Last class’s
conversation about the future and virtual reality made me think about this
anime, Sword Art Online (SAO). For those who haven’t heard about this show, it
takes place in the future. Imagine
that gaming has advanced to the point where you no longer watch from the other
side of the television screen but are right there in the world, experiencing
full immersion of all your senses and controlling your character as easily as
your own body. In this future, the first game to utilize this
technology is Sword Art Online, a fantasy MMORPG created
by the inventor of the very device used to play it. However, the first
ten-thousand players who logged on discover they cannot log out. They soon
realize that the Game Master (GM) has trapped them within the game.
The creator of the game issues
an ultimatum: beat the Final Boss on the 100th floor, and everyone will be free from the
game. If a player's HP should ever
be reduced to zero, then the helmet used to play the game will unleash a pulse
of microwave radiation to fry their brain, therefore killing them in the
real world. The same fate awaits
them if anyone in the real world attempts to remove them from the game by
force.
This show raises some important issues about the dangers of Virtual Reality.
For starters, just like computers can get hacked, these virtual reality helmets
can get hacked as well. Unlike a computer, you cannot simply reset your system
back to working order so easily. If the helmet were to get hacked they can get
access to your brain and cause permanent damage, as shown in SAO. It is very
possible that these future hackers can trap us in whatever game we happen to be
playing. Another major issue would be the physical health problems that would
occur due to using these helmets. In the show, these players were trapped in
the game for about two years. They had lost so much weight and were on the
verge of dying. Had it not been for the doctors who sustained them with IVs and
liquid meals, the players would have died. I can see this happening to many
gamers today if this technology was released. Gamers already spend insane
amounts of time staring at a computer screen. If they had the virtual reality
helmets, they could very easily get trapped in the virtual world. They may
think it is better than the real world, but this could lead to serious health
issues.
I didn’t create this post to be against the
idea of virtual reality, but more to get people thinking about the possible
dangers this technology can have on us.
I've seen the show too and it's actually one of my favorites. I love the idea of being able to actually go on an adventure and to actually get to have a sword fight and to actually be able to live in a fantasy. Although the show was entertaining, I feel like there are a few fundamental issues with the death game plot. I would have to imagine that any such device would need to undergo excessive testing and safety checks before ever reaching the market. Furthermore, being an incredibly new exciting but unknown field I would imagine that the level of testing the product would be subjected to would borderline paranoid. I feel I can comfortably state that at the very least it would be safety proofed enough that the physical device itself couldn't inflict injure on the user. I would imagine that the greatest safety risk of the physical device itself would be from extended exposure over a number of years. The other major concern of such true virtual reality is that people may never want to leave. I could see this also being prevented with forced time restrictions. However, I foresee the most debated issue being its effect on the human psyche. I am a strong believer that violent games don't create violent people. But that's because it's overwhelmingly obvious that it's just a game. What happens when the day comes that taking out an enemy in a game means actually choking them out (such as in stealth games)? A person could easily loose touch with reality or become too comfortable with violence. It's one thing to use a joystick, it's another to experience it. These are the issues that I believe need to be seriously debated before we even think of allowing such products to be released to the public market.
ReplyDeleteSAO is a favorite of mine. You should also check out this video of Game Theory's coverage on Watch Dogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNPXoydz_zQ
ReplyDeleteThey also talk about the dangers of hackers using technology hooked up to humans.
Currently, we're not at the level that the "Full Dive" system (you completely control an avatar on the internet, not feeling your body at all) is. Currently we can only use occulus along with other motion detection software to get anything close to this kind of a feeling. The main thing is we still rely on our physical bodies to do the movement. If however, we ever get to the point where we are completely on the internet side with no control of our bodies, things are going to get scary, and exciting!