Are we virtual?
Ramblus 13
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
A thought has been slowly forming. I've been hesitant to post it because it sounds just a little too much like some of the crap we hippy wannabes from the 70s used to spew after a particularly good bong hit, but it's not leaving my head, and I haven't done drink or drug in quite some time now.
I'm in the military, for those that don't know me, and the thought I'm about to relay was spawned almost randomly and began as a joke.
I was riding in the back seat of a car with some of my friends. We had left the base to go to lunch on town, and we were talking about computers - namely graphics cards. Of the group, I tend to be the one with the "outside" sense of humor, and in my standard form I said "I got an awesome graphics card in my brain....everything looks so real!" Laughter ensued.
Most of you can guess that when you approach a military base's gate, you must show your ID card to get on the base. So deciding I had not had enough, I took the joke another step and started tugging on the driver's sleeve and saying "Hey hey! I've done this part. You have to show him your card to get on the base. You got through the enlisting part of the game, right? Because if you didn't, you won't have the card you need to get on the base." More laughter.
I am going somewhere with all this...standby.
Later I started thinking about this. I play a Massive Multiplayer Online Game called "World of Warcraft." The virtual worlds, however fanatastical, amaze me, and I've seen them develop over time. Less and less of one's imagination is required to be immersed. Technology is becoming such that immersion is more and more just a natural part of "logging in."
My "character" is an elf. He flies on a gryphon to travel from one city to another, and some of the trips are lengthy. I watch him flying. For all I can tell he is quite intent on what he is doing. "What is he thinking?" I wonder.
Ok, enough. What is the point? I'm wondering at the fact that we, as a species, seem to be moving in the direction of becoming gods. It is very likely a psychological projection. We cannot control our own lives...we all want peace and freedom, and yet we all prepare for war and strive to control or manipulate others. Are virtual worlds a subconscious effort to do the right thing somewhere since we can't seem to do it here?
Have a look at this for some more fun.
The other thought this brings to mind...provided you've continued to play this part of the game...is 'are WE virtual?' If we're getting to the point where we can create immersive environments with every reason to believe they will become more and more realistic, how big of a stretch is it to imagine that somewhere someone is marvelling at the realism with which their character is typing this blog?
I'm in the military, for those that don't know me, and the thought I'm about to relay was spawned almost randomly and began as a joke.
I was riding in the back seat of a car with some of my friends. We had left the base to go to lunch on town, and we were talking about computers - namely graphics cards. Of the group, I tend to be the one with the "outside" sense of humor, and in my standard form I said "I got an awesome graphics card in my brain....everything looks so real!" Laughter ensued.
Most of you can guess that when you approach a military base's gate, you must show your ID card to get on the base. So deciding I had not had enough, I took the joke another step and started tugging on the driver's sleeve and saying "Hey hey! I've done this part. You have to show him your card to get on the base. You got through the enlisting part of the game, right? Because if you didn't, you won't have the card you need to get on the base." More laughter.
I am going somewhere with all this...standby.
Later I started thinking about this. I play a Massive Multiplayer Online Game called "World of Warcraft." The virtual worlds, however fanatastical, amaze me, and I've seen them develop over time. Less and less of one's imagination is required to be immersed. Technology is becoming such that immersion is more and more just a natural part of "logging in."
My "character" is an elf. He flies on a gryphon to travel from one city to another, and some of the trips are lengthy. I watch him flying. For all I can tell he is quite intent on what he is doing. "What is he thinking?" I wonder.
Ok, enough. What is the point? I'm wondering at the fact that we, as a species, seem to be moving in the direction of becoming gods. It is very likely a psychological projection. We cannot control our own lives...we all want peace and freedom, and yet we all prepare for war and strive to control or manipulate others. Are virtual worlds a subconscious effort to do the right thing somewhere since we can't seem to do it here?
Have a look at this for some more fun.
The other thought this brings to mind...provided you've continued to play this part of the game...is 'are WE virtual?' If we're getting to the point where we can create immersive environments with every reason to believe they will become more and more realistic, how big of a stretch is it to imagine that somewhere someone is marvelling at the realism with which their character is typing this blog?
