ARE VIRTUAL WORLDS IMMERSIVE?
Computer games are now a normal aspect of everyday life; but are virtual worlds really immersive, and not just entertaining?
The first major computer game that demonstrated how open worlds could work was Grand Theft Auto III. Rockstar, the developers, moved dramatically away from previous 2D incarnations into a large scale 3D world. The player could roam the fictional map of Liberty City similarly to real life, choosing how to complete goals and objectives. As years passed, no other game could match the overall GTA experience. Rockstar later released Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV, the latter regarded as the best game of all time.
However, computer games such as GTA have come under criticism recently for encouraging violence. One teenage boy shot two police officers and a dispatcher to death in 2003, apparently depicting acts from the game.
Not all virtual worlds are violent, however, with some perfectly suitable for young audiences. Need for Speed Most Wanted is a good example, allowing you to freely roam a virtual city with high performance cars, whilst trying to become the most notorious street racer. The cars were even laser scanned to enable maximum realism.
Another interesting virtual world is Second Life, a method of interacting with each other over the internet with avatars (a virtual character). The possibilities are profound; you can build realistic structures and replicas, and engage in normal real life activities. Similarly to GTA, Second Life has also come under criticism, with some strange occurrences.
"It may have started online but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much."
Amy Tayler
Overall, you could suggest virtual worlds are immersive environments. However, I believe its down to your personality and interests, and your state of well being. If you're depressed in real life but happy in Second Life, the virtual world may cheer you up during your short period of immersion. Some people take Second Life way too seriously; should virtual activities really affect real life relationships?
Posted on 12/08/2009 by JUDICIOUS JOE and filed under
DIGITAL CULTURES
| 0 Comments »
The first major computer game that demonstrated how open worlds could work was Grand Theft Auto III. Rockstar, the developers, moved dramatically away from previous 2D incarnations into a large scale 3D world. The player could roam the fictional map of Liberty City similarly to real life, choosing how to complete goals and objectives. As years passed, no other game could match the overall GTA experience. Rockstar later released Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV, the latter regarded as the best game of all time.
However, computer games such as GTA have come under criticism recently for encouraging violence. One teenage boy shot two police officers and a dispatcher to death in 2003, apparently depicting acts from the game.
Not all virtual worlds are violent, however, with some perfectly suitable for young audiences. Need for Speed Most Wanted is a good example, allowing you to freely roam a virtual city with high performance cars, whilst trying to become the most notorious street racer. The cars were even laser scanned to enable maximum realism.
Another interesting virtual world is Second Life, a method of interacting with each other over the internet with avatars (a virtual character). The possibilities are profound; you can build realistic structures and replicas, and engage in normal real life activities. Similarly to GTA, Second Life has also come under criticism, with some strange occurrences.
"It may have started online but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much."
Amy Tayler
Overall, you could suggest virtual worlds are immersive environments. However, I believe its down to your personality and interests, and your state of well being. If you're depressed in real life but happy in Second Life, the virtual world may cheer you up during your short period of immersion. Some people take Second Life way too seriously; should virtual activities really affect real life relationships?
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment