Without dating myself too much, I remember being in high school, in the 90’s during my senior year. I recall being in my current events class, and the teacher introducing “the web”, and putting the web address on the board. I remember at that time not really understanding what it was exactly, but I knew it was definitely something that was going to change the way the world communicates. Fast forward twenty plus years later, I think it’s safe to say my prediction was correct. However, I never imagined it to be what it’s become, including having the ability to create avatars and explore virtual worlds.
History
One of the earliest examples of this technology was created Morton Heilig, who created a mechanical device called Sensorama. This was one of the earliest examples of 3D technology. Heilig was a cinematographer who saw theater as a platform to surround the senses and draw an audience creating what he called “experience theater”. Ivan Sutherland, a computer scientist widely known as “the father of computer graphics”, created the first virtual reality and augmented reality head mounted display system. Originally developed as text-based games capable of serving only a handful of users, virtual worlds now feature persistent 3-D worlds with graphical user interfaces providing the ability to interact with other people and objects while experiencing immediate feedback within a world inhabited by millions of users.
Present and Future
Virtual worlds have become an evolution in today’s world. It provides endless formats and configurations for companies and organizations to experience and choose for consumer use. The future of virtual worlds present many opportunities. From sports to conferences, creating virtual audiences has provided an innovative way to connect, especially given our “new normal”. Virtual worlds will continue to be an essential part of technology in the future as it extends experiences and opportunities to engage users and provide innovative ways for collaboration and networking.
Sanchez, Joe. “A social history of virtual worlds.” Library Technology Reports, vol. 45, no. 2, 2009, p. 9+. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.
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Thanks for the succinct and straightforward introduction to the concept of virtual worlds, Yalonda! I focused on virtual reality for the first half of the semester so I’ve encountered many of these thoughts and facts already, but Morton Heilig is a new name for me. I think it’s fascinating that he was a cinematographer because it highlights the fusing of education and entertainment which led to many of the emerging technologies we’ve studied and discussed for this class. It would be really interesting to see a cross-section of how the trends from over the years line up with each other – I’m sure there must be tons of articles and research out there along those lines. Off the top of my head, I assume the overlap has a lot to do with the common goal of engaging people and holding their attention long enough to make a point that sticks. In any case, I’m looking forward to reading more on this topic!
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Hi Yolanda,
I think this is a topic that is not really talked about as much as it should unless you do the research on it, then you will find a lot. I think that this is so prevalent to the times we are in now with Covid- 19. As you see or hear sporting events playing games with empty stadiums, conferences and so many other things. This is something that is on the rise in thought going forward for sure in my opinion.
Vincent Arbeeny
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