Experience on demand
Subtitle: what virtual reality is, how it works, and what it can do
By: Jeremy Bailenson
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 290
ISBN-13: 9780393253696
Subjects: TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING; COMPUTERS; Social aspects; Soziale Funktion; Virtual reality; Virtuelle Realitat; Psychological aspects; Miscellanea; Virtual Worlds; History
Description: Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, pushing the limits of our imagination and granting us access to any experience imaginable. With well-crafted simulations, these experiences, which are so immersive that the brain believes they're real, are already widely available with a VR headset and will only become more accessible and commonplace. But how does this new medium affect its users, and does it have a future beyond fantasy and escapism? In Experience on Demand, Jeremy Bailenson draws on two decades spent researching the psychological effects of VR and other mass media to help readers understand this powerful new tool. He offers expert guidelines for interacting with VR and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use--not to distance ourselves from reality, but to enrich our lives and influence us to treat others, the environment, and even ourselves better. In the world of VR, a football quarterback plays a game against a competing team hundreds of times before even stepping onto the field; members of the United Nations embody a young girl in a refugee camp going through her day-to-day life; and veterans once again walk through the streets where they had experienced trauma. There are dangers and many unknowns in using VR, but it also can help us hone our performance, recover from trauma, improve our learning and communication abilities, and enhance our empathic and imaginative capacities. Like any new technology, its most incredible uses might be waiting just around the corner. Experience on Demand is the definitive look at the risks and potential of VR--a must-read for navigating both the virtual and the physical worlds ahead.

Virtual reality blurs the line between reality and illusion, pushes the limits of our imagination, and grants us access to any experience imaginable. With the right equipment, the brain believes they're real. But how does this new medium affect its users, and does it have a future beyond fantasy and escapism? Bailenson offers guidelines for interacting with VR and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use to enrich our lives and influence us to treat others, the environment, and even ourselves better. -- adapted from jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-277) and index.
Table of contents: title: Practice made perfect; title: You are what you eat; title: Walking in the shoes of another; title: Worldview; title: Time machines for trauma; title: Absence makes the pain grow fainter; title: Bringing social back to the network; title: Stories in the round; title: Reverse field trips; title: How to build good VR content.