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Computer-generated reality

Langrenus

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Apr 23, 2007
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http://www.newscientisttech.com/cha...es-to-the-last-computergenerated-wrinkle.html

See also: http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/crysis/news.html?sid=6163791&mode=previews

Thoughts?

Personally I've never bought into the "guns don't kill people, dangerous minorities who play violent computer games do" argument. But when we're getting this close to reality (visually at least) are we reaching a dangerous tipping point? Perhaps where people snap a picture of their favourite hate-figure, load it onto a PC to be modeled in 3D, and then push the modeled character into a computer game for a firefight? Will the lines between reality and virtual reality become too blurred?

Or is it irrelevant? Nothing more than hi-tech faces on a dartboard?

P.S. You all seem intelligent people, but I should still point out: this isn't a thread about The Matrix
 

Anonymous

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If anything, I would think that video games could act as an outlet for violence, not an irritant. Kind of like if you were given a baseball bat and allowed to whack away in an antique store. It doesn't make you get angrier, but relieves tension. Now video games aren't that fun, and not as relieving, but they are a bit similar, I think.
 

Langrenus

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Hmm, possibly. But we're not looking at an isolated act here. To use your analogy, what if you're allowed to 'whack away' in an antiques store numerous times? Hundreds of times? Couldn't this end up in behavioural modification, to a point that you end up associating all antiques stores with the right to whack away?

Reversing this back onto the first example, if you re-enacted a violent activity multiple times mightn't this increase the odds of your self-control slipping in real life?
 

Octarine

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Anyone have new thoughts four years on?

It is not so much the quality of the graphics though, but how we treat it emotionally. Is it real?

With prolonged exposure, the human mind tends to treat tools and artificial stimulus in the same way as ones own body and natural stimulus.
So it is not so much the graphics, so as the richness of the gaming world. We will be in trouble when the gaming world becomes more provocative and rewarding than the real world, such that it starts to dominate individuals lives in terms of time spent. This is still a long way off of course, since it would have to start resembling the complexity of our current society and world, such that players are compelled to spend many thousands of hours.

Otherwise it will still appear as a pale imitation to most people. (eg Second Life)
 
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