Game Makers are out to rule your brains
I have a good young friend who recently bought the latest version of Playstation (PS4). It is a marvel to see what it can do. My friend plays a variety of games and most likely, from what I have watched him do thus far, he is a crack at it. With PS4 you can jointly play with friends online or with anybody else in the world who is logged on to the same game.
Out of this it is not difficult to visualize an emerging virtual universe in which real life people roam freely in this realm of almost infinite options, through their self-created character – or avatar - which (or ‘who’) has all kinds of wondrous capabilities far exceeding our own real life capabilities.
Subsequently we can experience every adventure or journey – either alone or with friends – served up by the numerous game makers who constitute the true creators of this universe.
At present we can say that the world of computer games and our material world are totally separate. But this will change over time. We will cross the strict borders between the real and the virtual, which will then increasingly become a blur. Real life and virtual life are bound to merge. This is what the current games and gaming facilities are gradually training the younger generation of my good friend familiarize with.
But there is a twist. In actual fact our individual liberties in the virtual universe are restricted. Our actions are largely guided by the minds and rules of those who created the hardware and software of our games (and other applications) in the first place. If you want to be successful in Playstation – or X-box – games, you must learn to understand their minds and logic and not apply your own. There may be many instances where the option you would wish to have simply is not available and where you have to settle with a choice of actions that seem ineffective or illogic. Increasing the players’ flexibility thus would seem an important aspect of the future evolution of (online) gaming.
Then there is the increased sense of real experience in virtual reality. Probably many people share my sensation of reality when you simply drive a car, traveling through any kind of landscape in currently available games. How will this sensation be when one day we all wear 3D-monitors like the one depicted below.
But I could also simply wish to enter the virtual universe and meet with friends abroad, go shopping in some great virtual mall, or do sightseeing in an ancient city, like Rome at the time of Emperor Augustus. The possibilities are infinite.
Ultimately we can all become creators in the virtual universe. Perhaps this is the true journey for which we need to prepare.
