4 ms·

I wonder about trauma from "dying" in a game that is so immersive it "tricks" your brain into thinking it is real -- example from the article about him sticking

I wonder about trauma from "dying" in a game that is so immersive it "tricks" your brain into thinking it is real -- example from the article about him sticking out his tongue to try and catch snow without thinking about it. I wonder if we will start seeing more people in therapy for PTSD from gaming.

mhb 14y ago
Brainstorm: A team of scientists invents "the Hat", a brain/computer interface that allows sensations to be recorded from a person's brain and converted to tape so that others can experience them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorm_(1983_film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorm_(1983_film)
- aaronblohowiak 14y ago
  Also: Strange Days, Total Recall and Blade Runner.
  - abe_duarte 14y ago
    awesome movies!
    - hn-miw-i 14y ago
      Except for the remake of total recall... That sucked!
  - sesqu 14y ago
    and Final Cut, and a whole host of made-for-TV movies, depending on how much you're willing to relax the theme.
- martinced 14y ago
  In response to your parent, there's also the movie by Wim Wenders "Until the end of the world" Where IIRC a scientist creates a device that can record dreams and his wife becomes totally addicted to the experience and just can't stop playing and re-playing her dreams. I think it's in Until the end of the world but cannot swear it ; ) Good movie anyway... And then there's the movie which is a reflection on immersive videogame as the main plot: David Cronenberg's Existenz. Existenz is considered a flop by many, but an underrated movie by quite some people too.
aaronblohowiak 14y ago
DFW predicted the rise of an entertainment so engrossing that people lost interest in doing anything else[1]. From bookworms to couch potatoes to video game addiction[2], we have seen ever-enriched simulations develop over the last few hundred years. People are already dying from neglecting their "meatspace" selves[3]; this will only increase in popularity. This does give some hint as to what people will "do" post-singularity[4]. 1: Infinite Jest 2: Videgame Addiction was rejected from the next DSM, but I believe that we will see a form of it added within our lifetimes. 3: This has been happening for almost ten years: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-scarcity_economy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-scarcity_economy
- stock_toaster 14y ago
  I am speaking more of direct sensory based shock, at "dying" or fear (horror genre), as apposed to "neglecting meatspace concerns".
- mtgx 14y ago
  Like it or not, that may be the future, where we're always "plugged in". We already do that with the Internet. We may even feel physical pain from not being able to access the Internet for a few days, and dearly "miss" it. I imagine this sort of feeling will only become more powerful as technology becomes more advanced, more connected, and more realistic. But I don't think it's all bad. I think it will help with so many things we aren't even foreseeing yet.
- antiterra 14y ago
  I think "The Entertainment" from Infinite Jest was an exaggeration rather than a direct prediction. I mean, a single glance at the screen would freeze someone in place and make one willing to cut off the fingers of another in order to continue watching. "The Entertainment" was also entirely non-interactive and non-social, whereas Starcraft and MMOs have strong interactive elements. Far more interesting was the bit about the rise and fall of video chat, where people became so self-conscious about their appearance they eventually altered or covered them up before returning to audio-only. Kottke brought this up in relation to Facetime[1]. http://kottke.org/10/06/david-foster-wallace-on-iphone-4s-facetime http://kottke.org/10/06/david-foster-wallace-on-iphone-4s-fa...

mhb 14y ago

Brainstorm: A team of scientists invents "the Hat", a brain/computer interface that allows sensations to be recorded from a person's brain and converted to tape so that others can experience them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorm_(1983_film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorm_(1983_film)

aaronblohowiak 14y ago
Also: Strange Days, Total Recall and Blade Runner.
- abe_duarte 14y ago
  awesome movies!
  - hn-miw-i 14y ago
    Except for the remake of total recall... That sucked!
- sesqu 14y ago
  and Final Cut, and a whole host of made-for-TV movies, depending on how much you're willing to relax the theme.
martinced 14y ago
In response to your parent, there's also the movie by Wim Wenders "Until the end of the world" Where IIRC a scientist creates a device that can record dreams and his wife becomes totally addicted to the experience and just can't stop playing and re-playing her dreams. I think it's in Until the end of the world but cannot swear it ; ) Good movie anyway... And then there's the movie which is a reflection on immersive videogame as the main plot: David Cronenberg's Existenz. Existenz is considered a flop by many, but an underrated movie by quite some people too.

aaronblohowiak 14y ago

DFW predicted the rise of an entertainment so engrossing that people lost interest in doing anything else[1]. From bookworms to couch potatoes to video game addiction[2], we have seen ever-enriched simulations develop over the last few hundred years. People are already dying from neglecting their "meatspace" selves[3]; this will only increase in popularity. This does give some hint as to what people will "do" post-singularity[4]. 1: Infinite Jest 2: Videgame Addiction was rejected from the next DSM, but I believe that we will see a form of it added within our lifetimes. 3: This has been happening for almost ten years: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-scarcity_economy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-scarcity_economy

stock_toaster 14y ago
I am speaking more of direct sensory based shock, at "dying" or fear (horror genre), as apposed to "neglecting meatspace concerns".
mtgx 14y ago
Like it or not, that may be the future, where we're always "plugged in". We already do that with the Internet. We may even feel physical pain from not being able to access the Internet for a few days, and dearly "miss" it. I imagine this sort of feeling will only become more powerful as technology becomes more advanced, more connected, and more realistic. But I don't think it's all bad. I think it will help with so many things we aren't even foreseeing yet.
antiterra 14y ago
I think "The Entertainment" from Infinite Jest was an exaggeration rather than a direct prediction. I mean, a single glance at the screen would freeze someone in place and make one willing to cut off the fingers of another in order to continue watching. "The Entertainment" was also entirely non-interactive and non-social, whereas Starcraft and MMOs have strong interactive elements. Far more interesting was the bit about the rise and fall of video chat, where people became so self-conscious about their appearance they eventually altered or covered them up before returning to audio-only. Kottke brought this up in relation to Facetime[1]. http://kottke.org/10/06/david-foster-wallace-on-iphone-4s-facetime http://kottke.org/10/06/david-foster-wallace-on-iphone-4s-fa...