Crash-metaverse.mp3\">http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Snow-Crash-metaverse.mp3<\/a><\/audio><br \/>\n&#8220;Metaverse&#8221; a multi user immersive 3D internet, inspired by an early MMORPG called Habitat (LucasFilm). <\/p>\n<p><em>Cyberpunk is more than a literary genre, it links counterculture and the emerging cyberculture of Silicon Valley<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mondo 2000, 1989<\/strong><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/mondo-2000-1024x633.png\" alt=\"mondo-2000\" width=\"840\" height=\"519\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-713\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/mondo-2000-1024x633.png 1024w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/mondo-2000-300x185.png 300w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/mondo-2000-768x475.png 768w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/mondo-2000-1200x742.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/Mondo.2000.Issue.01.1989\" target=\"_blank\">Link to issue 1<\/a><br \/>\nMagazine\/fanzing. More anarchist version of Wired<br \/>\nDrugs+Cyberpunk+Tech+Underground Music+Esoteric stuff<\/p>\n<p>Related magazine: Future sex<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Screen-Shot-2016-09-19-at-12.27.45-PM-1024x720.png\" alt=\"screen-shot-2016-09-19-at-12-27-45-pm\" width=\"840\" height=\"591\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-715\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Screen-Shot-2016-09-19-at-12.27.45-PM-1024x720.png 1024w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Screen-Shot-2016-09-19-at-12.27.45-PM-300x211.png 300w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Screen-Shot-2016-09-19-at-12.27.45-PM-768x540.png 768w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Screen-Shot-2016-09-19-at-12.27.45-PM-1200x844.png 1200w, http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Screen-Shot-2016-09-19-at-12.27.45-PM.png 1990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/files\/2016\/09\/Pages-from-Future.Sex_.Issue_.02.pdf\">pages-from-future-sex-issue-02<\/a><br \/>\nEmerging online porn business, teledildonics&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lawnmower Man, 1992<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe src='http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/Members\/JLipshin\/clips\/the-lawnmower-man-and-cybersex\/embed_view' frameborder='0' width='630' height='460'><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mad about you, Virtual Reality, 1994<br \/>\n<\/strong><iframe src='http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/Members\/ccManager\/clips\/madaboutyouvrchristiebrinkley.mp4\/embed_view' frameborder='0' width='630' height='460'><\/iframe><br \/>\nThe idea is popular enough to be incorporated in comedy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Johnny Mnemonic, 1995<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H_8-eqeABpw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nBased on a Gibson novel, typecasts Keanu Reeves for Matrix. More about human storage drives.<\/p>\n<p>VR goes mainstream, tropes crystallize&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/@@search?Subject=vr&#038;portal_type=PlumiVideo\" target=\"_blank\">Good collection here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>-Simulating sex and violence.<br \/>\nEveryday people turning into heroes, showing their dark side, techno anxiety etc&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;VR provides an excuse for Hollywood cinema to simultaneously indulge in the excesses of such visual pleasures, while distancing itself from the technology that is diegetically responsible for presenting such content to audiences. &#8221;<\/p>\n<p>-Blurring the boundaries of simulation and reality.<br \/>\nHollywood philosophy: what is reality?<br \/>\nAm I looking at the diegetic reality or the simulated one?<\/p>\n<p>-Information architecture as 3D space<br \/>\nGestural interfaces.<\/p>\n<p>The most interesting speculations in the genre don&#8217;t actually involve simulated worlds. More Google glass than Oculus&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Strange Days &#8211; Kathryn Bigelow, 1995<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe src='http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/Members\/ccManager\/clips\/strangeDaysParaplegic.mp4\/embed_view' frameborder='0' width='630' height='460'><\/iframe><br \/>\nNot VR but recordable First Person experiences, resold for entertainment.<br \/>\nSame tropes but more interesting in the social repercussion of these technologies.<br \/>\nEmpathy rape scene, short circuited sex.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sleep Dealer, Alex Rivera, 2008<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe src='http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/Members\/KaraKeeling\/clips\/Sleep_Dealer2.mp4\/embed_view' frameborder='0' width='630' height='460'><\/iframe><br \/>\nDirected by a media artist.<br \/>\nDrone warfare, telepresence as outsourcing, emotional labor (selling experiences)<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Entire History Of You, Black Mirror, 2011<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RRNYmFrfbCg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Sw3GIR70HAY\" target=\"_blank\">Full episode here<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>In class exercise?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Write a scenario (a few paragraphs) for a non-ironic, non-pastiche movie about Virtual Reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before engineers start working on a problem, the problem has to be defined. In tech it usually happens through science fiction. Sci-fi creates desires and set expectations for technological innovations. VR in the &#8217;90s, was never widely available, so sci-fi played a crucial role in defining the narrative around it. The Twilight Zone &#8211; Where &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/presentations\/virtual-reality-in-sci-fi\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Virtual Reality in sci-fi&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":308,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-709","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":716,"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/709\/revisions\/716"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/gamedesign2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}