The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
I've recently had a thought. A huge achievement for me. But this particular thought almost made me soil my shreddies. What happens when games become too realistic?
With recent and future advances in the field of high-speed, high-quality computer graphics, it is not hard to invision a day where only the interaction from the player could distinguish a game from real life.
Living your entire life inside a game could become reality. Virtual Reality. It's not a coincidence that I use this frase. Virtual reality is scary. The essence of it is creating a visually, emotionally and sentient realm wherein people could work, play and live without the problems of real life. A utopian society.
This is not just the rant of a (criminally) insane youngster, bent on winning a game. This is a very possible future. Maybe not for us, but for generations to come. Most aspects of real life have found their way onto the information super highway. Shopping, dating, marriage, death & birth.
And a lot of people can't go a day, let alone an hour, without playing a game or surfing the web. It is a new aspect of our everyday life and it is here to stay. However, one could easily imagine a place in time where the virtual world would take the place of the real one.
Now, you might say: "Hey, you stupid poop (in lack of a better word), you can't eat on the net, nor breathe online". No, not yet. But before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, noone could imagine speaking with a person 4000 miles away. And flying thru the skies in a metal cigar, would probably have been a ridiculous thought had it not been for the Wright brothers.
Modern man has made many innovation to improve the quality of life. But now he's actually trying to replace it. And that scares me.
By the way, did I mention that the Japanese company AiCube is building a head-mounted VR-display for the PS2?
With recent and future advances in the field of high-speed, high-quality computer graphics, it is not hard to invision a day where only the interaction from the player could distinguish a game from real life.
Living your entire life inside a game could become reality. Virtual Reality. It's not a coincidence that I use this frase. Virtual reality is scary. The essence of it is creating a visually, emotionally and sentient realm wherein people could work, play and live without the problems of real life. A utopian society.
This is not just the rant of a (criminally) insane youngster, bent on winning a game. This is a very possible future. Maybe not for us, but for generations to come. Most aspects of real life have found their way onto the information super highway. Shopping, dating, marriage, death & birth.
And a lot of people can't go a day, let alone an hour, without playing a game or surfing the web. It is a new aspect of our everyday life and it is here to stay. However, one could easily imagine a place in time where the virtual world would take the place of the real one.
Now, you might say: "Hey, you stupid poop (in lack of a better word), you can't eat on the net, nor breathe online". No, not yet. But before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, noone could imagine speaking with a person 4000 miles away. And flying thru the skies in a metal cigar, would probably have been a ridiculous thought had it not been for the Wright brothers.
Modern man has made many innovation to improve the quality of life. But now he's actually trying to replace it. And that scares me.
By the way, did I mention that the Japanese company AiCube is building a head-mounted VR-display for the PS2?
Page:
Lets just say my religion isn't in any books.
So if you are not being controlled, what's your theory, Grix? :-)
Day of the Tentacle:
"Sometimes I don't know why I do things, its like my body is being controller by some kind of higher being..."
The Sims.
Zelda on the gameboy.
Every other adventure game.
We all control people. I think there is some sick and twisted person controlling me, a real ugly bumhole.
If I can type that, then I'm not being controlled.
"Sometimes I don't know why I do things, its like my body is being controller by some kind of higher being..."
The Sims.
Zelda on the gameboy.
Every other adventure game.
We all control people. I think there is some sick and twisted person controlling me, a real ugly bumhole.
If I can type that, then I'm not being controlled.
Methinks we've being playing too many games. (Or my creator lets me think so anyway. Or I just imagined he let me think so, if I exist, which I might not.)
In the immortal words of Homer: "Doh!"
My head hurts, can we imagine about talking about something else?
In the immortal words of Homer: "Doh!"
My head hurts, can we imagine about talking about something else?
Okay, let's talk existentialism... (not really the right forum, i know...)
I've got a theory. And it's not leaking yet...
Here goes...
We don't exist as human beings. I am just the direct result of the thoughts of a higher being. Everything that happens to me is brought on by that being. Every feeling I have is because of that higher power. When you guys reply to the things I write (or my creator makes me write) the replies are thought up by that being, as are you. You don't exist. The being dreamed you up to interact with me, his only creation. When you're read this, the sovereign being lets you read it. (or so I think). Cuz maybe I am not the creation itself, but just an interacting character in the life, he thought up for you. You exist as the center of his universe. Or am I the center? If my world gets destroyed in a nuclear war, I will be the only one who dies. Though I was actually never born. My birth was just a fantasy.
So remember... You're not reading something I wrote. You're reading something a higher being thought up, to give his creation, you, something to think about...
I've got a theory. And it's not leaking yet...
Here goes...
We don't exist as human beings. I am just the direct result of the thoughts of a higher being. Everything that happens to me is brought on by that being. Every feeling I have is because of that higher power. When you guys reply to the things I write (or my creator makes me write) the replies are thought up by that being, as are you. You don't exist. The being dreamed you up to interact with me, his only creation. When you're read this, the sovereign being lets you read it. (or so I think). Cuz maybe I am not the creation itself, but just an interacting character in the life, he thought up for you. You exist as the center of his universe. Or am I the center? If my world gets destroyed in a nuclear war, I will be the only one who dies. Though I was actually never born. My birth was just a fantasy.
So remember... You're not reading something I wrote. You're reading something a higher being thought up, to give his creation, you, something to think about...
Personally I believe that "fully immersive" gameplay is still 5 or 10 years off, and am looking forward to it. The point of gaming to me is to distract myself from the reality about me and concentrate on whatever fantastical role I am playing. Being able to distinguish between fantasy and reality should not be a problem for anyone who is well-adjusted, no matter what technology will be applied either now or in the future.
Decartes ("I think therefore I am") believed in existentialism. From his statement he built up the building blocks of the human psyche and arrived at the conclusion that we were all here to serve a higher power.
There is no reason why this kind of existence should not include gaming of any kind.
Non-extentialism pundits opt for the view that we are only here once and so, what the hell, let's enjoy it. If gaming is your bag, then "just do it". (Nike 1988.)
There are still other views that we are not really here at all but just figments of our own imaginations, (you have to really think about this one to get it, e.g. are you really reading this post or just imagining that you are and then imagining to yourself whether you are going to post a reply to it and so on?)
This final viewpoint does not distinguish between reality and fantasy, the two are indivisible, and therefore anything that comes along to aid us with our imagination is generally a good thing. For gamers who subscribe to this final view, then there can be nothing to be afraid of in the future, come what may.
Decartes ("I think therefore I am") believed in existentialism. From his statement he built up the building blocks of the human psyche and arrived at the conclusion that we were all here to serve a higher power.
There is no reason why this kind of existence should not include gaming of any kind.
Non-extentialism pundits opt for the view that we are only here once and so, what the hell, let's enjoy it. If gaming is your bag, then "just do it". (Nike 1988.)
There are still other views that we are not really here at all but just figments of our own imaginations, (you have to really think about this one to get it, e.g. are you really reading this post or just imagining that you are and then imagining to yourself whether you are going to post a reply to it and so on?)
This final viewpoint does not distinguish between reality and fantasy, the two are indivisible, and therefore anything that comes along to aid us with our imagination is generally a good thing. For gamers who subscribe to this final view, then there can be nothing to be afraid of in the future, come what may.
Page: